CCSD Students Named U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Candidates

Two Cherokee County School District Class of 2025 seniors have been named candidates for a top national honor!

Cherokee High School senior Elliana Mathews and River Ridge High School senior Alfred Tang are among only 4,000 students selected as candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program from the more than 3 million graduating seniors in the nation’s Class of 2025.  Only 216 students from Georgia were recognized with this prestigious honor.

This outstanding news recognizes our honorees’ longtime dedication to academic excellence, school engagement, and community service.  Their recognition also honors the unparalleled talent and unmatched dedication of our teachers, and the continued investment by our School Board in advanced academics and extra-curricular programs. 

Established in 1964 by executive order of the President, the program honors extraordinary graduating seniors.  Candidates for the invitation-only recognition program are initially selected based on outstanding performance on the ACT or SAT.  For the next round of competition, semi-finalists will be selected based on an application that considers overall academic excellence, personal character, leadership and service activities.  Finalists will be selected based on further review of their success in these areas, with 161 Scholars to be named in the spring.  Scholars receive national recognition and an invitation to an all-expenses paid trip to the White House.  

An AP Scholar with Distinction ranked fifth in her class at Cherokee HS, Elliana is a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student, a Governor's Honors Program semifinalist, and earned honorable mention in the prestigious Genes in Space competition.  She serves as president of the school’s Women in STEM club, is an active member of the environmental action club and Alpha Gamma service club and has volunteered as a camp counselor for the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.  After graduation, Elliana will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology, pursuing a major in biology.

A National Merit Semifinalist and Superintendent’s Key Scholar, Alfred has earned the Georgia Certificate of Merit, a Governor's Honors Program semifinalist, and earned third place in the Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy team competition.  The four-year principal viola member of the River Ridge HS orchestra, he also is a four-year member of the cross-country and biking teams, math team, Science Olympiad team, and Beta Club.  Alfred also is a member of the school coding club and participated in the Georgia Tech CEISMC (Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing) program.

The Cherokee County School Board and Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis will recognize Elliana and Alfred at an upcoming school board meeting.

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