<p>Thanks for posting this! Three from our HS, one a kid who got perfect scores on the SAT as well as the ACT, so no surprise there. All wonderful students.</p>
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<p>This kind of really questionable attitude is just wrong on so many levels - how about respect for the OFFICE of POTUS??? How about respect for the Presidential Scholars program? How about respect for all the teachers and school administrators who no doubt helped you along your pathway to academic stardom? Sheesh.</p>
<p>My son was a Presidential Scholar. Of all his honors and awards that senior year of high school, it truly was the best. Congratulations to all!</p>
<p>Teaching kids to respect the President presumes that the President is respectable. “Revere this guy because he’s the one in charge” is just the kind of lesson I hope my kids never learn. I just hope it was the kid’s decision and not the parent’s. If my kid had a principled reason for not wanting to meet the President, I’d respect it.</p>
<p>^Amen. I wouldn’t spend hours and hours on an application if W was the president “honoring” me. the guy got into yale on an outrageous legacy boost. the very thing i am against. not to mention his horrid decisions as president</p>
<p>^^I think this program has been going on for nearly 50 years and is bigger than the person that happens to occupy the office at the time. The ‘award’ consists of much more than visiting the WH, and in fact, they do not list ‘meeting the President’ as one of the rewards. I believe someone above noted that last years group did not get to meet the President 
and I would hope the group did not fill out the application for that specifically, but rather for the overall honor of being named. </p>
<p>I am speaking as the mother of one who likely will not fill out the application despite the fact that, for us, meeting the current President would be a <em>big</em> incentive to do so.</p>
<p>^^I completely agree. An honor like this is much bigger than the person who gives it. However, I wouldnt want people who dont respect the award to be given it when others who actually do understand its significance are left out.</p>
<p>If you feel that the award is bigger than the person who gives it, that’s fine. Perfectly reasonable. And the program is obviously highly respectable and prestigious. But sewhappy said…</p>
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<p>…which suggests that one should accept the award in spite of one’s misgivings about the person presenting it. And I’m saying that’s a poor lesson to teach our kids. Substitute Castro or Chavez for Bush, and surely you’ll see where I’m coming from.</p>
<p>I’m not saying anyone should pass up the Presidential Scholars program. I’m saying that a principled boycott based on one’s opinion of the person presenting it is just freedom of speech. In this country we’re allowed to say, “Screw the President. He’s a jerk.” God bless America!</p>
<p>Not that I had any love for W, but “Castro or Chavez” are not in any way interchangable with Bush.</p>
<p>Would you urge your student to “have respect for the office of Dictator”? </p>
<p>I still think our office of POTUS is larger than any one person who may be holding it at the time. And that’s a good thing. :)</p>
<p>I guess I’d better wake up and respond since Sewhappy called me out for my son’s disrepect for lacking the incentive to apply for the award. And here I thought I was just sharing helpful information and congratulations, but I’ll defend my post anyway…</p>
<p>My son had to assess his interest in doing a bunch of work to have a chance of receiving an award that included no scholarship money, and which he probably wouldn’t win anyway. His school and teachers didn’t need him to bring glory to the school - they get their share of winners. His ego didn’t need the resume value of winning. And the fact that a big part of the reward for winning is a chance to meet the president just left him flat. Yes, he respects the Office of the President, and I have no idea about whether he respects the US Department of Education. But it is very possible to respect the Office and the country without respecting an individual who holds office. </p>
<p>Thanks for supporting freedom of expression, Mantori!</p>
<p>FauxNom–of course your son is entitled to decline to apply. It really is a long shot without any material gain and we understand that.</p>
<p>I guess I (and others) just had to get in on the political argument that seemed to be developing. Sorry. :(</p>
<p>Now back to our regularly scheduled discussion.</p>
<p>So do winners get to shake hands with (or be in the same room as) the President?</p>
<p>Also, in the selection process, how important is it to have done a lot of volunteering/service work? My daughter has done very little of that kind of stuff- does that pretty much guarantee that she will not be chosen as a Presidential Scholar? Feb is going to be a very busy time for her school and extracurricular activities- I’m not sure how much to encourage her to apply for this.</p>
<p>It just says there’s a ceremony at the WH. No mention/promise of the person giving out the awards, and I suspect its hit and miss as to whether the Big Man (no woman yet) makes it to the ceremony.</p>
<p>Don’t know the answer to your second question. Would guess its not necessary if there are other things that fill up the application.</p>
<p>I was a Presidential Scholar in 1980. We actually <em>did</em> get some scholarship money, not from the Presidential Scholars but from private foundation (I forget which one). It was $1000, which was the same as the National Merit Scholarship at the time. Not a huge amount of money, but not nothing.</p>
<p>In addition, we got a trip to Washington D.C., where we stayed in dorms on a college campus (I should remember which one it was but I don’t) and got taken around to various activities, including a talent show by the scholars for the arts and a snazzy party and a nice ceremony presenting awards to teachers (we did not each get to bring a teacher–if they do that now, it’s new). And we had a medal presentation ceremony on the White House lawn, although the president was not there.</p>
<p>It was a great experience and the other kids were really fun and interesting. I can’t imagine not making the effort to complete the application, but I guess people have different priorities.</p>
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<p>Wouldn’t it be a bummer to be in the same room, but not get to shake hands? “Look but don’t touch!” :)</p>
<p>You know what would be even weirder? To shake hands but not be in the same room! Like, through a hole in the wall or something.</p>
<p>In 2007, a group of Presidential Scholars both attended the event and voiced their displeasure with the administration. A group of PS drafted and presented to GWB a letter urging him to reject torture and stick to the Geneva Conventions with terror detainees. </p>
<p>[Presidential</a> scholar confronts the president - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/30/presidential_scholar_confronts_the_president/]Presidential”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/30/presidential_scholar_confronts_the_president/)</p>
<p>Excellent. Respectful, participatory, and still reaping the benefits of the honor they had earned. I love it.</p>
<p>^^I agree, mantori.suzuki. These students had a unique opportunity to speak out to the Pres on an important issue. Kudos to them for having the guts to do it, and for doing it in a civil, non-disruptive way.</p>
<p>I think that was way cool. When I read about kids like this, I realize that DS would be wasting everyone’s time if he submitted an app. He’s a good smart cool kid to me but this sort of thing would be so far out of his league…</p>
<p>50isthenew40, how were you able to determine the SAT or ACT scores from the list? Is there a list with actual scores posted??</p>
<p>ihs-sometimes it’s nice to encourage your kid to reach even when the odds are low. If he doesn’t apply, he has a 0% chance of winning.</p>