Date: February 6, 2004
Contact: Irene Cromer
(703) 791-8720

GAR-FIELD SENIOR NAMED PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR CANDIDATE

Gar-Field High School senior Philip Olson, son of Linda Olson of Woodbridge, has been
named one of 2,600 candidates in the 2004 United States Presidential Scholars Program. He will be recognized at a Prince William County School Board meeting on Wednesday, March 3, 2004.

The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by Executive Order of the President, to recognize and honor some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. Each year, up to 141 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.
Initial inclusion in the pool of eligible candidates is determined by the information provided by the student on his/her SAT or ACT test registration. The selection of approximately 2,600 academic candidates is made based on SAT and ACT scores. Test scores in each of the states/jurisdictions are reviewed, and the total SAT score is compared to the ACT Sum of Scores. In each state, student scores are ranked from high to low. Olson received perfect scores on his SAT 1 and SAT 2 tests, earning an invitation to apply for the Presidential Scholars Program. An IB diploma candidate, Olson is a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. Drum Major of Gar-Field’s marching band, he is also senior class president and team captain of the It’s Academic Team. He has been named an AP Scholar with Honor and has earned two academic letters and the Rensselaer Medal. He earned first place honors in the Concours Francais and participated in the American Mathematics Olympiad Summer Program at the University of Nebraska. Olson has ranked number one in his class all four years of high school and has received straight As on his report card since elementary school.

He is senior patrol leader for Boy Scout Troop 43 and recently completed his Eagle project in which he shipped almost 1,000 pounds of supplies to support U.S. troops in Kabul, Afghanistan. Olsen attended Springwoods Elementary School and Woodbridge Middle School. He applied to Yale, Harvard, Cornell, the College of William and Mary, and Duke and Rice Universities. Accepted at Yale University, Olson is waiting until he hears from all of the schools before making a college choice. Olson plans to major in mathematics, linguistics, or music, or a combination of the three.

Approximately 500 candidates are named semifinalists and up to 121 are selected as academic scholars. All scholars are honored for their accomplishments during National Recognition Week, held in June in Washington, D.C.