Huge Moose Congrats to These VT Presidential Scholars

Congratulations are in order for not one but two Maple Street alums recognized this year as Vermont Presidential Scholars! Christopher Alfano MSS ’20 and Myles Lahue MSS ’20 were among the select group of high school seniors in Vermont to be honored in 2024 for their community contributions and academic achievements.

The Vermont Presidential Scholars program is a statewide recognition of student citizenship and excellence in leadership, academics, and the arts. It grants recognition in three categories: General, Career Technical Education, and Arts. Alfano and Lahue were two of the twenty Vermont seniors awarded in the General division. This category evaluates contributions to school and community; citizenship; academic achievements (including traditional and non-traditional learning experiences); creativity and innovation in learning; leadership; and being an inspiration to others.

Alfano and Lahue have an impressive list of current involvements, in organizations like student government, Special Olympics, UNICEF, science education, and athletics. But though their capacity for civic and academic achievement has grown as they have, their interest isn’t new. The MSS ’20 yearbook shows that these young men have long striven to high standards of citizenship and academics. On their individual pages, among the baby pictures, vacation photos, and group shots of family, each features a fitting quote. Lahue’s selection is from Benjamin Franklin: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” And Alfano’s is courtesy of a statesman of our own era: John McCain’s exhortation that “We are taught to understand that courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity for action despite our fears.”

As part of their recognition, Alfano and Lahue took part in an awards ceremony at the Vermont state house. They were also automatically invited to apply for the national program, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Each year, only 5,000 student candidates are chosen to apply for the national award, out of nearly 3.6 million graduating high school seniors.