A Mattituck High School senior has been named as a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistically talented high school seniors.
Twelfth-grader Oliver Orr is a young director whose short film, “Precipice,” won him a spot as a finalist winner in the national YoungArts program in cinematic arts.
As a YoungArts winner, Oliver was also eligible for nomination to the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. Only 60 candidates nationwide can be nominated each year.
Oliver is one of them.
His admission into the YoungArts program is a feat in itself. This year, more than 11,000 students sent submissions to the competition. Almost 800 were recognized for their work, including Oliver, and he was one of just 60 in this pool of contestants who was nominated for the honor of becoming a U.S. Presidential Scholar.
The Commission on Presidential Scholars, which is appointed by the President of the United States, will now select 20 of those 60 students to be U.S. Presidential Scholars.
An additional 121 students will be selected for their academic achievements, making a total of only 141 students nationwide who receive this honor.
The commission will announce the winning students in May.
