HEBRON – Hebron Academy Head of School John King has announced that Kayla Chadwick, Silas Leavitt and Rosa Van Wie, all members of the senior class, have been named Commended Students in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program.

A Letter of Commendation from the school and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, will be presented to the scholastically talented seniors by King.

Recognized for their exceptional academic promise, Chadwick, Leavitt and Van Wie placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.4 million students who entered the 2008 competition by taking the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Leavitt of Gray has received the L. Edward Willard English Prize, the Compton Prize in Languages and the Harvard University Book Award for his academic achievements. He has been active in the school drama and musical productions and is a member of the junior varsity soccer team. Leavitt is the son of Anne Gass and Richard Leavitt.

Van Wie, daughter of Cheryl Bascomb and David Van Wie of New Gloucester, is a member of the mountain biking team, a class officer and has appeared in the all-school musicals. As a junior, she received the Smith College Book Award at the school’s annual spring awards ceremony.

Chadwick, from Kearsage, N.H., was selected by residential faculty at Hebron to be a student proctor this year, a position awarded to students who demonstrate leadership, communication skills and the ability to work well with their peers. They are instrumental in managing the school’s residential life program. Chadwick is a member of the field hockey, girls’ hockey and softball teams. She is the daughter of Cyndi Chadwick.

King also announced that six Hebron students have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school and to receive college credit, advanced placement or both for successful performance on the AP Exams.

Hebron Academy offers nine Advanced Placement courses across the curriculum. Additionally, several students are pursuing AP courses through independent study with supervising faculty sponsors.

Whenever applicable, Hebron Academy students are encouraged to include Advanced Placement topics in their course of study as part of the college preparatory philosophy. The average class size of an AP class at Hebron Academy is nine students.

Students took AP Exams in May 2007 after completing the courses. About 18 percent of the more than 1.4 million high school students in more than 16,000 secondary schools worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

Qualifying for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams are Katherine Cole and L. Kelsey Jordan, Hebron graduates in the class of 2007.

Cole was a four-year class officer, a member of the soccer and softball teams and the first-place snowboarding champion of the Maine Association of Independent School Athletic Directors’ League. She served as lighting director for the all-school musicals and was a member of the jazz band. The daughter of John and Joanne Cole, she is attending Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., this fall.

Jordan participated in the all-school musicals during her four years, starring in “Fiddler on the Roof” as Golda, and was a member of the chorus and orchestra. She was a class officer and a member of the Green Key tour guides. Jordan is the daughter of Abby Montague and David Jordan and is attending Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.

Four students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams, with grades of 3 or higher: Allison Maidman and Sara Powers, members of the class of 2007, and current seniors Tae Hoh Park and Gabriel Rubinstein.

Maidman was a member of the field hockey and tennis teams and captained the girls’ singles squad. She was a member of the stage crew for the all-school musicals each year. The daughter of Patrick and Jackie Maidman of Cumberland, she is attending New York University this fall.

Powers of Auburn received the Hebron Cup at graduation ceremonies in May. While at Hebron, she was a member of the jazz band, orchestra and the girls’ soccer team, captain of the girls’ basketball team and served as a class officer. Powers is the daughter of Will and Susan Powers and is attending Bowdoin College.

As a junior, Park took three AP courses and scored a grade of 5 on the three exams. This year Park is taking three additional AP courses. He is a member of the math team and plays lacrosse. During his sophomore year, he attended the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. He is the son of Seoung Ok Han and Youn Back Park of Seoul, Korea.

Rubinstein is the son of Phyl and Neil Rubinstein of North Yarmouth. He was a member of the snowboard and track teams.

For more information, visit www.hebronacademy.org or call 966-2100.