Under the direction of Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor, The Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) and Big Y World Class Markets have again collaborated to extend the Governor's Scholars Program.

Now in its sixteenth year, the purpose of the program is to recognize academically talented high school students in schools throughout the state, and present thirty students for special recognition to the Governor of Connecticut.

All principals of CAS member high schools are given the opportunity to nominate one junior ranked in the top five percent of his/her class. An essay on an assigned topic has to be completed. Members of the Governor's Scholars Committee, professional educators from throughout Connecticut, judge the completed applications and assign a composite score to each based on rank in class, PSAT or SAT scores, CAPT scores (for public schools), and the student essay. Robert Eberle, Chair of the Governor's Scholars Committee, is pleased to announce the thirty finalists in this year's competition and, on behalf of the CT State Department of Education, CAS, and Big Y, extend congratulations to:

• Fatima Bishtawi, Middletown High School
• Vaishali Chandola, Danbury High School
• Mario Chris, Xavier High School, Middletown
• Cooper D'Agostino, Joel Barlow High School, Redding
• Bryan Davis, Southington High School
• Lauren Drotar, Vinal Technical High School, Middletown
• Bryan Fichera, Fairfield Warde High School
• Adam Harris, Portland High School
• Ashley Hine, Hill Regional Career High School, New Haven
• Tyler Hoffman, Farmington High School
• Victoria Hoffmeister, Greenwich High School
• Peter Hopko, Terryville High School
• Margaret House, Simsbury High School
• Jessica Hyde, E.O. Smith High School, Storrs
• Audrey Jones, Stonington High School, Pawcatuck
• Ashwini Joshi, William Hall High School, West Hartford
• Henry Kavle, Litchfield High School
• Yossi Kohrman-Glaser, Newtown High School, Sandy Hook
• Elizabeth Lauri, Windsor High School
• Joan Li, East Lyme High School
• Audrey Loos, Enrico Fermi High School, Enfield
• Erika Mayer, Robert E. Fitch High School, Groton
• Reed Morgan, Darien High School
• Samantha Rosicke, Bolton High School
• David Santiago, Howell Cheney Technical High School, Manchester
• Mariana Saric, St. Joseph High School, Trumbull
• Thomas Vecca, John F. Kennedy High School, Waterbury
• Paige Wallace, Wilton High School
• Emily Weyrauch, Weston High School
• Cameron Yick, Academy of Information Technology & Engineering, Stamford