Principal Art Davis announced that Paducah Tilghman seniors Marissa Davis, Alicia Humphrey, and Catherine Miller have been named Commended Students in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from PTHS and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, will be presented to these scholastically talented students.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2013 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2013 competition by taking the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

"Recognizing academically talented seniors plays a fundamental role in the advancement of educational excellence within our nation," commented an NMSC spokesperson. "The young people recognized as Commended Students represent some of the best and brightest minds in the country as demonstrated by their outstanding performance in our highly competitive program. We sincerely hope this recognition will provide them with additional educational outlets and motivate them in the pursuit of academic achievement."

Rotary scholars will have the opportunity to attend weekly Rotary meetings for the month.  At the meetings, they will meet members and hear discussions of community-related topics.

Hill is a member of the PTHS football and track teams. He is a member of the PT Fit Club. He is a member of I.C.E. (Integrity, Character, and Excellence), a Step group at Fairview Baptist Church. His parents are Rodney and Shenia Hill.

After graduation, Hill plans to continue playing football at a four year university and major in physical therapy.

Paducah Tilghman High School senior Marissa Davis has been selected as a Semifinalist in the 2013 National Achievement Scholarship Program.

Davis is one of more than 1600 Black American high school seniors who have been designated Semifinalists in the program. These scholastically talented students will continue in the competition for approximately 800 Achievement Scholarship awards worth more than $2.5 million that will be offered next spring.

Art Davis, principal at Paducah Tilghman high school,  said Marissa's dedication to academics and her drive to succeed were qualities that made her an excellent candidate for this scholarship.

"Marissa has a great sense of humor, but she is a very serious student," said Davis.  "She has great support and great role models in her family who have given her the drive to strive for perfection."

Davis is a member of the PTHS Student Council, Beta Club, National Honor Society, Recycling Club, Choir and Academic team. She is a 2011 Creative Writing alumnus of the Governor's School for the Arts and a 2012 alumnus of the Governor's Scholars Program. She is a member of the McCracken County Chamber of Commerce YouthLEAD program. Her parents are Brad and Brigette Davis.

The National Achievement Scholarship Program, conducted by the National Achievement Scholarship Corporation, is a privately financed academic competition that operates without government assistance. It was initiated in 1964 to recognize academically promising black students throughout the nation and to provide scholarships to a substantial number of the most outstanding program participants. To date, over 31,900 men and women have received Achievement Scholarship awards worth more than $100 million.

More than 160,000 high school juniors from all parts of the United States requested consideration in the 2013 National Achievement Scholarship  Program when they took the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Semifinalists are designated within geographic regions and are the highest-scoring program entrants in the states that make up each region.

City Commission candidates, along with mayoral candidate Gayle Kaler, encouraged PTHS students to be active as voters and citizens at Monday's candidates forum organized by the PTHS speech and forensics team.

Kaler and all eight candidates for City Commission gathered for the first time since the primary election to speak with students about ways that students could be involved in the political process. Eligible students were also given the opportunity to register to vote.

City Commission candidate Richard Abraham noted that some students move away after graduation, but realize later that Paducah is a good place to live.

"The City Commission is five people with one goal: to make Paducah a good place to live and come back to," said Abraham. "Come back to Paducah and make it a better place."

All the candidates encouraged students to extend their civic involvement by volunteering with non-profits, churches, and civic organizations for the betterment of the community. City Commission candidate Sandra Wilson challenged the student body to host a community service fair to offer students more information about how they can be involved in the community.

"Our community is a better place because of the level of volunteerism that we enjoy," said Wilson.  "We want you to want to live here."

Following the candidate's presentations, selected students asked candidates one follow up question on topics ranging from how to encourage more recycling in the city to how city government might make better use of social media.

You can see WPSD video of the candidates' speeches here.

You'll get to see the 2012 football homecoming court in all their finery (and a few football uniforms) when PTHS plays Heath on September 21, 7:30 p.m., at McRight Field.

Homecoming Court members include (l to r) Hayden Mattingly, Alex Lindsey, James Hill, Tierra Bruce, Tyler Lynn, Kirby Black, Kendall Calhoun, McKenzie Belt, Darius Garnett, Chelsey West, Brock Sigler, and Victoria Potter.

Want to see the freestyle pose?  Take a look on our facebook page here.