Jessica I. Anastasio, a senior at St. Mary’s Hall, will be heading to Princeton to study classical music. Contributed Photo

A St. Mary’s Hall senior was recently chosen for one of the nation’s highest honors in the arts, one of only 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts nationwide. Jessica I. Anastasio, an accomplished flute player, got the word she was selected in an announcement May 2 by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

“I was extremely surprised by the announcement. It’s amazing,” Anastasio said. “My parents and St. Mary’s have been so supportive of me for so long.”

The Presidential Scholars Program is a national recognition program administered by the U.S. Department of Education to honor some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.

Anastasio also has a strong interest in classic literature. She is the principal chair and five-time competition winner and soloist with the City Youth Orchestra and has competed with the National Flute Association Competition and the International Kingsville Music Competition, where she was a finalist. She has volunteered extensively with the San Antonio Symphony. She is the vice president of the Latin club and is also an experienced equestrian.

“Jessica has always been very focused and disciplined,” said her mother, Lorraine. “When we moved to San Antonio years ago, we didn’t realize how supportive the artistic community here was. Tallon S. Perkes, the principal flutist with the San Antonio Symphony, has been her teacher for years, and took her under his wing when she was eight.”

“I’ve been privileged to be involved so much with the symphony here,” she said. “It’s been a huge part of my life, and has given me so many outlets to express myself.”

Anastasio is heading to prestigious Princeton University in New Jersey this fall to study classical music and hopes to earn a performance degree at the Ivy League school.

“I’m also very interested in studying the influences Greek and Latin culture had on classical music,” she said. “I’d love to eventually be part of a major symphony or a professor of classical music.”

Anastasio is one of 141 outstanding American high school seniors that have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, and service at school and in their community.

The Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington, D.C., from June 23 to 27.

As guests of the commission, the Presidential Scholars will spend the week meeting with elected officials, educators, authors, musicians, scientists, and other accomplished professionals. They attend seminars, recitals, and receptions, and are honored by the president.

The Presidential Scholars in Dance, Music, Theater, Jazz, and Voice will also be featured during the Salute to the 2007 Presidential Scholars at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Concert Hall in Washington June 25.

“The 2007 Presidential Scholars represent the great gift we have in our nation’s youth,” said Spellings. “Their academic achievement and their spirit of leadership and service will ensure their success in the 21st century knowledge economy. They exemplify the standard of excellence that we are striving for in all our schools across the United States, and their skills, energy and innovation will enable America to set a competitive pace in our changing world.”

The 141 Presidential Scholars include one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

A 27-member Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by President Bush selected the scholars based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.

For the past 43 years, the program has honored over 5,000 of the nation’s top-performing students. Of the 3 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 2,700 candidates qualified on the basis of outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, or by nomination through the nationwide Young Arts‚ talent search conducted by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.

The Presidential Scholars program was created in 1964 to honor academic achievement.

It was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts.

Since 1983, each Presidential Scholar has invited his or her most inspiring and challenging teacher to travel to Washington, D.C., to receive a Teacher Recognition Award from the U.S. Department of Education and to participate in the recognition events.

Jessica chose her flute instructor, Perkes, for the recognition, but also wanted to thank her Latin teacher, Ned Tuck, for all his support. “Mr. Tuck always inspired me to be openminded,” she said. “I wish I could have chosen both of them.”