ORONO – Two local youngsters were awarded a scholarship for a three-credit course at the University of Maine in recognition of outstanding performance in this year’s Scholastic Aptitude Test, as part of a national academic talent search by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth:

. Zebulon Reynolds, 13, a seventh-grader at Samuel L. Wagner Middle School in Winterport. He is the son of W. Scott and Karen Reynolds.

. Natalie Beaulieu, 13, a seventh-grader at James F. Doughty Middle School in Bangor. She is the daughter of Elaine and David Beaulieu.

In a ceremony held May 10 at the UMaine, Reynolds and Beaulieu and other seventh- and eighth-graders were recognized as among the highest-scoring participants in Maine.

Scholarships were presented by Jonathan Henry, UMaine admissions director, “in order to encourage academic growth, foster excellence and develop identified talent in highly able young students.”

The youths were invited to participate in CTY’s Talent Search after scoring in the 97th percentile or higher on school standardized tests. They took verbal and math SATs in December 2002 and scored in the top 25 percent of all students testing nationwide.