AUGUSTA – Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron and State Board of Education Chairman James W. Carignan will recognize the 50 top performing high school students on the Maine Educational Assessment for the 2005 school year.

The MEA Top 50 Achievement Celebration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at the Augusta Civic Center.

The students being recognized have the highest combined scores in reading, writing, mathematics and science-technology MEA subtests. The 50 students represent 28 high schools across Maine.

Gendron has invited the students to identify a teacher mentor to be part of the recognition celebration, which includes parents and school principals. In addition to the recognition of student achievement, the participants will discuss their secondary school experience and contribute ideas to the discussion of needed school reform by the Center for Educational Transformation.

Peter Geiger, editor of the Farmers’ Almanac and longtime supporter of education, will set the stage for the discussion in opening comments to the students being recognized.

The following is a list of students organized by school in the Bangor Daily News readership area.

. Bangor High School: Katherine Nadeau, Melanie Craig.

. Belfast Area High School: Brendan Gardner.

. Brewer High School: Hilary Fernald.

. Camden Hills Regional High School: Joseph Michalakes, Tana Scott, Allyson Ettinger, Heather Stevick.

. Caribou High School: Julie Carson.

. Central High School: Daniel Kekacs.

. Dexter Regional High School: Michael Nokes.

. Hampden Academy: Paul Wilson.

. John Bapst Memorial High School: Ryan Lena, David Jones.

. Maine School of Science and Math: Hannah Olson.

. Medomak Valley High School: Eliza Mohlie.

. Mount Desert Island High School: Sean Murphy, Jeremy Cline.

. Old Town High School: Denise St. Peter, Christopher Avery.

. Washington Academy: Tess Mattraw.