Diocese of Allentown Bishop John Barres will present 133 eighth-grade students from Catholic elementary schools around the diocese and one student from each of the three Special Learning Centers with $1,000 scholarships to one of the diocesan high schools or Special Learning Centers.

The presentations will take place today at the annual Bishop's Scholar Society Awards Ceremony at Alvernia University, Reading.The scholarship recipients were selected based on their academic achievement, their school, parish and community activities, their leadership roles, and recommendations from their principal and their pastor.Eighteen students who plan to attend Marian High School are among the 133 honorees: Zachary Boyer, Kailyn Jones, Courtney Rodick and Lindsay Salazer, all of St. Jerome Regional School, Tamaqua; Grace Crouthamel, Seth Paluck, Natalia Richards, Robert Kuznicki and Kate Spillman, all of St. Joseph Regional Academy, Jim Thorpe; Seth Feisel, Courtney Kovatch, Jacob McLaughlin, Alexa Sanderfer and Antonina Zeleniak, all of Our Lady of the Angels Academy, Lansford; Margaret Joseph, Alexa Murray and Maggie O'Rourke, all of Trinity Academy, Shenandoah; and Joseph McGinley of St. Joseph the Worker School.At the same ceremony, the Bishop will present 14 seniors, one boy and one girl from each of the seven diocesan high schools, with $500 scholarships for post-secondary education and plaques declaring them Bishop's Catholic Scholars. The students were chosen based on their academics, school involvement, Catholic faith and community service.Marian students who will be among the 14 high school seniors to be honored are Nico Agosti and Faith Belfano.The scholarships are available because of the generosity of the people of the Diocese of Allentown, who, through the Bishop's Annual Appeal, provide funding for these scholarships.The bishop will also present a graduate from each of the seven Catholic high schools in the diocese with a Distinguished Catholic Alumni Award, recognizing them for having achieved outstanding success in their fields, as well as honoring them as practicing Catholics and role models for today's student scholars.James F. McHugh of Summit Hill, a 1945 graduate of the former St. Ann's High School, Lansford, will receive the Marian award.