FORSYTH COUNTY — Five high school seniors in Forsyth County have been named 2016 Georgia Scholars by the state Department of Education.

The students, who hail from Forsyth Central and North, South and West Forsyth, are among 151 graduating seniors from schools throughout the state who were recognized this year for achieving “excellence in school and community life.”

They include: Annie Karickhoff of Forsyth Central, Eden Dunford of North, Anirudh Bikmal and Kyle Crawford, both of South, and Zach Williams of West. Each scholar will receive a seal for his or her diploma.

Students eligible for Georgia Scholar recognition are seniors who “exhibit excellence in all phases of school life, in community activities and in the home.”

In addition, “Georgia Scholars are students who have carried exemplary course loads during the four years of high school, who performed excellently in all courses, who successfully participated in interscholastic events at their schools and in their communities and who have assumed active roles in extracurricular activities sponsored by their schools.”

Jeff Cheney, principal at North, praised Dunford.

“Eden and the other Forsyth County students are exceptional students, as they are competing with many outstanding high school seniors within our district,” he said.

School Superintendent Jeff Bearden said he was pleased students from four of the county’s five public high schools were selected.

“They have demonstrated exemplary academic performance and are actively engaged in school and community extra and co-curriculars,” he said. “Having students be college and career ready is a priority of our district, and in our schools we focus on fulfilling the traits and attributes outlined in our Learner Profile.”

The scholars program is coordinated by the state’s Excellence Recognition Office and through local school coordinators in each public school system and private schools throughout the state.

“These students have worked extremely hard and have engaged with all aspects of the educational process,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said, “with the result that they are truly ready to learn, ready to live and ready to lead.”