Foxcroft School seniors Chloe Green and Anne Kickert, both of Leesburg, received Letters of Commendation in recognition of their exceptional academic promise in the 64th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, Head of School Cathy McGehee announced Friday.

Kickert and Green placed among the top 5 percent of the more than 1.6 million students from 22,000 high schools who entered the 2019 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Of those high scorers, about 34,000 receive letters of commendations.

The daughter of Joan and Howard Kickert of Leesburg, Anne is multi-talented honor student. An Advanced Placement Scholar, she was named Loudoun County's Youth Volunteer of the Year for her work with the Sunshine Brigade nonprofit that grew from a service project she started when she was in fifth grade called Sweets for Soldiers. She is also an exceptional flute player and has performed with the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra Flute Ensemble, Loudoun Youth Symphony Orchestra, Flutopia Wind Ensemble, Cappies Gala Orchestra, and Honor Band of America.

Green is the daughter of Heidi and Micah Green of Leesburg and is equally impressive, having received a $10,000 grant from the Smart Tech Challenges Foundation when she was 14 years old for her innovative gun safety idea. The only female and youngest individual to receive a grant, Chloe has since developed a smart gun magazine designed to prevent unauthorized gun use in schools and government buildings by allowing gun owners to control where their gun can and can't be used. Like Anne, Chloe is also a talented musician who she plays piano, teaches it at the Catoctin School of Music, and serves on the Kennedy Center's Youth Council. She is an AP Scholar with Distinction.