A few education-minded items from around the area:

A senior at Bishop Seabury Academy is among students invited to apply as candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

David Lawrence is among four students from Lawrence and about 3,000 nationwide to be invited to apply for the 47-year-old program, which recognizes distinguished graduating seniors.

Candidates, who are invited based upon their scores on SAT and ACT tests, submit essays, self-assessments, secondary school reports and transcripts for consideration. In April, 500 students will be picked as semifinalists and, in May, up to 121 will be chosen as Academic Scholars and up to 20 will be recognized as Arts Scholars.

Also invited to apply are Victoria Gilman and Rosemarie Murray from Free State High School, and Yuan Xu from Lawrence High School.

The Presidential Scholars Program is considered among the country’s highest honors for high school students.

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The Lawrence school district once again is offering free developmental screenings to assess preschoolers’ walking, talking, hearing, vision, thinking and social skills.

The screenings are available for children who are 3 to 5 years old, and are offered by Lawrence Early Childhood Special Services. Organizers encourage any parents concerned about a preschooler’s development to consider taking advantage of the free screenings.

Screenings will be offered, by appointment, during three upcoming Wednesdays — March 16, April 20 and May 18 — at Kennedy School, 1605 Davis Road, which is across Harper Street from the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds. A screening is conducted during a single appointment.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call or e-mail:

• Edie Boehle, secretary, 330-1643, eboehle@usd497.org.

• Morgan Carter, school psychologist, 330-4389, mcarter@usd497.org.

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Lawrence school district officials once again are seeking stage acts — skits, songs, dancing and the like — for the Foundation Follies, set for 8 p.m. April 15 at Liberty Hall, 644 Mass.

The annual event, now in its 21st year, is a variety show conducted by the Lawrence Schools Foundation and Lawrence Education Achievement Partners, allowing Lawrence educators to let their hair down for a good cause: the foundation’s Teacher Innovation Grant Program.

Previous grants have helped finance a teaching garden at Broken Arrow School, acquisition of a digital camera for journalism students at West Junior High School, and districtwide use of music therapy, known as “Tuned into Learning.”

There are two ground rules for prospective Follies acts:

• Group acts should have no more than 12 participants.

• At least half of the participants should be affiliated with the district.

For more information, contact Patrick Kelly, a district curriculum specialist, at 330-2405, or pkelly@usd497.org; or Trish Averill Neuteboom, 330-1457, or paverill@usd497.org.

Prospective acts must turn in forms by March 11.

— The First Bell e-mailbox is always open: mfagan@ljworld.com.