Alexandra Caracciolo, a sophomore at Virginia Polytechnic and State University, has recently been accepted into Virginia Tech’s prestigious University Honors program. Alex is enrolled in the university’s Pamplin College of Business, with a double major in finance and Spanish and a minor in international studies. She has made the Dean’s List in each of her first three semesters, was elected as Class of 2013 Female Member-at-Large, is a member of the Student Alumni Associates and the Management Society, and is looking forward to continuing her studies abroad this summer in France and Germany. Upon graduation Alex would like to pursue a career in international finance.

Andrew Nichols, son of Patricia and Craig Nichols of Newtown, and a student at Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y., is performing in the college’s upcoming choir musical production of Grand Hotel. Directed by professor of music G. Roberts Kolb, the musical will be performed February 4, 6 at 8 pm, in Wellin Hall on the Hamilton campus. Based on the 1929 Vicki Baum novel and play, Menschen im Hotel (People in a Hotel, and the subsequent 1932 MGM feature film, Grand Hotel focuses on the intersecting stories of the eccentric guests of an elegant hotel in 1928 Berlin hotel and events taking place over the course of a weekend there. Nichols, a first-year student at Hamilton, is a graduate of Newtown High School.

Emerson College, Boston, student Amanda Trock of Newtown has been named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2010 semester. The criterion to make Emerson’s Dean’s List is a cumulative grade point average of 3.7 or higher.

The following local students made the dean’s list for the fall 2010 semester at Quinnipiac University in Hamden: Megan Meier, Kyla Miles, Nicholas Pasacreta, Kelsey Cantore, Lauren Imperioli, Linda Magliocco, and Erin Nemeth.

Allen Hubbard, son of Nancie and Allen Hubbard, was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2010 semester at Saint Michael’s College, Burlington, Vt. Students who complete a minimum of 12 credits and achieve a grade point average of at least 3.4 at the end of a semester are recognized for their scholarship by inclusion on the Dean’s List.

The following local students have achieved Dean’s Honors or Dean’s High Honors for the 2010 fall semester at Connecticut College in New London: Stephen Dworkin, Elizabeth Maret, and Samuel Norcross.

Amy Rosentel has been named to the Dean’s List in the Indiana University, Bloomington, College of Arts and Sciences for the fall 2010 semester, in recognition of outstanding academic achievement. Eligibility for the Dean’s List is reserved for those students who complete at least 12 graded credit hours in a single semester, earning at least a 3.7 grade point average.

Meghann Brestovansky was named to the Dean’s List at the University of St Thomas, St Paul, Minn., for the fall 2010 semester. Students must post grade point averages of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale to be named to the Dean’s List at the university.

Springfield College, Springfield, Mass., has named the following local residents to the dean’s list for academic excellence for the fall 2010 term: Braeden Conlan and Jaclyn VanWaalwijk, and Nicholas Saviano and Nicole Reyen of Sandy Hook.

The following students were named to the Dean’s List at the University of New Haven for the fall 2010 semester: Jacqueline Isabella, Colleen Murphy, and Jonathan Smolen of Sandy Hook, and Michael Locorotondo and Jeremy Whitney of Newtown. Full-time undergraduate students must have a 3.50 or better cumulative grade point average for the semester to be eligible for the Dean’s List.

Abbie Branchflower, a Newtown High School graduate of 2010 and daughter of Mike and Carol Branchflower, was named to the Dean’s List with High Honors at Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, Penn. Abbie is now a freshman at the college enrolled in Pre Vet, Equine Science at the college.

Kenneth William Cardelle was named to the fall semester Dean’s List at Radford University, Radford, Va. Kenneth is a senior finance major. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must have taken 15 or more credit hours and have a grade point average of 3.4 or above with no grade below a C.

The following local students earned highest honors for the fall semester at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, N.Y: Sean Ryan, son of Jack and Pat Ryan of Sandy Hook, and Charlotte Snyder, daughter of Jeff Snyder and Carolyn Reiners of Sandy Hook. Highest honors are awarded for a quality point ratio of 3.67 or more from a possible 4.0. The following local students earned honors for the fall semester at Skidmore College: Samantha Cochrane, daughter of James and Kimberly Cochrane, and Jane Dowd daughter of Laura Jamison of Newtown and George O’Dowd of Branford. Honors are awarded at the college for a grade point ratio of 3.4 to 3.669.