Four Montgomery County students received scholarships presented by the Carson Scholars Fund.

In addition, at a banquet April 29 in Baltimore, 19 former county winners received recognition for maintaining the standards of the fund.

The first-time winners were: Peter Asch, grade 11, Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring; Marilyn Hazlett, grade 8, Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville; Charlotte Holdrich, grade 8, The Fourth Presbyterian School in Potomac and Emma Poe-Yamagata, grade 11, Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring. They each received $1,000 to put toward college.

Students in grades four through 11 who exemplify academic success and positive humanitarian qualities are eligible to receive $1,000 scholarships.

The Carson Scholars Fund was started by neurosurgeon Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, who believed that if students were taught early to excel, they would stay motivated and have a better chance of maintaining academic success.