Two Affton High School juniors, Jessica Reed and Alex Hoggatt, attended the Missouri Scholars Academy on the campus of the University of Missouri—Columbia.

The pair spent three weeks at the Academy, from June 10 to June 30, experiencing living on a college campus while participating. 

The Missouri Scholars Academy is an academic program for 330 of Missouri’s gifted students who are ready to begin their junior year in high school. The academy reflects Missouri’s desire to strive for excellence in education at all levels.

The program is based on the premise that Missouri’s gifted youth must be provided with special opportunities for learning and personal developmentfor them to realize their full potential. Each public school district and private school in Missouri is eligible to nominate at least one sophomore student for the academy.

Participants are selected on the basis of the following criteria and factors:

• Student scores from selected individual intelligence and aptitude tests.

• Grade point average.

• Student essays.

• Evidence of leadership, creativity, intellectual curiosity, problem-solving ability and initiative.