A handful of MSM students have been selected to participate in several of Arkansas’ most well-known summer programs for high school students this year.
Arkansas Governor’s School
Juniors Ella Reece Harrison and Sydney Kersey are among the group of gifted and talented students from across the state who have been invited to attend the 46th annual Arkansas Governor’s School (AGS), which will take place from July 2 to August 6 on the Arkansas Tech University campus in Russellville. Both students were selected on the basis of their special aptitudes in one of nine fields: Ella Reece for social science, and Sydney for natural science.
Founded in 1979 by then-Governor Bill Clinton, AGS is a four-week, non-credit summer residential program for select rising seniors that provides a unique supplement to the typical high school curriculum. Students are led to explore cutting-edge theories in the arts and sciences and to develop the creative and intellectual skills necessary for making positive contributions to their communities and to society at large.
According to the program’s website, “Both inside and outside the classrooms, AGS provides highly motivated, creative students with an intellectual atmosphere impossible to sustain in ordinary academic settings. The excitement of intellectual and artistic pursuits and the expectation of significant conceptual gains permeate all aspects of the participants’ lives for the full four weeks.”
AGS is funded by the Arkansas State Legislature as a portion of the biennial appropriation for Gifted and Talented Programs through the State Department of Education. State funds provide tuition, room, board and instructional materials for each student who attends the program.
Arkansas Girls State
Juniors Amelia Byers, Alyssa Carr and Isabelle Lunsford have been chosen to attend the 82nd session of the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Arkansas Girls State based on their leadership, character, scholarship and participation in community service. Kaylee Moix, also a junior, was selected as an alternate. This year’s session will be held May 25-30 on the campus of Harding University in Searcy with approximately 600 student delegates representing every county in Arkansas.
Since 1942, the Arkansas Girls State program has worked to teach future generations of Arkansas citizens to be actively involved in their communities and government at every level. During the week-long immersive civics education program, the delegates are assigned to a fictional political party, city and county. They participate in a mock government platform, hold elections, write and debate legislative bills, and hear from prominent speakers within the state. The program also includes a trip to the Arkansas State Capitol with opportunities to visit the offices of the state’s seven constitutional officers as well as the House and Senate chambers.
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar
Sophomores Ava Kordsmeier, Addison Varisco and Janice Yao were selected to participate in the Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Arkansas Leadership Seminar, taking place at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia June 6-8. As America’s foremost youth leadership organization, HOBY has a long history of successfully inspiring young people to develop into outstanding leaders who make a difference and become catalysts for positive change in their home, school, workplace and community. The three students were selected based on the outstanding leadership potential they have demonstrated in school and community activities.
ABOVE: Arkansas Governor's School delegates Ella Reece Harrison, left, and Sydney Kersey.
ABOVE: Arkansas Girls State delegates, from left, Amelia Byers, Alyssa Carr, Isabelle Lunsford and Kaylee Moix (alternate).
ABOVE: HOBY Leadership Seminar delegates, from left, Janice Yao, Addison Varisco and Ava Kordsmeier.