Over three weeks in June, the (very warm) air at University of Missouri in Columbia was filled with talk of chemistry, chess, biographies, escape rooms, bee-keeping, and philosophy. All of this from some 330 of Missouri’s top scholars, gathered for a summer tradition, the 41st Missouri Scholars Academy.
Students from all over the state are selected for the academy from applications that include GPAs, PSAT test scores, teacher recommendations, and essays.
Webb City is only allowed three nominees for the academy. This year, Brody Fox, Caleb Meinershagen, and Aurora Wishall were selected and attended. Once at the cademy, each student took a major and a minor class, while living on campus at Mizzou for three-week session.
Brody’s major class was “Game Theory” where he created a board game, a version of Pandemic, while learning statistics.
Caleb’s major was “Ethics in Belief,” where students discussed philosophies of various belief systems.
In Aurora’s major, “The Story of a Life,” biography writing was the topic of study.
Minor classes were held each afternoon for an hour. Caleb’s “Escape Room” minor was fun because his team built their own escape rooms with puzzles, and other students actually got to play it.
Brody learned soldering and circuits in his minor.
Aurora’s minor, called “Math Imitates Art,” taught about infinity and non-Euclidean geometry.
Each day was filled with other activities, too, including Core, which focuses on team building and character as well as self-awareness and self-confidence. Afternoon activities ranged from the cerebral: “math chats,” city planning, and quantum computing to the everyday: bee-keeping, soap-making, sign language, and floral arranging.
In the evenings, students were able to listen to impressive guest speakers on a variety of topics: falconry, NASCAR engines, the Rwandan genocide, and chess. All three students said that a talk from a Holocaust survivor was one of the most impactful.
Dating back to 1985, the academy also includes traditions like Taiso to begin the day and displays of learning at the closing ceremonies. Cindy Dagnan, WCHS teacher, joined the students for Teacher Day and was delighted to participate in the activities.
One hallmark of the academy is the lack of cell phones. Students’ phones have to be left in the dorm rooms. Caleb noticed that this helps the students from all over the state to focus on making social connections during meals, classes, and activities, instead of being tempted to scroll.
These students say they felt they gained much more than just academic learning from this experience. They interacted with some of the brightest students from across the state. They feel prepared to head to college soon. Missouri Scholars Academy continues to be a transformative experience for Webb City students.
