Missouri Scholars Academy, or MSA, is a three-week residential summer program held on the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

campus in

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

for 330 of

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

's gifted

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

juniors. MSA exists to enrich and expand

gifted education Gifted education (also known as gifted and talented education (GATE), talented and gifted programs (TAG), or G/T education) is a broad group of special practices, procedures, and theories used in the education of children who have been identified a ...

for individual students and gifted programs. MSA is a member of the

National Conference of Governor's Schools The National Conference of Governor's Schools (NCoGS) is a United States national organization committed to establishing, supporting, and enriching summer residential governor's school programs. Its members are individuals involved in maintaining ...

. Missouri Scholars Academy should not be confused with the Missouri Student Association, with which it shares an acronym.

History

Missouri Scholars Academy began in 1985, and has been held every year since. Each year is represented by a distinct pair of colors to identify its participants beyond their time at the Academy. MSA Flags (1985-2017)

Classes

Participating scholars attend a "major" and "minor" class for three hours and one and one half hours per day, respectively, during the program. These classes are usually college level or experimental. Past MSAs have featured unique classes covering topics such as

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese language and culture, Intelligence & Counterintelligence,

Game Theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...

Time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

, Infinity, Terrorism & Counterterrorism,

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Neurology Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...

, The

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

Censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

, current events,

spelunking Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

, creative writing, and

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

. Participants are encouraged to choose classes of different disciplines, as one of the primary focuses of the program is to promote academic diversity and the expansion of interests in its Scholars.

Programming

Afternoon activities

After minor classes end, multiple extracurricular activities are offered to continue activity and learning for scholars. Activities include, but are assuredly not limited to:

Scrabble ''Scrabble'' is a word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, read left t ...

Tournaments, math and

logic puzzle A logic puzzle is a puzzle deriving from the mathematics, mathematical field of deductive reasoning, deduction. History The logic puzzle was first produced by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who is better known under his pen name Lewis Carroll, the au ...

s, lectures and discussions,

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duti ...

lessons,

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

, African drumming and song, and other multidisciplinary and contemporary programs. Notable guests of the Academy include motivational speake
Kevin Wanzer
harpis
Maria Duhova
an
Cort VanOstran
who has never had a hot dog from QuikTrip in his life.

Traditions

Alumni day

Alumni of Missouri Scholars Academy (scholars who have gone through the program) are invited back to participate in activities, including Afternoon Activities, on a weekend day during the Academy. A dance occurs; current scholars and alumni are invited.

Teacher appreciation day

Scholars are asked to invite influential teachers from one of the schools they've attended, to visit Missouri Scholars Academy for a day. Teachers are invited to attend Afternoon Activities, dinner, and Evening Programming.

Residency

Participating scholars have in years past stayed in assigned rooms at the Mark Twain Residence Hall. Due to Mark Twain renovations, the academy was held in Wolpers and Johnston halls in 2012, and Hawthorn and Galena halls in 2013. In 2014, Scholars were moved back into Mark Twain after renovations were completed the previous fall. Scholars are separated by gender to different floors and given a roommate. Students are not allowed on floors of the opposite gender. Residential Assistants are also assigned to monitor and work with 16-22 scholars each. Meetings occur every night between Residential Assistants and Scholars to discuss upcoming events, rules reminders, and general questions scholars may have.

Procedures

The Name Tag

For safety reasons, scholars are required to wear their

name tag A name tag is a badge or sticker worn on the outermost clothing as a means of displaying the wearer's name for others to view. Name tags may be temporary, such as a sticker with the iconic image being the "Hello! My Name Is ________"; or it ma ...

at all times when they are not on their floor of the

residence hall A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

. Name tags must be displayed on the upper torso.

Technology Policy

Scholars should not bring smart watches, laptop or desktop computers, DVD players, televisions, large stereos, gaming consoles, or walkie-talkies. Scholars will have access to computers and other electronic equipment as a part of their Academy activities, and should not bring these items with them. Small stereos, iPods, and other small music players are allowed.

Funding

Funding for the Academy varies from year to year. The state of

has budgeted money for Missouri Scholars Academy and Missouri Fine Arts Academy in the past but it has fluctuated for both programs. Philanthropic

donation A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as blo ...

to Missouri Scholars Academy are accepted and are

tax-deductible Tax deduction is a reduction of income that is able to be taxed and is commonly a result of expenses, particularly those incurred to produce additional income. Tax deductions are a form of tax incentives, along with exemptions and tax credits. T ...

. The Gifted Association of Missouri also is a regular contributor to funding to the Academy.

References

{{Reflist *http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/education/missouri-scholars-academy-financial-burden-might-fall-on-families/article_b0108c46-2955-5c1f-9725-b98eb68c3a42.html

External links

Missouri Scholars Academy Web SiteMSA Bulletin Board
Public education in Missouri University of Missouri Governor's Schools Gifted education