Tag Archive : January 2010

/ January 2010

Student/Parent Panel During Preview Weekend
Student/Parent Panel During Preview Weekend

The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky will host a Preview Weekend at Western Kentucky University on Saturday, January 30, 2010, for prospective students, their parents, and educators.

Events will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CDT) at Schneider Hall on the WKU campus. Families will meet in the lobby of Grise Hall beginning at 9:30 a.m.  Sessions will begin at 10 a.m. Activities for the day will also include campus and hall tours as well as parent and students question-and-answer panels.

Preview Weekends present a unique opportunity for prospective applicants and their families to meet with current Academy students and their parents, visit Schneider Hall, and gain a better understanding of student life at the Gatton Academy.  Topics will include the role of the ACT and SAT in the admissions process, suggested courses for sophomore year, qualities of a strong applicant, student expectations, and college options upon graduation.

Parking will be available in the lot behind Schneider Hall and Parking Structure 1, which are both accessible from College Heights Blvd. For a WKU campus map, please visit http://www.wku.edu/Tour/campusmap.html.

Students are kindly asked RSVP for the preview event online at http://gattonacademy.eventbrite.com no later than Thursday before the event.

The Gatton Academy, a residential program for 120 high school juniors and seniors from Kentucky who have demonstrated talent and interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, is in its third year of operation. To date, students from 87 counties across the Commonwealth have been selected to attend the prestigious program. Students apply during their sophomore year through a competitive admissions process.

In 2009, Newsweek magazine named the Gatton Academy as one of 16 “Public Elite” American high schools.

The goal of the Gatton Academy is to enable Kentucky’s exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment which offers advanced educational opportunities, preparing them for leadership roles in Kentucky that will lead to economic growth. Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, Gatton Academy students take courses offered by WKU. At the end of two years, student earn over 60 hours of college credit in addition to completing high school.

Students live and learn with peers who share their enthusiasm and interest in learning. Room, board and tuition are funded by the Commonwealth. Kentucky is the 14th state to offer a residential program with a focus on math and science supported by the state.

Additional information is available online at www.wku.edu/academy.  For more information, contact Corey Alderdice at (270) 745-2971.

Athens, GreeceThe 2009-10 school year is really just getting started, yet we’re excited to announce our January 2010 Winter Term program in Greece. From January 2-13, 2010, up to thirty Gatton Academy students will explore the cities, culture, and history of Greece. The Greece Experience marks the third consecutive travel/study program facilitated by the Gatton Academy. Students traveled to Spain and Portugal in 2009 and Italy in 2008.

Sites visited will include Athens, Meteora, Thessaloniki, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae, and more.  For a full list of excursions, visit the Academy website at http://www.wku.edu/academy/?p=1009.

The cost for this year’s trip will be $2,200.  (The overall program cost is $3,300 with the Academy supplementing $1,100 of the total cost.) This includes roundtrip airfare from Nashville or Cincinnati, hotel accommodations in all destinations, breakfast and dinner while in Europe, admission to most historic sites and museums listed on the itinerary, and travel by chartered motor coach for excursions.

Full information and an application are available in the online brochure.

Students must submit the completed application and $500 deposit no later than Monday, October 12.  Space is limited to 30 students.  Should there be an excess of interest, priority will be given to seniors first and names randomly drawn thereafter.

The Academy will provide three full scholarships to students who require financial assistance.  Students wishing to apply to for this scholarship must submit the following items no later than Monday, September 28: a copy of their parents’ 2009 tax return, a parental statement of need, and a student statement describing his or her reasons for wanting to travel abroad as well as the impact of their overall Gatton Academy experience.   Student selection will occur on or before Monday, October 12.  Students receiving the scholarship will be required to perform community service in consultation with a staff member.

Please direct any additional questions to Tim Gott or Corey Alderdice.