Dec. 4, 2006 — Top high school student leaders throughout the territory are encouraged to apply for four scholarships — two for full tuition and two for half tuition — being offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior to attend a session of the Junior Statesmen Summer School on the U.S. mainland this summer.
The scholarships will be applied to the tuition costs (including room and board) for the program and will also include round-trip airfare. The application deadline for the scholarships is Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007.
The Junior Statesmen Summer School is a challenging and dynamic monthlong program for academically talented freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Summer school students take exciting college-level courses in government and speech communication, debate controversial topics in nightly Congressional simulations, meet and question government leaders in a high-level speakers program, and develop and polish their leadership skills.
Four of Americas most prestigious universities will host the summer school this year: Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.; Yale University in New Haven, Conn.; Stanford University, in Northern California, and Princeton University, in New Jersey.
More than two hundred Virgin Islanders have participated in this exceptional program since 1991. Fourteen students attended the program last year.
According to the release, admission to the summer school is competitive and is based on an applicant's academic achievement, leadership, and interest in politics or government.
To apply, students submit their high school transcript, a 3-page personal essay and a letter of recommendation from a counselor or teacher.
Ernest Morris of St. Croix and Marc Stridiron of St. Thomas will once again coordinate the recruiting and fund-raising efforts for students from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Both men attended sessions of the summer school in 1994 and 1995 while they were students at St. Josephs High School and the Charlotte Amalie High School, respectively. Stridiron and Morris will visit local high schools, meet with educational, political and community leaders who might want to learn more about the summer school, and assist our students with their fund-raising efforts. Their school visits are scheduled as follows:
St. Thomas
Dec. 5 1 p.m. Saints Peter & Paul School
Dec. 6 12:30 p.m. Antilles School
Dec. 7 11 a.m. Charlotte Amalie High School
St. Croix
Dec. 5 8:30 a.m. Manor School
10 a.m. Central High School
2 p.m. Country Day School
Dec. 6 9:15 a.m. Good Hope School
10:30 a.m. Seventh Day Adventist School
12:45 p.m. St. Josephs High School
**Schools not listed will scheduled in the next few days**
Interested students, parents, and teachers can also attend information sessions that will be held on both islands this week. The St. Thomas sessions will be held on Thursday, Dec. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Justice Department's Law Library (located on the ground floor of the GERS complex). The St. Croix session will be held on Friday, Dec. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Superior Court Library.
