Scholars Academy

The Scholars Academy

Established	August 2003
Oversight	Horry County Schools
Campus Coordinator	Joyce Jackson
Administrative Assistant	Michelle Cheavalier-Zeigler
Address	Bill Baxley Hall Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina, 29526
Enrollment	79
Colors	Teal, black, and silver
Motto
Homepage	[http://www3.hcs.k12.sc.us/High/SA/ Scholars Academy Home]

The Scholars Academy is a four-year public high school institution located in Conway, South Carolina at Coastal Carolina University. The school was established as part of Horry County Schools for gifted education in 2003.

About the Program

The Scholars Academy was established in 2003 through a partnership between Horry County Schools and Coastal Carolina University to provide advanced learners with a quality education in a supportive learning environment. The goal of the Scholars Academy is to educate top achieving students at the rate and level of academic rigor commensurate with their abilities so that they graduate as confident, responsible, lifelong learners who are prepared to succeed in higher education and in the world beyond. Ninth and tenth graders are taught and supervised primarily by teachers from Horry County Schools with some integration into college courses. Eleventh and twelfth graders take a combination of Advanced Placement and college courses taught by HCS teachers and CCU professors and attend most classes with college students. Students qualify based on a combination of several factors. Standardized test scores, an application, two references, a personal interview, and an evaluation of other data such as attendance and discipline records are all considered in determining whether students are good candidates for the program.

College Credit

During the first two years in the program, the majority of classes are required high school classes. However, students have the opportunity to take AP United States Government and History classes and college foreign language and math classes taught by CCU instructors. Depending upon student interest, the class may be made up solely of Scholars Academy students or students may participate in classes with CCU students. By their junior year, students may begin matriculating in additional college classes based upon their individual interests and abilities. Horry County Schools pays for the tuition and textbooks of the college courses for the students, provided students maintain grades of C or above in each of these courses.

Faculty and Staff

* Joyce Jackson - Site Coordinator
* Judy Hendricks - Guidance Counselor
* Michelle Cheavalier-Zeigler - Administrative Assistant
* Vencie Maxey - Honors English I, Honors English II, AP Language/Composition
* Laura Buddin - Honors Geometry, Honors Discrete Math, Algebra III/Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB/BC, AP Statistics
* Georgia Holley - AP Government, AP Comparative Government AP U.S. History
* Chris Bogiages - Honors Biology, AP Biology, Marine Biology, Health
* Rohrann Collum - AP Literature and Composition
* Bob Peterson - Honors Physical Science, AP Chemistry, AP Physics
* Britt Mcdowell - AP World History

Extra-Curricular Activities

* Student Government
* Biology Club
* Yearbook Staff
* Newspaper Club
* Networking Club

We The People

Sophomores at Scholars Academy have competed in the We The People Competition through their AP US History class. Coached by Mrs. Holley, Scholars Academy has won 100% of the state competitions that they have entered, becoming the South Carolina State Champions in both the 2007 and 2008 competitions. Each team competed and won against all-Senior teams, despite being two grades younger and not yet having completed AP US History.

Qualifications and Acceptance

In order to apply for Scholars Academy, you must be in the eighth grade and apply in around mid-January. In order to qualify for the application process, you must currently be enrolled in Algebra 1 or Geometry, be a student of Horry County, and have very good grades,teacher recommendations, behavior and attendance records.

The application consists of an essay, a math problem, several questions, and an information sheet about you. If you appear to be Scholars Academy material, you will be contacted for an interview at your school, or a school in your area. In the interview, you will be asked even more questions, but these will mainly pertain to your motivation to come and interests upon arriving, not intellectual ability. You then have the option of shadowing a current freshmen to see what the typical day at Scholars Academy is like. Applications can be obtained online from [http://www.hcs.k12.sc.us Horry County Schools' website] when the application process is conducted, which is typically from January to February. A link can be seen on the home page.

External links

* [http://www.hcs.k12.sc.us/high/sa] - school website

*Horry County Schools