Learning briefs 10/28

Spain selected exchange club student of the month

Jayson Spain, a student at Saxony Lutheran High School in Cape Girardeau, was chosen as Exchange Club student of the month for October.

He is the son of Darrell and Lauri Spain of Jackson and has participated in Boys State, student council, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce leadership academy and Rotary Camp Enterprise.

He attends St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.

Jackson high takes first at speech competition

Jackson High School took first place in team competition in the sixth annual Autumn Speech Invitational sponsored by the speech and theater department of Three Rivers Community College.

The tournament, held Oct. 18, drew about 150 debaters and drama students to the campus from 11 area high schools.

Jackson High School won the top sweepstakes trophy, presented to school teams having the highest combined scores.

Southeast introduces new scholarship program

Southeast Missouri State University will offer a new scholarship program called President's Plus Scholarship.

In addition, the university is upgrading its President's Scholarship program.

The improved programs could earn a student with a college admission ACT score of 23 or higher as much as $3,000 to $3,500 during their first year of college, said Debbie Below, director of enrollment management and admissions.

Eligible students for the President's Plus Scholarship must have an ACT college admission score of 26 or higher, and a 3.5 high school grade point average on a 4.0 scale, or rank in the top 20 percent of their high school class.

The scholarship is valued at $2,500 annually and may be combined with a one-time $1,000 Missouri Leadership Award, said Below.

Under the President's Scholarship program, eligible students must have a 24 or higher ACT score and a 3.5 high school grade point average or rank in the top 20 percent of their class; a 23 or higher ACT and rank in the top 10 percent of their class; or a 21 ACT score and be the class valedictorian.

The scholarship is worth $2,000 a year and may be combined with a one-time Missouri Leadership Award of $1,000, Below said.

Students have until Dec. 15 to apply for the scholarships for the next school year.

Jackson student receives 3M scholarship

Lance Trankler of Jackson is the 2003-04 recipient of the 3M Columbia Plant scholarship.

He plans to pursue a degree in industrial electricity at Linn State Technical College in Linn, Mo.

-- From staff reports