Three area students selected in top 100 in state

Three seniors from Cape Girardeau and Notre Dame Regional high schools have been selected as Missouri Scholars 100 for 2023, a statewide program honoring Missouri's top 100 academic students in the graduating class of 2023.

Henry Rusten and Samuel Cairns of Cape Girardeau Central and William Dodson of Notre Dame, as well as their parents and principals, have been invited to a luncheon Sunday, April 30, at Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri, to celebrate their achievements.

Missouri Scholars 100 is sponsored by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. Schools across Missouri nominated candidates for the recognition

"The Missouri Scholars 100 Program is one of the most premier academic recognition programs in the country. It is truly a celebration of learning," Clark Mershon, executive director of the principals' association, said in a news release. "Students selected for this program have taken a rigorous course of study and maintained the highest academic standards. The Missouri Association of Secondary Principals wants to celebrate the achievement and success of these students and their schools."

The selection is based primarily on a formula using the student's grade-point average and ACT or SAT score.

Each student nominated had to first meet the criteria of an "Academic Decathlon," which included 10 "events" designed to ensure the student's academic strength. The student must have a minimum GPA of 3.750, a minimum ACT score of 29, or a minimum SAT score of 1,280, be ranked in the top 10% of their class and take high-level courses in mathematics, science, English and foreign language. The student must also have excellent attendance, be an exemplary school citizen, and be involved in the school activity program.