Scholars Academy
Encyclopedia
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.
and Coastal Carolina University
. The goal of the Scholars Academy is to educate top achieving students. Students from nearby high schools in the county attend the program in order to complete courses of a higher academic rigor. Students take a combination of required high school classes taught by county-employed teachers, advanced, Honors, and AP courses taught by county teachers, and college classes taught by Coastal Carolina professors. Students may finish the program with over two years of college credit while still receiving a high school diploma from their base school.
The Fellowship of Christian Scholars (FCS) is now a large group sponsored by the Scholars Academy, and was founded by students Adam Stanaland and Taylor Warner. Because Warner and Stanaland have graduated, Catherine Buddin now leads the group alongside teacher-advisor Bob Peterson.
The Scholars Academy now publishes a yearbook each year, titled The Aegis. The current editor of the yearbook is senior Jesse Uzzel.
This year Holley coached the winningest We The People team in Scholars Academy history, who won a record of 5 out of the 6 unit awards at the state competition. A mixture of juniors and seniors traveled to Washington D.C. in May 2011 for the National Competition, representing South Carolina. The Team placed the highest of any South Carolina team in the competition's history, along with taking home the Region 4 award for the highest non-top-ten team in the Southeast.
Similar to a base-school student government, each year elections are held to choose representatives for each grade level in the Squad. Each grade level elects its own representatives and the representative to win the most votes becomes the class president. The entire school votes in the Scholar Squad president election. The current president of the Scholars Academy Student Government is Michael Livers.
Livers and members of the Scholar Squad have organized many school activities, such as Spirit weeks, canned food drives, etc., that are run and/or supervised by the Scholar Squad.
Conway, South Carolina
Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 16,317 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home of Coastal Carolina University....
at Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...
. 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 SchoolsHorry County Schools
Horry County Schools is a public school district serving Horry County, South Carolina and is the third-largest school district in South Carolina. It serves nearly 38,000 students in 46 schools around the county in nine attendance areas...
and Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...
. The goal of the Scholars Academy is to educate top achieving students. Students from nearby high schools in the county attend the program in order to complete courses of a higher academic rigor. Students take a combination of required high school classes taught by county-employed teachers, advanced, Honors, and AP courses taught by county teachers, and college classes taught by Coastal Carolina professors. Students may finish the program with over two years of college credit while still receiving a high school diploma from their base school.
Application and Acceptance
The entrance process consists of first sending an application. One can only apply if he or she is a part of the honours or advanced curriculum in the Horry County area middle schools. When applying for admittance into the Scholars' Academy, applicants must consider factors such as the notoriously large amount of homework and distance from one's base school. The Scholars Academy will find the appropriate candidates based on their answers to the questions in their application, their PSAT scores, EXPLORE scores, discipline records, etc. A select few will be chosen for an interview and an essay scheduled at the main building (Baxley Hall) or at the applicant's respective middle school. If the applicant is accepted to the Scholars Academy, they are then sent an acceptance letter and asked to attend an informational meeting where they will receive a Costal Carolina University application form, an acceptance confirmation form, and summer reading information. Before the upcoming school year, the accepted receive their schedules and supply lists in the mail, along with Freshman Orientation date and time information.Clubs and Organizations
The Scholars Academy promotes and sponsors many different clubs and organizations. The diverse nature of the student body lends itself to a variety of different groups. For example, the Biology Club is an ongoing science club which has been dedicated to bacteriophage research since its creation by Chris Bogiages.The Fellowship of Christian Scholars (FCS) is now a large group sponsored by the Scholars Academy, and was founded by students Adam Stanaland and Taylor Warner. Because Warner and Stanaland have graduated, Catherine Buddin now leads the group alongside teacher-advisor Bob Peterson.
The Scholars Academy now publishes a yearbook each year, titled The Aegis. The current editor of the yearbook is senior Jesse Uzzel.
National Honor Society
As of 2010, the Scholars Academy has established its own chapter of the National Honor Society, sponsored by Judy Hendrick. The primary philanthropy is the Street Reach Mission of Myrtle Beach. The officers of the Society are as follows: Sarah Martin (President), Austin Ambrose (Vice President), Becca Starkes (Secretary), and Nikita Morse (Sergeant-at-Arms).We The People
Students at Scholars Academy have competed in the We The People Competition after taking various history classes. Coached by Georgia Holley, the Scholars Academy has won 100% of the state competitions that they have entered, becoming the South Carolina State Champions in the 2007, 2008, and 2011 competitions.This year Holley coached the winningest We The People team in Scholars Academy history, who won a record of 5 out of the 6 unit awards at the state competition. A mixture of juniors and seniors traveled to Washington D.C. in May 2011 for the National Competition, representing South Carolina. The Team placed the highest of any South Carolina team in the competition's history, along with taking home the Region 4 award for the highest non-top-ten team in the Southeast.
Biology Club
The Scholars Academy Biology Club is a community service organization devoted to exploring scientific concepts and tutoring disadvantaged students. Members of Biology Club are able to attend annual field trips, such as the 2010 trip to the United States National Whitewater Center. The current president is Emily Rhorick, with Sarah Martin serving as Vice President and Zachary Waldowski serving as Secretary.Scholar Squad
The small student/teacher population at the Scholars Academy lends itself to a close student-teacher relationship. Students are often included in decision-making at Scholars through the elected Scholar Squad.Similar to a base-school student government, each year elections are held to choose representatives for each grade level in the Squad. Each grade level elects its own representatives and the representative to win the most votes becomes the class president. The entire school votes in the Scholar Squad president election. The current president of the Scholars Academy Student Government is Michael Livers.
Livers and members of the Scholar Squad have organized many school activities, such as Spirit weeks, canned food drives, etc., that are run and/or supervised by the Scholar Squad.