Cape Girardeau, Mo – High school senior Claire Southard of Notre Dame Regional High School has been selected for the 2021 Missouri Scholars 100, a statewide program that honors 100 of Missouri’s top academic students in the graduating class of 2021. The announcement was made by Tim Garner, Principal, at Notre Dame Regional High School. Students will be recognized at a luncheon at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia, MO, on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
Claire is the daughter of Stephen and Julie Southard of Cape Girardeau. Claire is the President of the National Honor Society, Vice President of the Spanish National Honor Society, and member of the French National Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. She is the Team Captain of the Varsity Scholar Bowl Team and a member of the Varsity Girls Tennis Team with All-District, All-Conference, All-Southeast Missouri, and All-State honors. She has participated in the Notre Dame Band for four years as well as the District Honor Band, District Music Festival, and State Music Festival along with top ratings achieved through MSHSAA music competitions. Claire has earned a Christian Service Award the past three years, and she is a member of the French Club, the Quill and Scroll Club, and the Peer Tutoring Program.
Missouri Scholars 100 is a program sponsored by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. Schools across Missouri were invited to nominate candidates for this statewide recognition. The selection is based primarily on a formula using the student’s grade point average and ACT or SAT score. Each student nominated had first to meet criteria of an “Academic Decathlon,” which included the “events” designed to assure the academic strength of the student.
The student must have a minimum GPA of 3.750, a minimum ACT score of 29 or a minimum SAT score of 1,600, be ranked in the upper ten percent of the class, and have taken 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.
Clark Mershon, Executive Director of the principals’ association, said, “The Missouri Scholars 100 Program is one of the most premier academic recognition programs in the country. It is truly a celebration of learning. Students who are selected to this program have taken a rigorous course of study and have maintained the highest academic standards. The Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals wants to celebrate the achievement and success of these students and their schools.”
The 2021 program is the 27th Annual Missouri Scholars 100 recognition. For additional information, contact MoASSP, (573) 445 5071.
