SEBASTIAN — Caroline Colbert, a junior at Sebastian River High School, has been selected as the 2011-2012 Indian River County Sunshine State Scholar. Travis Moody, a junior at Vero Beach High School, was selected as the alternate.
In February 2012, Sunshine State Scholars and their parents are invited to a recognition and recruiting conference, where they have the opportunity to meet with recruiters and representatives from Florida’s leading colleges and universities.
Each school district in Florida identifies high school juniors who are most accomplished in one of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Programs, and designates among those students, its District Sunshine State Scholar.
The Sunshine State Scholars Program allows each district to establish its own strategy for selecting its District Scholars.
Indian River County chose to select its Sunshine State Scholar through an interview process. The selections were based on the minimum criteria set by the state and the interview process with one winner and one alternate being chosen.
The Sunshine State Scholars Program began in 1997 through the efforts of a group of Florida educators with experience in school districts, the Department of Education, and universities.
The main objective of the program is to provide recognition to students who have shown significant accomplishments in mathematics and science throughout their high school careers.
By offering such recognition, the designers of Sunshine State Scholars Program believe that high school students throughout Florida will recognize, more fully, the value of their achievements in these important disciplines, and will be encouraged to excel in challenging mathematics and science courses.
The designers also believe that schools will strive to offer their students a higher level of mathematics and science courses that will increase students’ expectations and accomplishments.
Laura Lane is a Mathematics Curriculum Specialist with the Indian River County School District.