One hundred and thirty-nine Beaufort County eighth-graders were honored recently for being named Junior Scholars by the South Carolina Department of Education.

The students and their parents were recognized at a Junior Scholars Banquet sponsored by the Beaufort County School District.

“Tonight’s honor is about recognizing your potential,” Superintendent Jeff Moss told the students who attended the banquet.  “It identifies each of you as someone who has the academic ability to succeed in a big way.”

“My bet is that you will succeed,” Moss said.  “My bet is that four years from now, each one of you will be preparing to graduate from high school with honors — and preparing to move on to successful college careers and successful lives after college.”

The Junior Scholars Program was developed by the South Carolina Department of Education to identify eighth-graders with exceptional academic talent and to develop strategies for inclusion into special programs.  The program includes a process for screening, identifying and recognizing students with high scholastic achievement and intellectual ability.

Eligible students include those who score 50 or higher on the PSAT (preliminary SAT) in verbal, math, or writing, or those who participated in Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) during their seventh-grade years.

Students who qualify as Junior Scholars receive an award of merit from the South Carolina Department of Education as well as information regarding summer academic experiences sponsored by South Carolina colleges and universities.  They can use that special recognition to bolster their applications to colleges and universities.
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