Carl Junction Graduates selected to Academic Excellence Team

The Joplin Globe All-Area Academic Excellence Team has selected two Seniors from Carl Junction High School as part of the 2023 team; Logan Jones and Samantha Sims. Area High School graduates were chosen for the team based on an overall score using grade point average and ACT (or SAT) scores.

The students submitted an essay describing the educator who challenged them the most to excel as part of the application process.

Logan Jones selected three influential educators from her early years at Carl Junction Schools. “I will forever be thankful for Sherri Carter, Jennifer Chase, and Janet Johnson. I was assigned to these teachers as my schooling was beginning, and they set the tone for the rest of my academic career. They constantly pushed me to be my best, sending me to the classrooms of other teachers to do schoolwork at a higher grade level. They taught me what it was to pursue academic success to the highest degree possible, regardless of any obstacles standing in my way. I truly believe that the way they went about educating me in my first years of schooling is what has led to my academic success in high school.”

Jones - Joplin Globe story: https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/education/all-area-academic-excellence-team-beranek-glover-jones/article_ff07890e-ef6e-11ed-9d86-cf02ae925227.html

Samantha Sims chose Mr. Terry Higgins as her inspiring educator. “Mr. Terry Higgins teaches dual-credit psychology and history at CJHS, and I was lucky enough to have had him for my junior and senior years. He has been one of the most influential teachers I have had. Not only has his class pushed me academically and readied me for a vigorous curriculum in college, but it also helped further my passion for psychology and solidify my goal of becoming a psychologist. He took the topics he had to teach us and presented them to us in various creative ways. We trained hamsters and did taste tests of sodas to understand how we perceive taste differently. His class became one I look forward to going to each day. While he is a great teacher, he is also a great person. He was a big help during my acceptance to West Point with his phenomenal letters of recommendation. He also never fails to ask me questions about whatever sports season I am in and how our season is going. Mr. Higgins is the type of teacher that makes you feel important, and I am proud that I was able to be one of his students.”

Sims - Joplin Globe story: https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/education/all-area-academic-excellence-team-sims-day-ediger/article_8f037150-ede7-11ed-bac5-8b746e7ddcb0.html 

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