Representatives of the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University will conduct an informational meeting for high school students and their parents as well as interested community members on Monday, November 14, 2011, in Shepherdsville. The session will be held at North Bullitt High School at 6:30 p.m. (local time).

The Gatton Academy is a residential program for 120 high school juniors and seniors from Kentucky who have demonstrated talent and interest in pursuing advanced careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. To date, the Gatton Academy has serviced the needs of students from 103 counties across the Commonwealth.

Students apply during their sophomore year through a competitive admissions process. 

The goal of the Gatton Academy is to enable Kentucky’s exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment which offers advanced educational opportunities, preparing them for leadership roles in Kentucky. Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, the students will take courses offered by WKU. At the end of two years, they will be high school graduates and will have earned at least 60 college credit hours. 

The students live and learn with peers who share their enthusiasm and interest in learning. Moreover, tuition, housing, and meals are all provided through funding by the General Assembly to make this unique opportunity available to any qualifying Kentucky student.

Since 2009, the Gatton Academy has been named by Washington Post education columnist Jay Matthews as one of only two dozen "Public Elite" American High Schools.  In 2011, Newsweek magazine ranked the Gatton Academy among the nation's top five high schools.

If you would like additional information about this information session or the Gatton Academy, visit us online at www.wku.edu/academy or telephone (270) 745-6565.