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- [S106] The Mountain Press, 25 Aug 2007.
Caton's Chapel student joins Young Scholars Program, is invited to serve as Senate page with Finney in spring
By: J.J. KINDRED, Staff Writer
August 25, 2007
CATON'S CHAPEL - Connor Sise, a fourth-grade student at Caton's Chapel Elementary School, proved that you can be a scholar and have fun at the same time.
He recently participated in the National Young Scholars Program in Chevy Chase, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C., after being nominated by his third-grade teacher, Jean Galloway.
The program inspires outstanding fourth-, fifth and sixth-grade students to explore, invent, learn and think creatively by participating in different activities.
Students must be nominated by their teachers, who are instructed to select only those students who can do the work in an advanced academic curriculum.
"I did a Nature's Tightrope (one of the programs) and made a lot of new friends," Connor said. "Our teacher was nice and I learned a lot of new things."
Connor was reportedly the only representative from East Tennessee that attended, but said he had a chance to meet other students from places such as New Jersey and Virginia, and as far away as Egypt and Italy.
Rachel Rhea, Connor's mother, accompanied him on the trip and said it was his first time away from home.
"I got to take him but not stay with him," Rhea said. She stayed elsewhere while Connor and other students stayed at the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase.
"That was the hardest thing, but it was an excellent experience for him being away from home."
There were more than 250 children participating in the program during Connor's tenure.
"Twelve were in his leadership strand, and they were basically between 9 and 10 years old and everyone seemed to be doing fine," Rhea said. "There were no problems, no one was homesick and they went out of their way to make sure that they were comfortable.
"He learned about the effects of the environment and how it affects our waterways, and what they can do to learn what they can prevent on construction sites, schools and other different things to help to preserve the environment," Rhea continued. "There was a separate leadership strand to help them to be productive leaders in their community and be able to step forward make presentations and not be nervous."
When Connor and his mother returned home, they received more good news. Connor received a letter from State Sen. Raymond Finney, R-Maryville, requesting that he spend a day with him and be a Senate page during the spring.
"I'm extremely proud of him," said Rhea of Connor, smiling.
"He's a role model student. He's never been in trouble and is a model citizen as far as I'm concerned," said Caton's Chapel principal Bill Hatcher.
n jkindred@themountainpress.com
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