Lawrence Seniors complete two years at Craft Academy
By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor
Two Lawrence County Seniors completed two years (junior and senior grades) at The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics.
Casey Hovis of Lawrence County, plans to study Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University and
Dakota Murphy lives in Laurel County, but is from Louisa, plans to go into Engineering at University of Alabama in Huntsville.
The Craft Academy is a residential academy for academically exceptionally gifted high school juniors and seniors. It provides students with a postsecondary residential experience to complete their junior and senior high school years by enrolling in college courses.
The academy’s purpose is to meet the unique educational needs of academically gifted and talented high school juniors and seniors in the Commonwealth. The academic rigor of the Craft Academy challenges students to excel at their highest level through project-based STEM+X courses and hands-on learning experiences, emphasizing innovation, design and creativity, and civic and regional engagement.
Hovis, says she plans to attend North Carolina State University to major in nuclear engineering and minor in physics. After graduation, she would like to work in a hospital’s nuclear medicine department.
The Craft Academy has a multistep application process. “I first completed an online application consisting of information on academics, extracurriculars, and community service; answers to essay questions; and letters of recommendations.” The online application is then reviewed, and those selected from the online application move on to an in-person interview with MSU and Craft Academy faculty.
“I applied to the Craft Academy because I never felt challenged in the Lawrence County school system. In my two years at Craft, I had both amazing and stressful experiences,” said Hovis. “It was amazing to be able to take classes that actually challenged me. I was able to perform undergraduate research and connect with esteemed MSU faculty. Craft not only provides its students with the opportunity to start life as a college student early, but also still gives its students the opportunity to not leave high school life behind. Craft has a plethora of clubs and activities students can participate in. We have our own proms, homecomings, and graduations, although students are permitted to go back to their old high school’s events as well. Many students attend two proms per year, and others even manage to continue to be a part of their old high school’s clubs. However, many students choose to immerse themselves in all of Craft’s opportunities rather than their old high school’s.”
Hovis said she would describe Craft as being very stressful. “Many high schools do not prepare their students for higher education. When students enter Craft, they have only 2 years of high school knowledge. This alone does not provide students with the tools needed to succeed in college.,” Hovis said. “I, along with other Craft students, had to work very hard to learn how to handle the difficulty of college classes. I would say my experience was more stressful than most as I joined and led many clubs and took harder classes than many of my peers.”
The Craft Academy allows it students to build their own curriculum. “I centered mine around many physics and math courses, but I also took classes in chemistry, engineering, and humanities. Craft has required courses, but there is a lot of room in their curriculum to experiment with different subjects and interests,” said Hovis.
She enjoys hiking and reading in her free time, as well as researching whatever new physics tangent her mind is on at the moment.
Murphy, also spent two years at Craft Academy and will be majoring in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. After graduation, I would like to work for NASA and aid in space exploration.
The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics is a highly selective program. Everyone who attends must provide their academic and extracurricular information, letters of recommendation, and a couple of essay questions that cover a variety of topics. These topics cover the three pillars of the academy: Creativity and Design, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Civic and Regional Engagement. Once through the online application, you are selected for an in-person interview with members of the Craft Academy Staff and Morehead State Faculty.
“Since my acceptance into the Craft Academy, I have learned to take every opportunity open to me. While attending the academy, I was given a plethora of opportunities that really put me to the test,” said Murphy. “I was able to join and then eventually lead two Craft Academy-approved Special Projects. These can be defined as a research project with a focus on community engagement. The first was a FIRST Robotics team; the second was The Hazel Green Academy Revitalization Project. Each of these allowed me to grow professionally and socially. I was able to travel around the country to show off our teams’ hard work, meet so many people, and make lots of connections.”
Murphy says attending the academy also allowed her to meet lifelong friends. “Although we were only together for a short amount of time, we shared so many personal moments and really grew into a family. I don’t know what I would do without them,” said Murphy.
The Craft Academy has a set curriculum that has a STEM+X track. This means students are required to take courses that follow STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), but the +X part allows for us to take courses ranging outside, such as the fine arts. “Aside from the general education classes, I was able to take many courses relating to my area of interest- engineering, physics, chemistry, and astronomy to name a few,” said Murphy.
Murphy is from Louisa, and some of her hobbies include pottery and building Legos. “I really love tinkering, and I am excited to put those skills to use within my career,” said Murphy.