Four students from the Francis Howell School District have been announced as members of the Missouri Scholars 100 program sponsored by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP). Two students each were selected from Francis Howell High School and Francis Howell Central.

The program, which accepts nominations from all high schools with a principal who is a member of MASSP, selects honorees based on what it calls “Academic Decathlon” criteria. Each nominee was considered in ten “events” that measure academic performance, including a minimum grade point average of 3.75, a minimum ACT score of 29 and a class ranking in the top ten percent. They also had to have taken advanced-level courses in math, English, science and foreign language. Attendance, citizenship, and extracurricular participation are also taken into account.

The FHC administration nominated students for the list before spring break, according to honoree Ryan Pham, senior.

“It’s exciting,” Pham said. “Any honor like this is exciting.”

Aside from the honor of being selected as being one of the top high school seniors in Missouri, Pham said that the timing of the honor was not ideal.

“I would have hoped it was sooner, so I could have put it on [college and scholarship] applications,” he said.

Senior Claire Henderson was also named to the list.

“It’s a really prestigious program,” Henderson said. “It feels like all the [classes and activities] I did in high school are paying off.”

Both students have been invited to a luncheon hosted by MASSP in Columbia, Missouri on April 29 to commemorate their achievements.