Only in Missouri can the value of 330 of the best & brightest spread out on the quad stretching and grunting to Japanese tea music be underestimated!  Go Taiso! 

Seriously though, what the heck else are we supposed to do?  It's not like they taught me to read a map in Public School or I could at least find my way to a different state! 

Come on Missourah, think ahead for once!

MSA was the only reason I decided to stay in the state for school.  If they shut it down, there will be a mass exodus of intelligent students to other states.

The legislature appropriations amount to less around a quarter of a million dollars.  Surely they can find that money somewhere.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

That's what i have to say to the ridiculous thought of eliminating MSA. And MFAA for that matter. I attended MSA 2007 and those were some ridiculously amazing 3 weeks. I've never felt so at home with so many people. Politicians tend to forget that there's a whole spectrum to students. There's the one end, where kids are undereducated or special needs, there's a middle section of average students, and then there's us. We're considered "gifted." Which means, apparently, we don't need help with anything and don't need any extra guidance.

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In fact, we need just as much! Kids who are considered nerds often lack social skills, among other things. MSA was 3 weeks of meeting other kids and learning how to interact. By the end, it was ok to say hi to kids you didn't know, or do a square dance with some random kid from a town 5 hours away from yours. 

Beyond just that, "smart kids" are often ignored and/or put down for their intelligence. This leads to a severe lack of wanting to learn, therefore completely  cancelling out their giftedness, since they do nothing with it.

I'm truly saddened by the lack of though Missouri Lawmakers have put into this. Yes, the economy is on a downhill slide. But HELLO? it's our education and our live's we're talking about here, and i don't think anyone could consider that a waste of money!

Please, contact Missouri Representatives and tell them what a huge mistake they are making!

I have to say I LOVED TAISO.

I sometimes wake up and realize that music was echoing in my dreams. What a great idea those Japanese have- NO WONDER THEY"RE SO SMART! i bet they don't cut funding to programs like this and increase it to spend more money on things like paying our missouri representatives more.....

"To repeat what others have said requires education; to challenge it requires brains."

 -Mary Pettibone Poole

Best three weeks of my life, thank you MSA for showing me how to use my brains ; )

I was in the charter MSA class - 1985. An amazing three weeks that I have never forgotten. "Standing Ovations" and the ability to be our own intelligent selves without repercussions and taunting ... dare I say being "ostracized"?

What we need are students to be excited about learning - not only in Missouri, but in all 50 states. Science, math, language arts, music. We need programs like Missouri Scholars Academy and Missouri Fine Arts Academy now more than ever!