A number of students from Biloxi Junior High School have been invited to participate in the Duke University Talent Identification Program.

Duke TIP is a non-profit educational organization designed to identify and develop the academic talent of bright students.

Talent Search is intended for students who want to learn more about their abilities and about programs and services available to academically gifted students. Interested students apply to TIP’s Talent Search, and TIP registers them for their choice of the SAT I: Reasoning Test or the ACT.

Talent Search participants take one of these tests along with high school students at selected sites nationwide in December, January, or February. A fourth of the Talent Search participants score as well or better than the average college-bound student on at least one of the scales of the tests. High-scoring students are recognized at ceremonies in their home states and at Duke University.

To apply, students must be in the seventh grade, attending school in Duke TIP’s Talent Search region and have scored in the upper five percent on sections of a nationally normed achievement, mental ability or approved state criterion-referenced test.

Biloxi students were selected as a result of their scores from the May 2011 MCT2.

TIP sponsors challenging educational opportunities for the students who qualify by their SAT or ACT score, summer studies programs that offer fast-paced courses in the arts, sciences and humanities, and weekend educational programs throughout the academic year.

Duke TIP is one of the largest of four programs of its kind in the nation. Since 1980, over one million students from all parts of the world have taken part in a Duke TIP program. This year alone, over 63,000 students across the country are currently enrolled in the program.

Students from Biloxi Junior High School who qualify for participation are:

Hailey Boney, Aniadria Bounds, Haley Bourgeois, Ladazea Bridges, Savannah Brown, Jacob Butera, Christian Canales, Chandee Carson, Jordan Cole, Jarius Colley, Adrianna Cormier, Kennedy Daniels, Genesis Davis, Jackie Diep, Kiarah Dredden, Jessica Dunn,

Haley Erickson, Brianna Evans, Gabrielle Fantroy, Michael Giannecchini, Savannah Goolsby, Amely Guzman, Lydia Harrington, Chelsea Harris, Mitchell Hodge, Meredith Houston, Miles Jackson, Tearrany Jackson, Adrienne Kelly, Naphtali Lamey, Alexa Landenberger, Mackenzie Leatherman, Xandy Luong, Rosemarie Marshall, Abigael McKay, Kyle McRaney, Alanna Mercer, Niamh Mooers, Emily Moore,

Jenny Nguyen, Selena Nguyen, Lisa Phan, Allyson Polanco, Cecelia Prentiss, Bruno Puga, Keith Rose, Allysa Royston, Madison Sennie, Justin Steiner, Emily Toncrey, Angelica Verastegui, Mackenzie Walker-Avent, Karsyn Wentzell, Tziah Woods, Samantha Woodward, Elizabeth Wroblewski, and Zoe Yarnell.

See the photos: To see photos from a recent gathering of the students who qualify for the Duke program, click here.