Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Wednesday, September 2, 2009

More than a dozen outstanding Fayette County students attended special academic camps at Western Kentucky University this past summer.

Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth (VAMPY) is a three-week program for youngsters completing grades 7-10 who have qualifying ACT or SAT scores. Each student lives on campus, takes one class for six hours a day and participates in extracurricular activities. 

The Summer Camp for Academically Talented Middle School Students (SCATS) is a two-week program in which students live in a residence hall, take four classes for six hours a day and participate in recreational experiences.

SCATS and VAMPY are offered by The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University. For more information, call (270) 745-6323, visit www.wku.edu/gifted or e-mail gifted@wku.edu.

VAMPY participants from Fayette County Public Schools:

• Kayla Biddle, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, writing
• Michael Bowie, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, genetics
• Jessica Geddes, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, physics
• Matt Hunt, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, computer science
• Joseph Natter, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, chemistry
• Alex Petros, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, humanities
• Myles Pressley, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, mathematics
• Corban Coffman, Henry Clay High School, humanities
• Trevor McNary, Henry Clay High School, mathematics
• James Leavell-Greene, Winburn Middle School, writing
• Monisha Rekhraj, Lexington Traditional Magnet School, genetics
• Chloé Robertson, Beaumont Middle School, mathematics
• Connor Van Meter, SCAPA Bluegrass, mathematics 

SCATS participants:

• Jerry Guo, Winburn Middle School
• Nia Johnson, Bryan Station Traditional Magnet School
• John Spencer, Jessie Clark Middle School