Four-Year Application

The application begins with a greeting:

We're thrilled you're considering joining one of our Academies! To be invited, you'll be evaluated on the following key areas. Make sure you've paid attention to these throughout Middle School! 

Your Report Card (Grades & GPA): We look at your grades from all of 7th grade and the first semester of 8th grade. Remember, every Academy has a minimum GPA you need to meet to be considered 

• Animal Health: 3.5
• Biomedical Engineering: 2.5
• Business Finance: 2.75
• Civic Leadership: 2.75
• Computer Science: 2.75
• Design Academy: 2.75
• Distinguished Scholars – All Strands: 3.5
• e-Communication: 2.5
• Engineering: 3.0
• Future Educators: 2.75
• Geoscience: 3.0
• Green Tech: 2.75
• Medical Professions: 3.5
• Public Safety: 3.0
• Sports Medicine: 3.0

Show Up! (Attendance): Your attendance record from 7th grade and 8th-grade first semester matters. We look for students who are consistently present. 

Your Voice (Essays): You must complete three required essay responses. This is your chance to shine and show us who you are! 

Teacher Feedback (Recommendations): You'll need to name two teachers to write recommendations. Make sure you get their correct email addresses! These recommendations are kept confidential—only Academy staff see them. 

I support my child applying to a Four-Year Academy. I understand the entire application process, including teacher recommendations, is confidential and not available to either parents or the student, and will be purged from the system within one year of the original application date. I further understand that my student’s attendance and grades will be available for review by Teachers, Counselors, and Administrators involved in the evaluation of applicants. 

At the bottom of the first page of the application, there will be a check box asking for parent support.

It states:
I support my child applying to a Four-Year Academy. I understand the entire application process is confidential, including teacher recommendations, is not available to either parents or the student, and will be purged from the system within one year of the original application date. I further understand that my student's attendance and grades data will be available for review by teachers, counselors, and administrators involved in the evaluation of applicants.

The PARENT should click on the check box indicating support of their application.

Below the Parent Support Statement, there will be two boxes to choose from indicating whether the student is currently enrolled in Olathe Public Schools or not. Click on the appropriate black box.

Note: If the student is NOT currently enrolled in the district, they must be when they enter school in the fall of next year. (Private school students currently living in-district, or students moving into the district before school starts in the fall of next year). If you are applying from outside the Olathe Public Schools district, you must first apply for an out-of-district transfer prior to applying to a Four-Year Academy.

If you are a student in Olathe Public Schools, there will be a login page to enter your district username and district password.

This is the same username and password that you use to log into any of the district’s computers or devices. It is important for all Olathe Public Schools students applying to login so that the student's demographic information is loaded into the system for the next page of the application. If you have trouble logging in, change your password and make sure to remove special characters that are out of the ordinary.

Note: If you are NOT a current student in Olathe Public Schools, there will NOT be a login page. Demographic information on the next page will need to be entered manually.

This page in the online application is where you identify who you are.

If you are a student in Olathe Public Schools, much or all of this information will already be filled in. 

• Make sure the information is correct.
• Change anything that is incorrect.
• Enter information in any of the cells that are empty.

An email address for at least one of your parents is required. The second is optional, but highly recommended.

• If there is not a second parent/guardian email available, enter the same email address a second time into that cell.
• If your parent/guardian does not have a cell phone number, enter your home phone number a second time into that cell.

If you are not a current Olathe Public Schools student, you will simply fill out all the empty cells yourself.

At the top of the next screen you will select the academy or academies you wish to apply for.

You will select your first academy choice from the left dropdown menu. If you wish to apply for a second academy, (which is optional), there is a second drop down menu on the right. If you do NOT wish to apply for a second academy, select NONE on the second dropdown menu.

Below the selection of your academy, there are three questions students will respond to that will be used to evaluate the application. There are three areas that will be evaluated in the responses:

---

Below are the three questions:

Question 1: Explain your interest and your passion in this 21st Century Academy by highlighting past activities, experiences, and/or previous learning that stimulated this interest and passion. If you are applying to two academies, talk about your interest/passion in both.

Question 2: What personal characteristics do you have that might contribute to the success of this 21st Century Academy's team (teamwork, dedication, etc.)?

Question 3: Briefly tell us what you are thinking about doing after high school. We know this may change many times in the future, but tell us what you are thinking about right now. (This question is not scored, but provides insight to the facilitators.)

---

If you are applying for two academies, you should address BOTH academies in your response.
You may have two separate answers within each question text box OR you may integrate the two academies into your one response. Either way is acceptable.

The text boxes for the responses are small but will hold a lot of text. However, they do not expand to make your response completely visible. 
It is very important to draft your response in a separate document and then copy and paste it into the application when it is ready.

Response Scoring Explanation:

Four points maximum in each of three scoring areas (interests and passion, ideas and content, writing accuracy)

1. Interest/Passion: We are looking for interest/passion in the academy you are applying for. You should share activities, experiences and/or previous learning.
2. Ideas/Content: The responses need to thoroughly convey your ideas. We will be looking for clarity and the ability to express your thoughts. Elaborating and explaining, rather than simply listing, is recommended for higher quality response.
3. Writing Accuracy: We are looking for proper use of writing and grammar skills. Students should use their writing conventions (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, complete sentences) so that their response is clear and understandable.

• 4 points for outstanding
• 3 points for above average
• 2 points for good
• 1 point for poor
• 0 points for not present

Maximum score of 24 (two responses, 12 points each).
The third response is not scored, but it is taken into consideration.

Students applying for Distinguished Scholars should have a minimum GPA of 3.5 for the past three semesters. This is the required GPA that needs to be maintained in all 4 years of high school as well.

If you are applying for Distinguished Scholars, there is an extra response in the requirements for your application.

1. You will need to decide which strand you are applying for: Language Arts, Math, Political Science, Science, or Visual Arts.
2. Complete the items listed for that strand (see below or view)
3. You will upload your document(s) in the online application AND you will need to bring copies with you to your interview.
   • When saving files, the file names cannot have spaces and may only be a PDF or JPEG file. It will show an error if you forget to load all the necessary files.
   • Download the English version of the application written response document.
   • Download the Spanish version of the application written response document as well as other requested items that will also be submitted in the application.

Remember that your submission will contribute to the overall evaluation of your application to the Distinguished Scholars Academy. Therefore, you should make every effort to ensure that your submissions are error-free and fulfill the submission guidelines below. Please bring copies of your submissions to your academy interview for discussion.

Distinguished Scholars Prompts Fall 2025

Language Arts  

1)  Submit a personal statement of no more than 500 words responding to this question: What does reading and/or writing mean to you?

2) Submit one piece of your own original writing. Your piece can be anything you believe showcases your writing ability and personal voice – short story, poem, chapter from a novel, essay, personal narrative, etc. Your piece should be no more than four pages in length. At the top of your writing, please indicate what you wrote this piece for – was this a class assignment? Which class? Or did you write this for fun or for a contest?

Math  

1) The YouTube channel “Numberphile” has more than 500 videos on mathematical ideas in a  variety of fields and topics. Watch several videos and choose one that captures your  interest. Submit a written response of no more than 750 words responding to the following  questions: Why did you pick this video? How does it relate to the math you already know?  What does it make you want to know more about?  

Political Science  

1) “If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.” ― Eldridge Cleaver 

One component of DSPS is looking at societal problems and discussing potential economic,  social and political solutions. Submit a written response of no more than 750 words  responding to the following question: What do you believe is the largest and most  impactful problem for our society today? To answer this prompt, be sure to include an  explanation of why it is a problem and a possible solution to the problem.  

Science  

1) The YouTube channels "Be Smart," "SciShow," "PBS Space Time," " PBS Eons," "PBS Nova" "Veritasium" and "Kurzgesagt" have a variety of videos on several different scientific fields and topics. Watch several videos and choose one that captures your interest. Submit a written response of no more than 750 words responding to the following questions: Why did you pick this video? How does it relate to the science you already know?What does it make you want to know more about?

Visual Arts  

1) Submit a personal statement of no more than 500 words responding to this question: What  inspires you as an artist?  

2) Submit photographs or digital scans of five pieces of your original art. Any form of art is  fine, including but not limited to drawings, paintings, photographs, digital artwork, collage  or mixed-media, and 3-D artwork.

When uploading files, remember that file names cannot have spaces and may only be a PDF or JPEG file. It will also show an error if you forget to load all the necessary files.

Please enter the two teachers' information on this page.

• At the first dropdown, you will select the school where the teacher is located.
• In the second drop down, you will select the teacher from the list.

It is considered good manners to ask the teachers in advance if you may use them as a reference.
A link will be sent in an email to the teachers you select asking them to complete a recommendation for you.
They will be asked questions about your ability to work in a group and independently, your contributions to class discussions, your communication skills and a number of other areas which will help us select students who are a good match to the academy.

If you are applying from Out of District, you will need to enter the teacher's first and last name as well as their email manually.
Please double-check that the email address is correctly entered. Incorrect email addresses will not make it to the recipient.

Applicants will be evaluated on the following items:

• Attendance

• Content of responses to the three questions

• Grades from
  • Seventh Grade — First Semester
  • Seventh Grade — Second Semester
• Teacher Recommendations