Here in the 3^rd District we have had some very exciting news and announcements over the last couple of weeks.

Just a couple of weeks ago the Festus High School Rocket Club won first place at the International Paris Show. The tournament, the Team America Rocket Challenge, is the world’s largest student rocket contest and is important to the aerospace and defense industry’s strategy to build a stronger U.S. workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Festus High School team represented the U.S. and competed against other teams from the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.

I am incredibly proud of the Festus High School students who worked so hard to bring home a first place win at the International Rocketry Challenge. Congratulations on a job well done and I look forward to hearing about the other great things you will accomplish in your young lives!

On another note, there have been several high school students across the 3^rd District who have accepted offers of appointments to various military academies for the class of 2021. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with attending one of our nation’s military academies. There is a level of expectation and behavior that exceeds most other institutions of higher learning, simply because of the unique mission of the academies. I am beyond confident that the students who have accepted appointments to the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force will live up to those expectations. To all of you who have accepted a nomination: I wish you the very best and thank you for choosing a career of service to your country. We are incredibly grateful for you and for your selfless decision.

Lastly, each year dozens of entries from high schoolers around the 3^rd District are submitted for entry to the Congressional Art Competition. Just a few days ago, the 2017 winner, Heather Mote from Iberia, came to Washington for her reception and to be honored, along with the other winners, for their talent and hard-work. It was a pleasure to meet Heather and hear how excited she was to be in Washington and to see her very own artwork hang in the U.S. Capitol. The Congressional Art Competition serves as an opportunity to allow high school students to visit the capital and be recognized for their achievements.

It is very clear the 3^rd District is home to incredibly talented young men and women across the 13 counties it spans. If you know of a young individual who earned a special recognition at school, camp, or any sort of event – please let me know. I would love to highlight all of the great work that is being done in the 3^rd District!