Lone Star Leadership Academy program in Austin (photo courtesy of Education in Action)

The local scholars numbered among nearly 1,000 Texas middle school and junior high students who participated this spring and summer in Education in Action's weeklong residential programs, which help young Texans become informed, active leaders in their communities.

The leaders-in-training learned what it means to be from the Lone Star State while touring major sites in Austin/San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston/Galveston and practicing problem-solving, decision-making and presentation skills.

The following Pearland ISD students participated in the 2011-12 programs:

Alexander Middle School: Leslie Dunklee and Ross Lowrey

Berry Miller Junior High: Owen Dailey and Christopher Simpson

Pearland Junior High West: Kyle Galkowsi

Rogers Middle School: Melissa Adamaley-Johnson, Yaa’Ann Agyeman-Yeboah, Abigail Clark, James Dai, Alex Dailey, Fernando De La Garza, Jerry Gu, Amy Ho, Marisol Penry, Ally Purugganan, Cole Ritter, William Stroh, Collin Suitor, Vincent Yang, Rohit Dsilva, Andrew Elias, Daniel Farner, Christian Lewandowski, Chi-Quynh Nguyen, Kimberly Nguyen, Kimberly Quimio, Adith Ram and Tyler Thames

Sablatura Middle School: Kayla Galkowski, Grace Gillen, Eric Li, Vivian Luo, Mukund Nair, Jessalyn Smith and Erin Strain

Selection for the Lone Star Leadership Academy is based on students' demonstrated academic success and leadership ability, teacher recommendations and involvement in school and community activities.

Dallas/Fort Worth program venues included the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District and the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

Students in the Austin/San Antonio program toured the Alamo, visited the offices of their state legislators and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, watched bats from the Lone Star Riverboat and attended a cowboy cookout.

The Houston/Galveston program included visits to NASA Johnson Space Center, the San Jacinto Battleground Monument and Moody Gardens and a Galveston Bay boat tour with a marine biologist.

In addition, career speakers introduced students to various career and internship opportunities.