Seven Natchez High seniors are torchbearers for a program they didn’t even know existed.

In May, the students will graduate with a special seal on their transcripts; they’ll be Mississippi Scholars.

The students have taken a more rigorous curriculum than is required, and they succeeded.

They just did it before it was cool.

Now, the district is pushing eighth-graders to become tomorrow’s Mississippi Scholars.

A group of district personnel and volunteers from the community were visiting Robert Lewis Middle School classrooms last week telling students what could be in store for them.

The program, a statewide venture aimed at beefing up high school graduates’ academic levels, puts middle school students on a track of tough classes. Students must take three math credits, three science credits, four social studies credits and two years of a foreign language. They must also complete 20 hours of community service during their high school years.

Natchez-Adams School District Curriculum Coordinator Karen Tutor said the program is a big step up from the minimum graduation requirements.

“Our kids have to compete in that global society,” Tutor said. “This fits right into our vision and mission and goals.”

Mississippi Scholars is a partnership between the state department of education and the Mississippi Economic Council. The Natchez Chamber of Commerce has partnered locally to help encourage participation in the program. Several local business leaders have been trained to explain the program to students.

Sam Jones, who runs his own Web site development company, told a RLMS class Thursday that Mississippi Scholars would prepare them for life after high school.

“More colleges will look at you,” Jones said. “You’ll get more money to buy the things you want. You’ll have more control over your future.”

Graduating as a Mississippi Scholar provides automatic scholarship money to state schools, Jones told the group. And future employers will see the scholar seal on their transcripts, too.

Jones said he got involved in the program in hopes of getting students to pay attention to their future.

“Getting them to stay in school and get into college is really special,” he said. “You can see it in some of their eyes, ‘Yeah, I need to do that.’”

Jones and others visiting middle school classes were handing out cards, encouraging students to register for the program now.

And, the students at NHS who weren’t in on the program’s inception but meet the requirements anyway were happy to hear of their special recognition.

“I wanted a challenge,” senior Teresa Rhodes said. “I didn’t want to make it too easy on myself.

“I’ve kind of had an experience in just about anything I can take. I didn’t just limit myself.”

Rhodes is taking a full load of classes this year, while many seniors only take two or three.

Tutor said Mississippi Scholars is designed to encourage community involvement, something the schools will need to succeed, she said.

“We need parent support and we need community support,” she said. “It will pull the whole community in. We’ve got to encourage students to take these courses.”