ELEVEN STUDENTS in the William and Virginia Darr Honors Program at Missouri State University-West Plains attended the annual Ozarks Technical Community College Honors Conference March 25 in Springfield. The conference covers an eclectic spectrum of student- and faculty-led panels on such topics as the sciences, humanities and service learning, among others. For many two-year undergraduate students, the conference is a rare opportunity to experience and participate in an academic conference, Darr Honors Program Director Alex Pinnon said. In fact, Darr Honors student Anthony MacConnell, West Plains, presented a panel entitled “The Argument for Internal Propulsion.” Calling it a “highlight of the academic year” for his students, Pinnon said the event gives students the opportunity to network with four-year schools that offer honors programs, learn about topics unfamiliar to their studies, “and they just have an all-around blast.” Front row from left are Pinnon and students Alex Priest and Michelle Oliver, both of West Plains; Blair Cook, Plato; Rosemary Driscoll, Brandsville; and Shannon Hughes, West Plains. Back row: Brett Lair, West Plains; Sage Clunn, Ava; MacConnell, Whitney Brooks and Weston Phipps, all of West Plains; and Destiny Johnson, Viola, Ark. (Photo provided)