For Immediate Release: November 1

Contact:
Mary Potthoff
Director, Center for Gifted Education
Office: (417) 873-7386
E-mail: mpotthof@drury.edu

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Nov. 1, 2009 — Former 2009 Drury Leadership Academy and Summerscape attendee, Kennedy Stomps, will showcase her smarts in the Jeopardy!® 2009 Teen Tournament schedule to air Monday, Nov. 2 through Friday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. on KSPR. Stomps lives in St. Louis and attends Metro High School

This past February, the self-proclaimed trivia buff completed a 50 question online test for the show, never dreaming she would receive the chance to participate. In May, producers called Stomps for a show audition. She, along with 350 contestants, completed a written test, participated in an interview and played a test round of Jeopardy!®.

Two months later, producers informed Stomps she was one of 15 students selected to compete in the Jeopardy!® 2009 Teen Tournament. Before the start of the school year, Stomps was flown to Los Angeles and filmed as a contestant. If she wins, Stomps will pocket a cash prize of $75,000. Second and third-place winners will receive $25,000 and $15,000 cash prizes.

 Jeopardy!® has been on the air since 1984.  In 1987, the Jeopardy!® Teen Tournament was established. Since then, the two-week tournament has awarded more than $3 million in cash prizes to nearly 400 teenage contestants.

The Drury Leadership Academy and Summerscape are part of Drury’s Center for Gifted Education. Each summer over 700 children from pre-school through high school attend Drury University’s residential and non-residential programs that include the Drury Leadership Academy, Summerscape, Summer Quest and Summer Pals. For more information go to: Drury Gifted Education

For more information contact Kennedy’s mother, Kathleen Stomps, by phone (314) 560-2747 or e-mail stompsk@hotmail.com. Contact Sony Entertainment through Maggie Speak at maggie_speak@spe.sony.com.

###

Drury is an independent University, church related, grounded in the liberal arts tradition and committed to personalized education in a community of scholars who value the arts of teaching and learning. Education at Drury seeks to cultivate spiritual sensibilities and imaginative faculties as well as ethical insight and critical thought; to foster the integration of theoretical and practical knowledge; and to liberate persons to participate responsibly in and contribute to a global community. For more information, visit www.drury.edu/strategicplan.

University Communications staff are available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 839-2886. Visit the Office of University Communications online at http://news.drury.edu. Resources include a searchable Expert Guide, staff contacts and downloadable print-quality images and logos.