The Texas Academy for Leadership in the Humanities will host a four-man scramble golf tournament, Feb. 22, 2025, at Sunset Grove Country Club in Orange to fundraise for student activities within the program.
TALH is a program for juniors and seniors in high school to finish those last two years, while also starting their college careers at Lamar. The students unenroll from their previous high school and solely take courses at Lamar.
“Texas Academy is a fantastic opportunity for students to not only advance their education and take college courses, but also interact with students who share those same ambitions,” Beaumont sophomore and TAHL student body historian Judson Ripper said.
Although the Texas Academy is publicly funded, most of these funds go to the scholarship that allows students to attend LU, so the academy raises funds for student activities.
“We do this to provide funds for anything that the student body wants to do,” Orange sophomore and TAHL student body president Madison McGuire said. “That would include anything from prom and holiday parties to as simple as refilling water in our water dispenser.”
The Academy forgoes a Homecoming dance, so their only dance and formal event is a prom. Also, for holiday parties, desserts and drinks are often outsourced to the students.
“Our goal right now is to raise $10,000,” Lumberton sophomore and student body treasurer Will Naas said. “This would be amazing, as it would increase our budget drastically moving into next year, and be able to cover all the funds and expenses that we have already allocated for this year and next year.”
The academy is seeking sponsors for their golf tournament to cover expenses, such as renting the course.
“We’ve got a tier system,” Ripper said. “We’ve got some lower-level tiers, such as hole sponsorships and friends of TA, which provide some benefits, and are mostly for small business and family members to help out our tournament.”
The higher tier sponsors will get more benefits, including entering a team in the tournament. The higher tier sponsor is the title sponsor, which will be present in the logo and all the branding for the event.
Naas said that sponsors should support the academy’s golf tournament as it benefits high-achieving students that are the future of southeast Texas.
“You’re giving directly back to a local school district that doesn’t have the same name base that some of the public high schools in the area,” McGuire said. “So, you’re putting it back into a group of students who’s actively working for this.”
Registration is still yet to open for the event, and priority will be given to sponsors. For sponsorship information, email texasacademystu@lamar.edu.