Thank you, Combest, for linking to this fantastic op-ed by Katy Steinmetz about the Missouri Scholars Academy. Steinmetz argues that the state should cut funds to the camp, and she responds to several criticisms of the cuts. I want to just copy and paste the whole thing here because it’s all worth reading, but I have to make a choice about which part to quote, so I’ll show you what she says about the Scholars Academy’s social benefits:

The academy certainly did provide tear-inspiring social acceptance when I was there, but it is not the state’s responsibility to pay for creating that environment. Nerdy outcasts should by all means huddle together and support one another in the summer months, but they should pay for that privilege – just as young Christians and overweight children and aspiring astronauts do at their respective camps.

She also discusses alternative sources of funding for the camp, which could allow the good times to continue without more appropriations.

It’s clear from the op-ed that Steinmetz’s lighthearted tone didn’t come about by accident. It was the result of careful cultivation; when she was a student at the Scholars Academy, she majored in humor.