Saturday Scholars is a distinguished and unique scientific lecture-demonstration series offered by invitation only to academically talented Belleville West students. It provides an opportunity to interact with intellectual equals, to expand scientific knowledge in a variety of areas, and to talk with outstanding scientists.  The program provides an enrichment component to meet the distinctive educational needs of gifted students.

     On each of the Saturdays in February, students attend lectures and field trips on a variety of topics. In the past, students have attended lectures on Present and Future Space Exploration, The X-Prize – Your Ticket Into Space, Nanotechnology, The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and Living With Polar Bears. Lectures have been presented by leaders in the fields, such as astronaut Sandra Magnus and noted physicist Dr. Phil Fraundorf.

     Past field trips have included the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library, The Titanic Artifact Exhibition at the St. Louis Science Center, a Pig Heart Dissection, a Cadaver Demonstration, and a trip to Principia College to see the newly-discovered remains of a wooly mammoth and an award-winning solar car.

     West’s program is directed by Mrs. Pat Matysik, Saturday Scholar Coordinator, and Mr. Joe Lombardi, Science Department Chair.