Acellus��Academy��is pleased to introduce the new��Conspiracy Theories��course, premiering live with Dr. Todd Edmond at��, May 23–24, 2026, in the new Acellus Conference Center.

What Mysteries Does the Course Explore? ��

Students step into history’s greatest open questions: Roanoke’s vanished settlers and their “CROATOAN” clue,��the��creation and��mystery of Area��51,��the ancient engineering behind Egypt’s pyramids, the events of the JFK assassination, and other puzzles that still captivate minds centuries later.��

No ready-made answers are given. Learners dig into primary sources, line up rival explanations, test their logic, and decide what stands up to scrutiny. See how Dr. Todd Edmond approaches these topics in the

Building Real Critical Thinking Skills ��

This course empowers students to become independent historians. They learn to tackle complex, unfinished questions, gather evidence, form their own well-reasoned conclusions, and grow confident explaining why they think about what they think. Dr.��Edmond walks through the method step by step: laying out evidence, pointing to open gaps, comparing interpretations, and showing how��thoughtful reasoning leads to a solid position.

Open to All – Join Us in Kansas City ��

Acellus World is open to the public—no Acellus enrollment needed. Join us May 23–24, 2026, in Kansas City for a fun, inspiring weekend packed with hands-on STEM challenges, Robot Dance Contest, crafts, games, Spark Sessions, graduation celebrations and the live premiere of the Conspiracy Theories course with Dr. Todd Edmond. It’s going to be an exciting two days—don’t miss it!��

Register now at acellus.com/world.��

Dr. Roger Billings, founder and educator at 51���� in Kansas City, MO, was recently selected as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by . A role model to pupils, Roger was nominated by a student for outstanding dedication and commitment to excellence in the profession.

Each year student members of NSHSS are invited to nominate the educator who has made the most significant contribution to their academic career for the Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction award. This honor recognizes exemplary educators whose passion and devotion inspire their students to grow and develop as scholars, leaders and citizens.

The National Society of High School Scholars seeks to advance the goals and aspirations of high-achieving students through unique learning experiences, scholarships, internships, international study and peer networks. From attending the annual Nobel Week festivities in Stockholm, to internships with major corporations and government agencies, pre-college summer study programs, and more than $2,500,000 in exclusive scholarships awarded annually, NSHSS is continually seeking new ways to provide lifetime learning and growth opportunities for academically talented and accomplished student leaders, and the educators who support them.

“Dedicated educators who exhibit a commitment to excellence deserve our highest praise and appreciation,” said NSHSS President James W. Lewis. “Through our Educators of Distinction program and the grants we provide to support professional development and enrich classroom instruction, we hope to acknowledge and encourage the vital work of the teachers, counselors and administrators who are shaping the intellect and character of our young scholars.”

About the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS)

Formed in 2002 by James W. Lewis and Claes Nobel, of the family that established the Nobel Prizes, The National Society of High School Scholars recognizes academic excellence at the high school level and helps to advance the goals and aspirations of high-achieving students through unique learning experiences, scholarships, internships, international study and peer networks.

Science Live will return on Wednesday, January 8th with an earlier live broadcast time of 6:30pm (CST). For those unable to join live, a recorded copy of each episode will be posted following the live broadcast.

In addition to tuning into the live stream, families are welcome to attend Science LIVE in person in Kansas City, Missouri. Tickets for attending Science Live may be requested at the following link:

For more information, or to watch the next episode, please visit:

51���� is proud to announce that many of our graduates are being awarded significant scholarships for their college education. This result has prompted us to explore what is driving our students’ success in obtaining scholarships and how we can further support our graduates in qualifying for scholarship opportunities.

Among other factors, we were delighted to hear from colleges that 51���� is garnering a reputation for producing graduates with an advanced understanding of academic subjects. As our graduates have caught the attention of colleges, it has lead to increased interest and proactive efforts to recruit 51���� alumni.

Introducing the Tier-1 Honors Program

To build on this momentum, 51���� is launching the Tier-1 Honors Program. This initiative introduces an honors mode for core high school courses, offering a curriculum with greater rigor and additional lessons. This program is particularly beneficial for students planning to pursue higher education at competitive universities.

The honors mode demands a higher level of commitment and effort from students. Recognizing this, courses completed under this mode will include an ‘honors’ designation on transcripts (e.g. Honors Algebra I). This distinction is an important factor in college admissions and scholarship considerations, indicating a student’s willingness to engage in more challenging coursework.

Benefits of Taking Honors Courses

Taking honors-level courses in high school can help increase a student’s chances of receiving scholarships for several reasons:

1. Academic Excellence: Honors courses are more challenging and in-depth than standard courses. Excelling in these courses demonstrates a student’s academic abilities and dedication to learning, which are qualities that scholarship committees often seek.

2. Competitive Edge: Many scholarships are academically competitive. A transcript with honors courses shows that the student has taken advanced coursework, potentially giving them an edge over others who have taken only standard courses.

3. Preparation for AP Courses: The increased rigor of honors courses helps prepare students for Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are highly regarded by scholarship committees. Success in these courses can further enhance a student’s scholarship prospects.

4. Well-Rounded Application: Scholarships often look for well-rounded candidates. Participation in honors courses can be part of a strong academic profile, demonstrating a student’s commitment to academic excellence and intellectual curiosity.

5. Specific Scholarships: Some scholarships specifically target students who have excelled in rigorous academic programs, including honors courses.

How Students Can Participate

We are committed to making this advanced academic option accessible to all our students. Therefore, the Tier-1 Honors Program will be available without any additional tuition costs. This aligns with our goal of providing quality education and preparing students for academic challenges at the highest level.

For more information about the Tier-1 Honors Program and how it can benefit your academic goals, please see the following link:��/honors/

A list of the honors courses offered may be found at the link above. To enroll a student in an honors course, parents may select the Honors Mode option when adding a new course for the student.

We are excited about this new initiative and look forward to seeing our students thrive and achieve their academic goals through the Tier-1 Honors Program at 51����.��

About a year ago, we launched a new tool for parents called the High School Education Plan. Even before enrolling, we recommend that parents use this tool to create a plan of study that identifies each course to be taken on a student’s journey toward graduating from 51����.

We recently released many new features and improvements to the Education Plan tool. Most of the enhancements are focused around making it easier to create a plan of study for high school. We streamlined the process for importing credits from other high schools and improved the interface for choosing courses to satisfy each credit requirement.

As part of this update, we have re-grouped a few of the credit requirements for graduation. For some subject areas, such as social studies, students would end up with more than the required number of credits in order to take all the required courses.

We have moved personal finance into the social studies category and combined the categories for P.E. and health. You can view these updates at the following link:��/graduation-requirements/

These changes will not affect any students who planned��their high school courses��based on the previous subject area requirements. All of the same courses used to fulfill the graduation requirements prior to this update will still qualify the student for graduation. We reorganized the requirements so that it is easier to follow and understand.

If you haven’t created an Education Plan yet, we encourage you to take full advantage of this resource. We hope it is helpful to you and welcome your feedback.

The Acellus Spelling Drill has been updated to include modern interaction – drag and drop.�� This update also provides more guidance through the process of spelling and encourages success as well as accurate recall through several updated methods:

– Only the letters used in the word are available for the student to unscramble and put in the correct order.�� This helps students practice recalling how to spell the word without the intimidation from all of the letters on the keyboard.

– Instead of just assessing student spelling (after the whole word has been entered), students are guided through spelling errors – as incorrect tiles slide back to the bottom of the screen.

– The Drag and Drop method has been added to provide tactical interaction – excellent for students who are developing fine motor skills.�� It additionally engages a different part of the brain, which provides more variety to their daily tasks and helps to keep them engaged while exercising their memory.

– Advanced students can still spell the words by typing on a keyboard, with the letters on the screen acting as a visual guide to assist them through the process.