NEWELL - Although most of the 10 Davis-Bahcall Scholarship recipients are students in larger school districts, Newell's Mandi Durch said she believes coming from a small district was an advantage in the statewide science scholars competition.

The group began summer studies Monday after ceremonies kicked off by Gov. Mike Rounds at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

During the selection process earlier in the year, Durch said interviewers asked if she would be able to ask for one-on-one help.

"Being from a small school, our teachers always have given us special attention. I'm used to asking for and getting one-on-one help," Durch said.

With advanced physics classes among those she'll be taking during the program, being able to ask for assistance will be important.

Summer school for Durch and the others will include stops at the Sanford Underground Laboratory at Homestake, where deep-science classes are planned in the former gold mine. On Friday, the group will depart for the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy and conclude at the Physics Department of Princeton University in New Jersey.

Durch has something of a head start. She has been interning at the Sanford Lab under Peggy Norris, who is in charge of the educational outreach programs. Durch was given the opportunity to create a science-based children's activity book titled, "Junior Scientist's Lab Notebook." The books are handed out to school-age children visiting the lab, and after Saturday's Neutrino Day activities at the lab, the book will be available as a free download at www.sanfordundergroundlaboratoryathomestake.org.

Durch said she was thrilled about being asked to create the book because she never expected to have such an opportunity.

Thanks to the scholarship, Durch also gets a crack at other first-time experiences, traveling abroad and to the East Coast. If she has to study while on road trips, she has the experience.

Durch was named Newell's Student of the Year and earned the "Spirit of Su" award at the state basketball championships, where the Newell Lady Irrigators finished third.

Also active in track, FFA, National Honor Society, student council and as her class secretary, Durch admits she didn't have a lot of free time.

"I did homework on buses to and from games. I did homework in what little free time I had," she said. Her free period at school became her scholarship hour when she worked on applying for the Davis-Bahcall Scholarship, as well as others.

"I learned a lot of my study habits through high school. I've got my system pretty much down now," Durch said.

In the fall, Durch will attend Montana State University and major in chemical engineering. She chose that field after doing her senior project on various engineering fields.

"Chemical engineering seemed like a good place to start," she said.

After college, Durch would like to pursue a career in researching cures for genetic disorders.

Although it was a hard decision, Durch said she won't continue in athletics in college. "After talking to other engineering students, I decided it might be difficult to dedicate myself to both a sport and engineering," she said.