Eight high-schoolers headed to Governor's School this summer
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 21, 2011 1:46 PM
Eight Wayne County high school students have been accepted to attend the 2011 Governor's School of North Carolina sessions this summer.
Governor's School, founded in 1963 by former Gov. Terry Sanford, is the oldest statewide summer residential program for academically and intellectually gifted high school students in the nation. The six-week program is open to rising seniors, with the exception of the visual/performing arts, which accepts rising juniors.
The program, which will run from June 12 through July 23, is offered on two campuses. Governor's School West, established in 1963, is held at Salem College in Winston-Salem, while Governor's School East, established in 1978, is at Meredith College in Raleigh.
This year, 600 juniors and seniors will attend the program. They were chosen from more than 1,700 public and private school nominees.
Each school district is allotted a certain number of nominations based on its 10th and 11th grade populations. Students were nominated in one of 10 curriculum areas: art, choral music, dance, English, foreign language, instrumental music, mathematics, natural science, social science and theater.
The Governor's School curriculum focuses on the exploration of recent ideas and concepts in each discipline and does not involve credit, tests or grades.
Local students attending Governor's School East and their area of study include Kaitlyn Gibson of Eastern Wayne High School, English; and Spring Creek High students Brianna Todd and Sara Boltinhouse, both English; Jori Fafoulas of Wayne Early/Middle College High, math; and Ann Harris of Wayne School of Engineering, math.
Attending Governor's School West will be Benjamin Coley of Charles B. Aycock High, English; Elizabeth Evernham of Spring Creek High, oboe; and Donald Keith Jones of Southern Wayne High, math.
Dr. Steve Taylor, superintendent of schools, praised the representation from Wayne County chosen for the honor.
"The students accepted into the Governor's School program are among the brightest in the state," he said. "By attending Governor's School, they will have a wonderful opportunity to further cultivate their talents and abilities in their selected subject areas. We congratulate them on their achievement of being accepted to attend this prestigious program."