Interest meetings were held for both academic and arts Governor’s School programs last Thursday. While many students attended the academic Governor’s School meeting, there was a surprisingly low amount of potential applicants for the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) program compared to previous years.

Both programs are state sponsored and require no payment to attend excluding transportation costs. Although the academic program is very impressive to include on a resume, the VPA program provides substantial resources for students as well. The VPA Summer Residential Governor’s School offers classes, workshops, individual activities, lectures, and independent studies in a variety of subjects such as dance, instrumental music, vocal music, theatre, and visual arts.

“Each Summer Residential Governor’s School focuses on one special area of interest,” the Virginia Department of Education website states. “Students live on a college or university campus for up to four weeks each summer. During this time, students are involved in classroom and laboratory work, field studies, research, individual and group projects and performances, and seminars with noted scholars, visiting artists, and other professionals.”

The Governor’s School experience can prepare students greatly by giving them an early view into college life as well as supply them with important connections that may benefit them in the future.

“Governor’s School is a challenging and enriching program designed for highly motivated students who are looking for a challenging summer experience,” the Governor’s School website states. “The selection process is extremely competitive. Most students selected rank in the top 10% of their class and have scored in the 90th percentile on standardized measures of ability or achievement tests.”

In order to apply, students must be in either 10th or 11th grade, have at least a C average and no discipline record, rank at or above the 80th percentile on recent standardized test scores, and be available for a month long summer commitment at Radford University from June 24 to July 21. 7 of 10 selected VPA applicants from McLean will go to adjudication at George Mason University on Jan 6 to represent the county. There, they will be critiqued and scored by a panel of representatives from their respective categories. After adjudication, applications will be transferred to the state level where the Department of Education in Richmond will make the final decisions for acceptance.

For those interested in applying, a ​Google​ ​Form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegl4MIMYqR9Mo2GM1O_GCWuKGg1en3mXJMPltXR7IIOggEzw
/viewform?usp=send_form) must be completed by Wednesday, Nov 1. No late submissions will be accepted.

Contact Mr. Allman in the Student Services office, or go to the McLean High School website and click “Student Services” then “Governor’s School” for more information. See the timeline for more specific dates.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov 8 in the Career Center during Highlander Time.