Governor's School of North Carolina - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Governor's School of North Carolina (GS, GSNC) is a publicly funded six-week residential summer program for gifted high school students in the state of North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

.

Governor's School enrolls approximately 800 students each summer, half each in programs housed at Salem College

Salem College

Salem College is a liberal arts women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina founded in 1772. Originally established as a primary school, it later became an academy and finally a college. It is the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college...

in Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...

(known as Governor's School West, or GSW) and at Meredith College

Meredith College

Meredith College is a liberal arts women's college located in Raleigh, North Carolina. For the 2010-2011 academic year, there were approximately 2,300 students enrolled, including about 350 graduate students, making Meredith the largest women's college in the southeastern United States...

in Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

(known as Governor's School East, or GSE); GSE was previously held on the campus of St. Andrews Presbyterian College

St. Andrews Presbyterian College

St. Andrews University, formerly St. Andrews Presbyterian College, is a private, Presbyterian, four-year liberal arts college in Laurinburg, North Carolina....

in Laurinburg

Laurinburg, North Carolina

Laurinburg is a mid-sized city in Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Scotland County. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina state border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville and is home to St. Andrews Presbyterian College...

. Recently, due to budget cuts, Governor's School 2010 has only accepted 600 students total.

Students at Governor's School are nominated and selected for a primary course of study, an Area I class in which they will spend most of their class time. All students are rising seniors in high school, though students from the artistic areas may be rising juniors. Area I disciplines include the following: academic areas of English, Spanish, French, mathematics, natural science and social science; artistic areas of art, choral music, dance, drama, and instrumental music. Each course emphasizes contemporary texts, compositions, artistic expressions, issues, and ideas in their respective disciplines. All students attend two additional areas of study outside of their primary area, not to mention countless optional and required seminars and performances. Area II courses cover a variety of questions and ideas from the epistemological branch of philosophy. In Area III classes, students discuss moral and ideological issues and how they relate to both current events as well as campus life.

The program began in 1963 as an education initiative promoted by Gov. Terry Sanford

Terry Sanford

James Terry Sanford was a United States politician and educator from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford was the 65th Governor of North Carolina , a two-time U.S. Presidential candidate in the 1970s and a U.S. Senator...

with the hopes of training North Carolina's top high school students to excel so the US could compete in the Cold War. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the curriculum of GSNC has become more liberal. This change has met with some opposition in North Carolina from conservative legislators and parents, but most students who enter Governor's School with an open mind consider the program an incredible, life-changing experience which has helped to set them on a course of intellectual achievement. Those who oppose the program generalize its purpose into a slogan, "Accept Nothing; Question Everything," that the school has never adopted; the program merely urges its students to enter into every situation with an open mind and ready intellect.

Citing budget issues, the GOP-led NC Legislature cut funding for Governor's School in June, 2011, though they do allow the School to continue as a tuition-funded program. Support organizations such as the Governor's School Alumni Association and the Governor's School Foundation are attempting to raise donations in order to fund future sessions.

Notable attendees

John Howell Morrison
John Howell Morrison (composer)
John Howell Morrison is a contemporary classical composer and educator. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble, Minnesota Contemporary Ensemble, and Galhano/Montgomery Duo, among others. His recording, Hard Weather Makes Good Wood, was released on...

, composer
Ted Tally
Ted Tally
Ted Tally is an American playwright and screenwriter.-Screenwriter:Born William Theodore Tally in North Carolina, Tally was educated at Yale College and the Yale School of Drama, and has also taught at each of them...

, Oscar-winning screenwriter, *The Silence of the Lambs

External links

North Carolina Governor's School Alumni Association

North Carolina Governor's School Foundation - Non-profit charity

North Carolina Governor's School Homepage

Notable attendees

External links

See also