Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
Encyclopedia
The Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies (MLWGSGIS) is a public regional magnet high school
in Richmond
, Virginia
.
One of the 18 Virginia Governor's Schools
, it draws students from 12 jurisdictions: Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, Prince George, Charles City, King and Queen, and New Kent counties, the Cities of Richmond
and Petersburg
, and West Point, an incorporated town. As the Governor's School for Government and International Studies, it shared space at Thomas Jefferson High School (TJHS) in the city's West End
from its 1991 founding until summer 2001, when it moved into Maggie L. Walker High School after massive renovation
s. The stated mission of MLWGSGIS is "to provide broad-based educational opportunities that develop gifted students' understanding of world cultures and languages as well as the ability to lead, participate and contribute in a rapidly changing global society." Every year from 2006 and most recently in 2010 the school was recognized by Newsweek
as one of the twenty-one most elite public schools in America.
building to share by Richmond Public Schools
. The city school stopped accepting freshmen in 1991, intending to turn the building fully over to GSGIS by 1995. However, parents, students, and alumni of TJHS, as well as city politicians, protested the closing of their school, RPS reversed its decision, and in 1992 TJ started accepting freshmen again and GSGIS started looking for a permanent home.
After several years of false starts and administrative turnover, GSGIS finally obtained the Maggie Walker High School building, an abandoned former Richmond City school, as a permanent home. The original building, Maggie L. Walker High School, was first opened in the 1930s as a school for African-Americans. It was named for Maggie Lena Walker, the first woman and African-American to operate a bank in the United States and was once attended by African American
tennis
pro Arthur Ashe
, as well as pro football Hall-of-Famer Willie Lanier
, and NBA great Bob Dandridge
. GSGIS took up occupancy in fall 2001 after several million dollars of renovations, and then adopted the name Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies, or MLWGSGIS for short, though commonly shortened further to MLWGS.
, the College of William and Mary
, and/or a number of other well-respected universities, including many in the Ivy League and Federal Service Academies. The class of 2010 received over $8.1 million in scholarships for 159 senior students. Students perform well above the national and state average on the SAT
, with scores averaging 2047 for 2009.
In keeping with the school's name, which indicates a focus on government and international interests, the school offers AP
courses in American History, European History, American and Comparative Government, Economics, Psychology, and Human Geography, and has received awards for high scores on the American History AP Test. In addition, the school offers 2 AP English courses, 2 AP Calculus
courses (AB and BC), several university post-calculus math classes such as Multivariable Calculus, and a variety of science classes including AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics and AP Environmental Science, as well as Anatomy and Physiology, Genetics, Biopsychology, Forensic Chemistry, Engineering and Chaos Theory.
Students are required to take 4 years of a primary language, and 2 years of another to make up 6 total years of foreign language instruction. Five foreign languages are offered through a 4 year, 5 year, or AP
level, including French, German, Spanish, Latin, and Chinese. Japanese, Ancient Greek
, Italian, Russian, American Sign Language
, and Arabic are taught in a two or three year sequence. Many students take courses that are two or three years ahead of their grade level. In order to provide adequate course offerings, the administration offers a plethora of AP courses along with Dual Enrollment courses through Virginia Commonwealth University
and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
.
On this team, they also won the first annual National History Bowl at the Newseum.
and AAA Central Region
of the Virginia High School League
. With fewer than 700 students, MLWGS is one of the smallest schools in Group AAA, a classification generally meant for schools of over 1,500 students. The school fields teams in basketball, dance, volleyball, wrestling, soccer, tennis, golf, swimming, field hockey, cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, and softball; only football is omitted from the offerings of a traditional public high school. The school mascot is the Green Dragon, adopted from the former Maggie L. Walker High School. In 2001, the boys cross country team won the state AAA championship, led to victory by head coach Jim Holdren
. In 2010, Maggie Walker Girl's Cross Country became the state runner-up in the AAA championship. In 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010 the field hockey team won the colonial district championship. In 2008 the team was the central region runner-up to rival Thomas Dale, which qualified the team to go to states for the first time in 3 years. In 2010 the team won the Central Region Championship and once again played in the State Tournament.
Prior to the school's move to the Maggie Walker building, Governor's School students participated in the athletic program of host Thomas Jefferson High School, and shared TJ's Viking mascot and red/white official colors. As it became clear by 1997-98 that GSGIS students made up a majority or near-majority of participants in all offerings but football and boys' basketball, the teams in all but those two sports were officially designated Thomas Jefferson/Governor's School (TJ/GS) by the VHSL until GSGIS's move. MLWGS does not have a football team, despite being the only Richmond area school with a graduate in the NFL Hall of Fame, linebacker Willie Lanier
, although he played before the school was shut down and then reopened as a magnet school.
.
(VCU), meaning that students can earn college credit for certain "dual enrollment" high school classes. This also allows MLWGSGIS students access to VCU's extensive library system.
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Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
One of the 18 Virginia Governor's Schools
Governor's Schools (Virginia)
The Governor's Schools are a collection of regional magnet high schools and summer programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia intended for gifted students....
, it draws students from 12 jurisdictions: Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, Prince George, Charles City, King and Queen, and New Kent counties, the Cities of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Petersburg
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
, and West Point, an incorporated town. As the Governor's School for Government and International Studies, it shared space at Thomas Jefferson High School (TJHS) in the city's West End
The West End (Richmond, Virginia)
The West End is a part of Richmond, Virginia. The true West End covers only the western part of the city of Richmond though some consider western Henrico County part of the West End as well. As there is no one municipal organization that represents this specific region, the boundaries are loosely...
from its 1991 founding until summer 2001, when it moved into Maggie L. Walker High School after massive renovation
Renovation
Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
s. The stated mission of MLWGSGIS is "to provide broad-based educational opportunities that develop gifted students' understanding of world cultures and languages as well as the ability to lead, participate and contribute in a rapidly changing global society." Every year from 2006 and most recently in 2010 the school was recognized by Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
as one of the twenty-one most elite public schools in America.
Selection Process
Applicants must undergo a rigorous application process in which three tests and an essay are administered. A combination of grades, recommendations, and test results determine the applicants' overall score. All applicants are required to have completed and passed at least Algebra I and Earth Science or equivalent, and are expected (but not necessarily required) to have completed Honors English and at least one year of a foreign language, although it is not uncommon for incoming students to take their 3rd or even 4th year of a language in their freshman year. However, it is not uncommon for many students to begin language instruction in their freshman year. About 10% of applicants actually get into MLWGSGIS out of an average of 2000 applicants from all the participating localities, making the freshmen class usually around 180. The school grades the applications, but it is the applicant's home school district that decides who is allowed to attend the school based on scores and available funding.Organization
Each city or county that wishes to send students to the Governor's School must fund the school for the students that they send, as well as provide busing to and from the school. While the Governor's School allows allotments for each locality that cannot be exceeded, it is the individual localities that ultimately determine their own limit on how many students can be sent within the parameters of the allotment given and available funding. The Regional School Board of the Governor's School that oversees the administration comprises one school board member from each of the participating localities.History
At its 1991 founding, the Governor's School for Government and International Studies was given the Thomas Jefferson High SchoolThomas Jefferson High School (Richmond, Virginia)
The Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, Virginia is a public high school. The Art Deco building, constructed in 1929 and opened in 1930, has been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by architect Charles M. Robinson...
building to share by Richmond Public Schools
Richmond Public Schools
This school division contains public schools serving the independent city of Richmond, Virginia. It is occasionally described locally as Richmond City Public Schools to emphasize its connection to the independent city rather than the Richmond-Petersburg region at large or the rural Richmond County...
. The city school stopped accepting freshmen in 1991, intending to turn the building fully over to GSGIS by 1995. However, parents, students, and alumni of TJHS, as well as city politicians, protested the closing of their school, RPS reversed its decision, and in 1992 TJ started accepting freshmen again and GSGIS started looking for a permanent home.
After several years of false starts and administrative turnover, GSGIS finally obtained the Maggie Walker High School building, an abandoned former Richmond City school, as a permanent home. The original building, Maggie L. Walker High School, was first opened in the 1930s as a school for African-Americans. It was named for Maggie Lena Walker, the first woman and African-American to operate a bank in the United States and was once attended by African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
pro Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
, as well as pro football Hall-of-Famer Willie Lanier
Willie Lanier
Willie Edward Lanier is a former American football middle-linebacker who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967 through 1977. He won postseason honors for eight consecutive years, making the American Football League All-Star team in 1968 and 1969 before being selected to the Pro Bowl from...
, and NBA great Bob Dandridge
Bob Dandridge
Robert L. "Bob" Dandridge is a retired American professional basketball player.-Early years:He attended Maggie L. Walker High School in Richmond, Virginia and Norfolk State University, teaming up with Pee Wee Kirkland. His teams had phenomenal years...
. GSGIS took up occupancy in fall 2001 after several million dollars of renovations, and then adopted the name Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies, or MLWGSGIS for short, though commonly shortened further to MLWGS.
Academics
Today, MLWGSGIS is known for its outstanding academic record and high performance in scholastic competitions such as "We the People" and "Battle of the Brains." All academic classes are taught at an honors or higher level. A large percentage of Governor's School seniors are accepted into the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, and/or a number of other well-respected universities, including many in the Ivy League and Federal Service Academies. The class of 2010 received over $8.1 million in scholarships for 159 senior students. Students perform well above the national and state average on the SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
, with scores averaging 2047 for 2009.
In keeping with the school's name, which indicates a focus on government and international interests, the school offers AP
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
courses in American History, European History, American and Comparative Government, Economics, Psychology, and Human Geography, and has received awards for high scores on the American History AP Test. In addition, the school offers 2 AP English courses, 2 AP Calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
courses (AB and BC), several university post-calculus math classes such as Multivariable Calculus, and a variety of science classes including AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics and AP Environmental Science, as well as Anatomy and Physiology, Genetics, Biopsychology, Forensic Chemistry, Engineering and Chaos Theory.
Students are required to take 4 years of a primary language, and 2 years of another to make up 6 total years of foreign language instruction. Five foreign languages are offered through a 4 year, 5 year, or AP
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
level, including French, German, Spanish, Latin, and Chinese. Japanese, Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, Italian, Russian, American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
, and Arabic are taught in a two or three year sequence. Many students take courses that are two or three years ahead of their grade level. In order to provide adequate course offerings, the administration offers a plethora of AP courses along with Dual Enrollment courses through Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College is a community college serving not only Richmond, Virginia, but Goochland County, Hanover County, Henrico County, Louisa County, Powhatan County as well. Named for Lieutenant Governor J. Sargeant Reynolds, JSRCC is a member of the Virginia Community College...
.
Community service
To foster community improvement efforts, all Governor's School students are required to complete 140 hours of community service by graduation. School clubs frequently participate in neighborhood cleanup projects. In order to receive a Governor's School diploma, all community service and credits must be completed. The 2008 graduating class completed over 34,500 community service hours.Awards
Award-winning and highly competitive teams at the school include:- We the PeopleWe the People: The Citizen and the ConstitutionWe the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, is a yearly competition for American high school students held in Washington D.C. The competition is styled as a congressional hearing. Each team is divided up into six units, each composed of three or...
- 2003 National Championship, 2004 2nd Place, 2005 3rd Place, 2006 5th Place, 2007 5th Place, 2008 2nd Place, 2009 4th Place, 2010 3rd Place, 2011 National Championship, and four other top ten finishes. Virginia State Champions for the past 14 years as well. The advisor to this national championship team was history and government instructor Phil Sorrentino until 2008. The team is currently instructed by government teacher Matt McGuire. - Battle of the BrainsBattle of the BrainsBattle of the Brains is a quizbowl show in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas of Virginia. It currently airs on WTVR in the Richmond area, and WAVY in Hampton Roads. The current show began in Richmond in 1975, and it originally aired on a local PBS member station until it was canceled by the...
(Academic Quiz Bowl Team) - Four national championship years (NAC 1995, PACE 2004, PACE and NAQT 2007, NAQT 2010) and several other top 10 finishes in national competition; in the Virginia High School LeagueVirginia High School LeagueThe Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...
, 10 of 11 Colonial District Scholastic Bowl championships, 10 of 11 Central Region titles, and three state championships. In 2006-2007, the team was voted #1 in the country by a poll of coaches and players. The team validated that ranking by winning two national championship tournaments in impressive fashion. The team has been coached by John Barnes since 1999. Earlier coaches have included Ken Wilkins and Hal Waller, the public relations director.
On this team, they also won the first annual National History Bowl at the Newseum.
- Model UN - Multiple Individual and Team Awards
- Model CongressModel CongressModel Congress gives students a chance to engage in a role-playing simulation of the United States Congress. Such events are hosted by the Congress itself, Rutgers University, American International College, Columbia University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, The...
http://www.mlwmc.com/ - FIRSTFirstFirst or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one.First or 1st may also refer to:* First , minor summit below the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland* First , mountain in Bernese Alps in Switzerland...
Team 422, the Mech Tech Dragons - Chess clubChess clubA chess club is a club formed for the purpose of playing the board game of chess. Chess clubs provide for both informal games and timed games, often as part of an internal competition or in a league.-Organisation:...
- Debate team
- National High School Fed ChallengeNational Fed ChallengeThe National Fed Challenge is an academic competition that provides high school students with an insider's view of how the United States central bank, the Federal Reserve, makes monetary policy....
2002 - Math Modeling Team - Top high school in the world with fifteen "National Outstanding" awards in the COMAP http://www.comap.com/ High School *Mathematical Contest in Modeling, two winning teams in the undergraduate-level Mathematical Contest in Modeling, and two winning teams in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (also undergraduate-level). In 2010, a team of five students also won 3rd place and a $10,000 scholarship in the Moody'sMoody'sMoody's Corporation is the holding company for Moody's Analytics and Moody's Investors Service, a credit rating agency which performs international financial research and analysis on commercial and government entities. The company also ranks the credit-worthiness of borrowers using a standardized...
Mega Math (M3) Challenge in their first year of competition. Dr. John Barnes has advised this team to its victories. - Drama Club - In 2008, the school was awarded First Place For Acting by the Virginia High School LeagueVirginia High School LeagueThe Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...
for Edward AlbeeEdward AlbeeEdward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
's The Zoo StoryThe Zoo StoryNot to be confused with Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives the book about Lowry Park ZooThe Zoo Story is American playwright Edward Albee's first play; written in 1958 and completed in just three weeks...
. They won the same award again the following year for David IvesDavid IvesDavid Ives is a contemporary American playwright. A native of South Chicago, Ives attended a minor Catholic seminary and Northwestern University and, after some years' interval, Yale School of Drama, where he received an MFA in playwriting...
' Degas C'est Mois. - Life Smarts - In 2010, the Maggie L. Walker Life Smarts team won the Virginia State Championships.
- Technology Student AssociationTechnology Student AssociationThe Technology Student Association is an international Career and Technical Student Organization made up of over 150,000 Middle School and High School Technology Education Students. TSA is the premier CTSO dedicated to STEM Standards: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics...
(TSA)- Top high school chapter in the state 1999 - 2000
Athletics
MLWGS competes in the AAA Colonial DistrictAAA Colonial District
The AAA Colonial District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools in the Greater Richmond Region. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Colonial...
and AAA Central Region
AAA Central Region
The Central Region is one of the four AAA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AAA Capital District, the AAA Central District, the AAA Colonial District, and the AAA Dominion District...
of the Virginia High School League
Virginia High School League
The Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...
. With fewer than 700 students, MLWGS is one of the smallest schools in Group AAA, a classification generally meant for schools of over 1,500 students. The school fields teams in basketball, dance, volleyball, wrestling, soccer, tennis, golf, swimming, field hockey, cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, and softball; only football is omitted from the offerings of a traditional public high school. The school mascot is the Green Dragon, adopted from the former Maggie L. Walker High School. In 2001, the boys cross country team won the state AAA championship, led to victory by head coach Jim Holdren
Jim Holdren
James "Jim" G. Holdren, Jr. has been coaching cross-country and track for 50 years. He began his coaching career at William and Mary while he was still a cross-country runner on the team....
. In 2010, Maggie Walker Girl's Cross Country became the state runner-up in the AAA championship. In 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010 the field hockey team won the colonial district championship. In 2008 the team was the central region runner-up to rival Thomas Dale, which qualified the team to go to states for the first time in 3 years. In 2010 the team won the Central Region Championship and once again played in the State Tournament.
Prior to the school's move to the Maggie Walker building, Governor's School students participated in the athletic program of host Thomas Jefferson High School, and shared TJ's Viking mascot and red/white official colors. As it became clear by 1997-98 that GSGIS students made up a majority or near-majority of participants in all offerings but football and boys' basketball, the teams in all but those two sports were officially designated Thomas Jefferson/Governor's School (TJ/GS) by the VHSL until GSGIS's move. MLWGS does not have a football team, despite being the only Richmond area school with a graduate in the NFL Hall of Fame, linebacker Willie Lanier
Willie Lanier
Willie Edward Lanier is a former American football middle-linebacker who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967 through 1977. He won postseason honors for eight consecutive years, making the American Football League All-Star team in 1968 and 1969 before being selected to the Pro Bowl from...
, although he played before the school was shut down and then reopened as a magnet school.
Clubs
Governor's School is home to 35 clubs, including politically oriented clubs ranging from Model United Nations to a Red Cross Club, as well as groups associated with most of the languages taught. Maggie L. Walker's high school quizbowl team has consistently been one of the best in the nation, recently winning the 2010 NAQT HSNCT tournament in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Dual enrollment
MLWGSGIS is in a partnership with Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
(VCU), meaning that students can earn college credit for certain "dual enrollment" high school classes. This also allows MLWGSGIS students access to VCU's extensive library system.
See also
- Governor's Schools (Virginia)Governor's Schools (Virginia)The Governor's Schools are a collection of regional magnet high schools and summer programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia intended for gifted students....
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