Summer Residential Program

Summer Residential Governor's School and Foreign Language Academies

The Virginia Department of Education is pleased to announce that the Governor's Summer Residential Program will include seven Summer Residential Governor's Schools and Governor's World Language Academies. These programs offer public, private, and home-schooled gifted students opportunities for intensive study in academics, foreign languages, mentorships, and visual and performing arts. The availability of these programs is contingent upon the provision of state funds by the General Assembly. Additional information and applications. Applications are posted in October, with local deadlines the first week of November for VPA applications and the first week of December for the other programs.

The Summer Residential Governor's Schools (SRGS) Academic Programs and Mentorships are month-long residential programs for tenth- and eleventh-grade gifted students in the Commonwealth of Virginia . The goal of each Governor's School is to provide those who attend opportunities for intellectual as well as social and emotional growth. The programs are housed on various campuses throughout the Commonwealth and are funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia and local school divisions.

The SRGS academic programs provide intellectually challenging and enriching experiences within a community of mutual support, respect, and dedication for a limited number of academically/intellectually gifted, current year tenth and eleventh-grade high school students. Each college-based program provides a curriculum that integrates subject matter from various disciplines around its overall program theme. Each mentorship program provides challenging work experiences relevant to the mentorship site.

Students may apply for programs in:

• Visual and Performing Arts

• Humanities

• Math, Science and Technology

• Agriculture (think cutting edge genetics, not cows and plows!)

• Medicine and Health Sciences
  

Information and applications are posted at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/governors_school_programs/summer_residential/index.shtml

For basic hints on completing applications, click here.

Radford University has developed a video about the Summer Residential Governor's School programs in Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts. The video can be found on this page - https://www.radford.edu/content/gov-school/home.html

The Summer Residential Governor's School (SRGS) for Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) provides artistically challenging and intellectually enriching experiences for a limited number of selected current year tenth- and eleventh-grade high school students who are gifted in the visual or performing arts. This learning occurs within a community of mutual support, respect, and dedication. The program focuses on process, not upon finished works of art and does not offer individual conservatory-style training. The SRGS for Visual and Performing Arts offers participants an opportunity to explore numerous (historical, theoretical, cultural, sociological) aspects of various art forms. Students will interact with outstanding arts professionals from throughout the country who are selected for the program. All selected participants will enroll in elective courses, seminars, and discussion groups at the sites.

VPA Programs:

• Visual Art
• Dance
• Instrumental Music
• Vocal Music
• Theater

World Language Academies:

The Virginia World Language Academies: A Global Village is a three-week residential program for tenth- and eleventh-grade foreign language students in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor’s Academies (French, German, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish) are immersion academies designed to provide an opportunity for students who have excelled in their first three or more years of a language to use that language for all communication purposes for three weeks. Each Academy will be a demanding experience which will bring to the students honor for their previous achievements and a unique experience for developing further skill in that language.

French, German, and Spanish Academies (Full-Immersion)
The three immersion programs provide an intensive experience and unique challenge for students who have excelled in language study to continue their study of that language in a total immersion environment. Formal classes generally take place during the mornings. In these classes, the target language is used to present various topics such as history, media, excerpts from literature, life, and music. If possible, students are introduced to an additional language not commonly taught in the schools. In the past we have offered Korean, Russian, or Arabic in French; Russian or Turkish in German; and Greek, Italian, Russian, or German in Spanish.

Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian Academies (Partial-Immersion)
The partial-immersion programs in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian provide a unique and exciting opportunity for interested students to be introduced to these cultures and languages, which are not widely taught across the Commonwealth. The students will be introduced to the history, literature, and culture of the countries where the language is spoken, as well as receiving instruction in the language. Contemporary issues will be analyzed. Activities complementing the instructional program will include art, dance, music, crafts, sports, creative projects, food preparation, and field trips. Advanced classes are also available to students who have studied Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Russian. The staff will differentiate instruction to accommodate both those who have had some previous study in the target language and those who have not.

Governor's Latin Academy:
The Latin Academy provides an intensive experience for students who have excelled in the study of Latin to continue their study in a milieu unavailable in the regular school environment. The Latin Academy is designed to provide a unique and exciting opportunity for outstanding Latin students who are interested in gaining greater knowledge of the language and related cultural topics not offered in the regular school curriculum. They will spend three weeks in an environment and with a schedule similar to the other foreign language academies. The students will be introduced to Classical Greek and have an opportunity to study and discuss some of the great literature and philosophy of the western world.