GENTRY — Alex Hunter, Jennifer Smith and Maureen Broglen attended the Arkansas Governor’s School last summer.

The Arkansas Governor’s School is a fourweek summer residential program for gifted and talented students who are upcoming high school seniors and residents of the state of Arkansas.

Alex Hunter summarized the positives of attending the school with the words: "community atmosphere, friends I made, sense of independence, ultimate Frisbee, counselors were really great people, classes were mind/eye opening, teachers were knowledgeable and very informative, low-pressure atmosphere, dorm life was a blast."

Jennifer Smith wrote of the school: “I really enjoyed the generally educated atmosphere. Whether you were with people that had a similar mind-set as you, or people who had a completely different mind-set, everyone could talk to each other and not fear ridicule. Everyone genuinely enjoyed being there. There was always some kind of inside joke of some sort going on. And I mean always. Sometimes it was within a particular ... group. There were even things the whole group would do! Our director's name was Lyle Rupert. And I can still remember every time the whole group gathered in the auditorium, you could just hear the crowd chanting ‘Lyle Rupert! Lyle Rupert!’ until he came on stage to introduce the reason we were all in there. There was also always something to do at AGS. Sure, there were required events like classes you had to go to, but there were a lot of unrequired events you could participate in. The lectures were always fun. The topics they covered were always interesting. I attended one lecture about the John F. Kennedyassassination. I attended another over the West Memphis Three. There were plenty of opportunities to learn new things or simply learn more about things over which you already had a basic grasp. It was an absolutely unforgettable experience and I wish I could relive it over and over again!"

Maureen Broglen wrote: “I had a fantastic time at Governor's School this summer. It was absolutely fascinating to be part of an intellectually-engaging environment. In our Area II, which had a focus towards philosophy, we discussed the nature of reality and all kinds of mind-blowing stuff. But I believe it was intended to cause us to challenge our preconceived notions about the world and to strengthen our own convictions through the use of logic and questioning. In our Area III class, we focused on interactions between people. We discussed stereotypes and different learning styles. In my Area I, the music we played and studied was not particularly difficult, however, it was much more challenging than what our school band plays. It was exciting to be in a musical environment with a large number of capable musicians.

While the things that we actually learned were exciting, honestly, I loved the people there most. Myroommate, Mikayla, was absolutely fantastic. She was hilarious and ended up being my best friend while I was there. Some of my favorite times at Governor’s School were just sitting in our room playing cards and doing a statistical analysis of our wins, because we're nerds. One of my friends from drum major camp the previous year was also there, which was really great, because I already had a friend on the first day and I hadn't expected to see him again after camp. Our views conflicted on a lot of things, but we had a lot of fun debating.

“The absolute worst thing about Governor's School was the food, notably the vegetables. They were mushy and overcooked. I practically lived on iceberg lettuce for a month. The cafeteria staff were very friendly, though.

“Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable experience. If given the opportunity, I would definitely go again!"

The program is funded by the Arkansas State Legislature as a portion of the biennial appropriation for Gifted and Talented Programs through the State Department of Education. State funds provide tuition, room, board and instructional materials foreach student who attends the four-week program on the site of a residential college campus, leased by the State.

The curriculum is designed as a unique supplement to the usual high school curriculum. It is neither an acceleration of high school nor an anticipation of college curricula. Students are led to explore cutting-edge theories in the arts and sciences and to develop a greater understanding of how art, culture, and knowledge change with time. Students are challenged to develop the rigorous creative and intellectual skills that will be critical to their leading the ideal "life well lived" and for making positive contributions to their communities and to society at large. Behind the AGS curriculum is the assumption that these skills will be universally important, no matter what career path a student may choose.

Students were selected on the basis of their special aptitudes in one of eight fields: choral music, drama, English/language arts, instrumental music, mathematics, natural science, social science or visual arts. All students also take classes in general conceptual development and in personal and social development.

Sports, Pages 11 on 11/21/2012