State Superintendent of Schools David Stewart and J.D. Morris, Secretary of the West Virginia Board of Education, will visit West Virginia University Sunday, July 9, to welcome 165 of the states brightest high school seniors to the 2000 West Virginia Governors Honors Academy.
Stewart will give the keynote speech during opening ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms; Morris will bring greetings from the Board.
Students participating in the Academy will remain on campus through July 30 for three weeks of intensive study, extracurricular activities, innovative speakers and a two-day trip to Washington, D.C. They will room in Stalnaker Hall.
“The students who attend the Governors Honors Academy are outstanding, highly motivated students who have achieved well through their junior year in high school,”said Bill Collins, director of WVUs Honors Program and dean of the Academy.”The Academy gives them an opportunity to take intensive classes that will challenge them, as well as giving them a glimpse into college life.”
At least two students from each of West Virginias 55 counties are chosen to attend. In addition to the state delegation, participants will include a Japanese exchange student.
Students attending the Governors Honors Academy will take classes such as”Introduction to World Music,”“How Far Will Bent Wood Bend?,”“Environments, Indians, etc.”and”Chemistry, Science is Not for Spectators.”Instructors will be outstanding college faculty and high school teachers from around the state.
In the evenings and on weekends, students will enjoy cultural and recreational programs, including a presentation by the Greenbank Observatory, a picnic at the home of WVU President David Hardesty, a trip to the Carnegie Museum and Science Center in Pittsburgh and ballroom dancing.
Participants will also visit various WVU departments and meet with University faculty. Several speakers will also address the students, with topics varying from the Olympic games to the study of the black bear.
WVU and the state Department of Education are sponsoring the Academy, which began in 1984. WVU has hosted the event for the past four years.
For more information about events or to schedule interviews, call the WVU Honors Program Office at 304-293-2100.