By Stephen Smoot
For 40 years, starting under Governor John D. Rockefeller IV, the Governor’s Schools of West Virginia have provided free summer programs for outstanding students across the state. Students rising into grades between seventh grade and their junior year may take part.
This summer, Sam Eason, Chloe Kisamore, Madisen Brooks, and Kiera Heavener represented Pendleton County.
“It’s important for the kids to benefit from all of the experience they get,” said Charles Hedrick, superintendent of Pendleton County Schools. One of the key positives, he added, comes from “additional exposure to new and different things.”
And what they see, do, and learn there provides lessons that “sometimes last a lifetime,” Hedrick shared.
Students also get to meet and interact with peers from across the state, providing opportunities to both learn and develop friendships.
Kisamore did not have to travel far to attend the West Virginia Governor’s STEM (science, technology, mathematics) Institute, based in Green Bank and available to “rising ninth graders.” Its website opens with “we promise a challenging and fun experience in which YOU will be engaged in conducting astronomical research using the 40-foot radio telescope.”
The “Govies,” as they are called at Green Bank, divide their time among seminars, directed studies, and research time. The mission lies in giving “an opportunity for students to meet and interact with other students and adults in an academic environment that facilitates and encourages exploration and understanding of advanced topics in mathematics and science.”
Heavener joined the inaugural class at Governor’s School of Tourism, which Governor Jim Justice described as “really special.” He added that “high school students will get to travel all across our great state for 10 days and learn about what makes West Virginia’s tourism industry one of the top in the world.”
The focus also includes ensuring that “our talented students are aware of the variety of career pathways available to them.” Learning about state tourism involves, not surprisingly, touring the state. Students will go to Morgantown to learn about adventure tourism, Charleston to experience sports tourism, exploration of off-roading and whitewater rafting, culinary tourism, and much more.
Of course, the dramatic development of tourism in both Pendleton County and West Virginia in recent years makes this a significant opportunity for a local student.
Governor’s Honors Academy represents the oldest of the schools, established alongside schools then known as the Governor’s School for the Arts and the Governor’s School for Math and Science. Rockefeller established it as “a project birthed through partnerships among education, business, and state government leaders.”
Brooks will represent Pendleton County at GHA, which took at Fairmont State University. Students attending GHA this year work within the theme “The World We Will Create.” They could “participate in academic and extracurricular activities while exploring contemporary issues facing their generation.” For example, schoolchildren in middle and high school grades have a unique perspective and experience regarding COVID 19.
Eason attended the Governor’s School of Literacy Through Arts, Culture and History, which held its first session in 2023. This program, also held in Charleston this year, “offers eighth graders creative literacy-enhancing opportunities.”
In this sense, the word “literacy” means much more than simply the ability to read. Artistic, cultural, and historical literacy refers to having a foundation of knowledge and understanding of these subjects. Students select a literacy program that focuses on reading and writing, then attendees use what they learned to put together a presentation delivered at the close of their time there.
Eason received the “Best Camper” award at the school, which entitled him to a $500 scholarship.
All Governor’s Schools fall under the purview of the West Virginia Department of Education.
