2003 Governor's Summer Residential Program

The Virginia Department of Education is pleased to announce that the 2003 Governor's summer residential program will include seven Summer Residential Governor's Schools and six Governor's Foreign Language Academies. These programs offer public, private, and home-schooled gifted students opportunities for intensive study in the areas of academics, foreign languages, mentorships, and visual and performing arts. The attachment to this memorandum provides a list of important dates associated with the application process for the programs. Selection of students and the proposed tuition rates to attend these programs is contingent upon the provision of funds by the 2003 General Assembly.

Summer Residential Governor's School Academic, Visual and Performing Arts, and Mentorship Programs

Applications and administrative guides for the 2003 Summer Residential Governor's Schools are available electronically, through the Virginia Department of Education Web page at http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/Govschools/SRGS. Applications, guides, nomination report forms, an informational flyer, and a document listing the important dates for the process are available for downloading from that address.

Governor's Foreign Language Academies

Applications for the 2003 Governor's Foreign Language Academies are also available electronically. Complete information about the academies, including applications, informational flyers, and nominee report forms is available on the Department of Educations Web page at http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/Language/GAindex.html.The sealed composition and tape topics for the French, German, and Spanish Academies and the Latin test and essay must be ordered from the Department of Education. Order forms will be sent directly to high school foreign language department chairpersons, foreign language contact persons, and gifted education coordinators in each school division and to private school headmasters. The order forms are also available on the Internet at the address listed in the previous paragraph.

Summer Residential Governor's School Application Process

The application process for the Summer Residential Governors Schools continues to allow students choices among the programs. Students applying to the Governors School for the Visual and Performing Arts may apply again for a second choice among agriculture; humanities; mathematics, science, and technology; or the medicine and life sciences programs. Gifted education coordinators should review the administrators and counselors guides carefully for more detailed information. Students may attend only one such program during their high school careers. Every school division is guaranteed representation in the academic program, which includes agriculture; humanities; mathematics, science, and technology; medicine and life sciences; and the mentorship programs. Admission to the visual and performing arts programs is competitive; students are selected based on the strength of their applications, their ranks within the division/region, and the needs of the programs.

Home-schooled students may apply by submitting a completed application to the principal of the public high school in the zone/division in which they reside. The student's application then becomes a part of that school's application process. Private school students who wish to apply for the academic or visual and performing arts programs must apply through their headmasters and have their applications referred to the appropriate private school region. For a list of schools by private school region, please refer to either the academic or the visual and performing arts guide for private schools. Virginia residents who attend public or private schools outside the commonwealth should contact Dr. Barbara McGonagill (mailto:bmcgonag@pen.k12.va.us)at(804) 225-2884, for more information.

Governor's Foreign Language Academies Application Process Acceptance in the Foreign Language Academies is competitive, with students submitting unedited samples of oral and written work for review by a statewide selection committee. Please read carefully the general information that accompanies the applications. The application packets describe the eligibility and nomination requirements specific to each program.

Tuition Costs

The cost of the Summer Residential Governor's Schools and the Governor's Foreign Language Academies is shared by the state and the school division or the private school in which the selected students are enrolled. A division's share is based on its composite index, not to exceed 50 percent of the total tuition cost. No tuition can be assessed students for participation in this program if they are enrolled in a public school. Costs for private school students are the private school's responsibility and will be 50 percent of the tuition cost. The tuitions reflect the individual program costs and are listed below:

2003 Tuition:

Agriculture $2,000

Humanities $1,500

Mathematics, Science, and Technology $1,160

Medicine and Life Sciences $1,750

Mentorships in Engineering and Marine Science $2,888

Visual and Performing Arts Programs $1,540

Foreign Language Academies $1,600

School divisions and private schools must guarantee funding for all applicants they nominate. Using the nomination reports, superintendents and private school regional coordinators and heads of private schools must certify the number of students for whom they are willing to pay tuition.

Nomination Reports

The 2003 Summer Residential Governors School nomination reports and instructions for their submission will be posted to the Web page indicated previously after December 1, 2002.

Nomination report forms for Governor's Foreign Language Academies are posted on the Web site for Governors Foreign Language Academies previously listed. The completed forms may be mailed or faxed to the Department of Education. For those dates and other important information, divisions may refer to the attachment to this memo.

Thank you for your continued interest in and support of the

Governor's Summer Residential Program. Please contact Mrs. Faye Rollings-Carter(mailto:frolling@pen.k12.va.us), principal specialist, Foreign Languages at (804) 225-2593 for information about the Governors Foreign Language Academies. For information about the Summer Residential Governors Schools, please contact Dr. Barbara McGonagill (mailto:bmcgonag@pen.k12.va.us), principal specialist, Governors Schools and Gifted Education at(804)225-2884.

JLD/FRC/BKM

Attachment

/administrators/superintendents_memos/2002/inf136a.pdf

c: High School Principals and Headmasters

Private School Regional Coordinators

Gifted Education Coordinators

Foreign Language Supervisors and Department Chairpersons

Guidance Counselors

Career and Technology/Vocational Education Coordinators

Fine Arts Coordinators