For roughly two weeks of the summer since 1981, the brightest rising high school juniors and seniors in Mississippi converge in Columbus for Mississippi Governor’s School.
The school was established by former Gov. William Winter and the administration at Mississippi University for Women as a residential program for gifted students to take place on the MUW campus each summer, MGS Director Melinda Lowe told The Dispatch.
“It takes a year’s worth of planning,” Lowe said. “We’ve got to find faculty members and get them to create courses that fit the theme. This year our theme is ‘creating a culture of belonging,’ so all of our courses tie into that theme but then are still very different.”
Participants learn from instructors that come from all over to teach. There are professors from the local Mississippi institutions for high learning, and there are professors who travel from different countries to teach at MGS — such as Jim Newton who traveled from Paris, France.
Lowe said there are 55 scholars taking place in the school this year that began June 4 and ends Saturday.
Classes for the two week program are not typical high school offerings, and Lowe said participants get a better look at a college experience on a small scale. There are classes such as “exploring the world of tabletop gaming,” “creating culture with the fairy tale” and “building a community through music.”
Cassie Carter, a rising senior at Columbus Christian Academy, said once students are selected for the school they receive a list of courses that are offered. They list the five that interest them the most then wait to be chosen for the course, and during the two weeks, they only take two courses — one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
“The classes are really fun, and they’re stuff you don’t normally get to do,” Carter said. “I’m doing a class about the fairy tales, and it’s fun to learn about the history and critiques of that. We also have other activities, too. We made smores and had a shaving cream fight, which was great.”
The school is more than just a way to learn over the summer. Carter and two of her MGS peers, Charlie Fruge from Oxford High School and Ahmir Hoskins from St. Andrews Episcopal School, said the school has been great to help hone their leadership skills.
“It’s been transformative,” Hoskins said. “When I came here I didn’t expect to make as many friends as I have. There have been so many social activities. … It’s a good place to come to prepare for how college is going to be, especially if you’re going into your senior year. It teaches you what to do when you go to college to make friends and be comfortable.”
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