What do you get when you mix academically-talented teenagers, a welcoming community and sourdough bread? The Mississippi Governor’s School.
Or at least that has been Sarah Young’s experience.
Young, a 16-year-old from Northwest Rankin High School, is one of 60 students from across the state participating in the Governor’s School, a residential honors program where students take a variety of interdisciplinary classes ranging from the standard math and science courses to baking sourdough.
“We’ve made dozens of loaves,” Young told The Dispatch Saturday. “I’ve been eating a lot of bread. It’s a lot of fun.”
For two weeks in June, gifted high school juniors and seniors attend the Governor’s School at Mississippi University for Women to participate in academic classes and leadership activities. The program was established in 1981 by Gov. William Winter and the MUW administration.
During the program students take a traditional course in the morning and a second in the afternoon that allows students to explore their own interests, like baking bread or urban planning, Director Renita Crosby told The Dispatch.
Students earn three hours of college course credit for the classes they take at MGS. When they aren’t in classes, scholars participate in activities designed to spark personal development and build community, like personality typing sessions and team-building exercises.
“We’re trying to make sure they’re learning those social skills too because they’re going to need them,” Crosby said.
Scholars also participate in a service project each year. On Saturday, this summer’s cohort worked to clean and organize classrooms at Franklin Academy, the state’s first free public school.
Levi Hill, a 17-year-old from Hartfield Academy, said participating in the service project at Franklin was an honor.
“Even though this isn’t necessarily my community, it’s still very helpful to strengthen a community that is very historic and has a lot of cultural significance, especially in our state,” Hill told The Dispatch Saturday.
Hill’s favorite part of MGS so far was meeting fellow scholars, he said.
“Everyone’s interests are so different, but we all have very similar niche likings,” Hill said. “So even if we might not be interested in the same career, we’re all interested in learning and gaining knowledge.”
Trinity Bolton, a 17-year-old from Perry Central High School, said being around other students with similar attitudes and interests made it easy to make friends.
“I feel like we’ve already become a family within just six days of knowing each other,” she told The Dispatch. “It’s like you can walk up to any one of us and have a five hour conversation.”
For Emily Smith, an 18-year-old from Petal High School, MGS is more than an academic program. It’s a place where her love of learning is fostered and encouraged.
“It’s genuinely one of those experiences where I feel so incredibly lucky to be here,” she said. “And then on top of that, being surrounded by incredible people, incredible teachers and just overall an environment where they’re not only fostering asking questions but trying to answer them while they’re at it.”
The greatest benefit for many of the scholars, Crosby said, is finding a sense of community they may not have at home, one that’s shared with like-minded students.
“One scholar said that she has been able to be her true, authentic self (here),” she said. “I think that’s the true spirit of the Governor’s School – coming and being able to be around like-minded individuals and be yourself. You don’t have to put that mask on.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.