Summer Residential Program

Summer Residential Governor's Schools and Foreign Language Academies

The Virginia Department of Education is pleased to announce that the 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 academics, foreign languages, mentorships, and visual and performing arts. The availability of these programs is contingent upon the provision of state funds by the General Assembly. Additional information and applications.

The Summer Residential Governor's Schools (SRGS) Academic Programs and Mentorships are month-long residential programs for tenth- and eleventh-grade gifted students in the Commonwealth of Virginia . The goal of each Governor's School is to provide those who attend opportunities for intellectual as well as social and emotional growth. The programs are housed on various campuses throughout the Commonwealth and are funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia and local school divisions.

The SRGS academic programs provide intellectually challenging and enriching experiences within a community of mutual support, respect, and dedication for a limited number of academically/intellectually gifted, current year tenth and eleventh-grade high school students. Each college-based program provides a curriculum that integrates subject matter from various disciplines around its overall program theme. Each mentorship program provides challenging work experiences relevant to the mentorship site.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS:

• Summer Residential Governor’s School for Life Sciences and Medicine
• Summer Residential Governor’s School Mentorship in Engineering or Marine Science (NASA/NIA, VIMS)
• Summer Residential Governor’s School for Agriculture
• Summer Residential Governor’s School for Humanities

The Summer Residential Governor's School (SRGS) for Visual and Performing Arts (VPA ) provides artistically challenging and intellectually enriching experiences for a limited number of selected current year tenth- and eleventh-grade high school students who are gifted in the visual or performing arts. This learning occurs within a community of mutual support, respect, and dedication. The program focuses on process, not upon finished works of art and does not offer individual conservatory-style training. The SRGS for Visual and Performing Arts offers participants an opportunity to explore numerous (historical, theoretical, cultural, sociological) aspects of various art forms. Students will interact with outstanding arts professionals from throughout the country who are selected for the program. All selected participants will enroll in elective courses, seminars, and discussion groups at the sites.

VPA Programs:

• Visual Art
• Dance
• Instrumental Music
• Vocal Music
• Theater

Foreign Language Academies:
The Virginia Foreign Language Academies: A Global Village is a three-week residential program for tenth- and eleventh-grade foreign language students in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor’s Academies (French, German, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish) are immersion academies designed to provide an opportunity for students who have excelled in their first three or more years of a language to use that language for all communication purposes for three weeks.  Each Academy will be a demanding experience which will bring to the students honor for their previous achievements and a unique experience for developing further skill in that language.

French, German, and Spanish Academies (Full-Immersion)
The three immersion programs provide an intensive experience and unique challenge for students who have excelled in language study to continue their study of that language in a total immersion environment. Formal classes generally take place during the mornings. In these classes, the target language is used to present various topics such as history, media, excerpts from literature, life, and music. If possible, students are introduced to an additional language not commonly taught in the schools. In the past we have offered Korean, Russian, or Arabic in French; Russian or Turkish in German; and Greek, Italian, Russian, or German in Spanish.