Making the Most of Summer Break
Summer is time for most students to relax and reflect on the year they had, but for some, that period of relaxation is a different experience. Instead, they challenge themselves further in depth into their academic journeys. These scholars continue to strive for success through Arkansas Governor’s School (AGS).
A few students from CHS attended the 2022 Governor’s School at Arkansas Tech University, hoping to push themselves even further during the summer break. The benefits of Governor’s School span many levels, especially with college application bragging rights, enhancement of academic performance, and the chance to build relationships.
Governor’s School is a four week program that allows students to tackle more academic challenges while school is not in session. Those who attend have a solid commitment to their academic careers and futures. College counselor Mr. Fred Baker said, “They’re some of the very best, brightest, and most interesting students in the state of Arkansas.”
Summer school sounds repulsive to most students. However, this is not the case at AGS. “In the beginning, I thought it was going to be too long,” said senior Elijah Dobing, “but near the end, I wished that it would go on for another week.” Governor’s School structures their system to diverge from a typical school day. Dobing said, “There’s a decent amount of class involved, but it’s not like you’re sitting in school for seven hours like we do here. They had different ‘areas.’ You apply for an area you want.” This helps students who apply because they’re actually interested in what they signed up for instead of Governor’s School handing them random classes.
The program had bonus speakers for the attendees after class. Mr. Baker said, “They try to bring in a great range of people. It’s an afternoon-evening thing in addition to your classes.” These speakers talked about current issues in our society such as civil rights, infectious disease, or politics. These talks were all optional as well to allow students to hang out with their peers if they were not interested in more lectures.
The biggest advantage the program has to offer is college recognition. Many students attended to boost their resume and get looks from universities. Mr. Baker, who once worked in a college admissions office, said, “I will tell you those students are exactly the kind of people that colleges want. They knew these students sought out extra academic challenge. They wanted a mini college experience. They’ve done something where they had to give up a part of their summer. Colleges one-hundred percent value a Governor’s School attendee.”
Governor’s School opens many doors. Dobing said, “There’s a lot of opportunities to connect with people. I would go to meet those new people because those people are really smart people who care about what they’re going to be doing. Those are the kind of people you want to be hanging around.”
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