The Governor’s Schools selection committee recently released the names of students chosen to attend the 2008 Governor’s Honors Academy, scheduled for this summer. 

Nearly 200 students representing 49 counties in West Virginia will be attending the academy.

“The Governor’s Honors Academy takes our best and brightest high school students and gives them a unique opportunity to build their skills in a college setting,” said Governor Joe Manchin.  “I’m excited about the future of our state when I see the enthusiasm and ability of these young leaders.”

The Governor’s Honors Academy will be based at Bethany College, and students selected for this prestigious program will live on the Bethany campus for three weeks, experiencing academically enriching classes and participating in high-level discussions. 

In addition, there are activities each afternoon and a program each evening.

“These students are some of the most talented young people in our state,” said Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary of Education and the Arts.  “The excitement they generate is contagious.”

The Governor’s Schools of West Virginia are three-week summer sessions for academically and/or artistically talented students from across West Virginia. Students attend workshops, classes, and events with some of the best faculty and instructors from their fields.

Each county has the privilege of selecting one male and one female student to attend the Governor’s Honors Academy. The other slots are filled by students whose applications are forwarded by counties for consideration in the statewide pool.

“We search the entire state to find students who excel,” said Sherry Keffer, Director for Governor’s Schools. “Of the more than 300 students who apply, we take the top 180 in the Honors Academy, but all of these applicants are winners. They all come with the highest recommendations.  It is a difficult task for our selection committee to determine the finalists.”

The 2008 session will be the first time that the Honors Academy is based in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. 

“We are thrilled to have the Governor’s Honors Academy at Bethany College,” said Saralyn Dague, the college’s Director of Special Projects and Dean of the Honors Academy. “We are looking forward to challenging these exceptional students by planning a once in a lifetime educational experience on our campus.”

With support from the West Virginia Department of Education, Governor’s Schools are cost-free for participating students. 

Governor’s Schools operate under the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, a department of state government providing statewide leadership and innovation, enhancing arts and minds throughout West Virginia. 

Composed of five agencies and a number of special programs originating from the Cabinet Secretary’s Office, Education and the Arts seeks to reinforce the rich heritage of culture, education and artistic creation in West Virginia.

Education and the Arts celebrates the perseverance and resilience of the mountain character through public broadcasting, libraries, rehabilitation, professional development, community volunteerism and culture and history.

The following area high school students were recently selected to atted the 2008 Governor’s Honors Academy at Bethany College:
Berkeley: Emily Jenkins, Jessica Kawalek, Jeremy Cook, Caroline Miskovsky, James Walling
Grant: Amanda Leslie, Shaina Wichael, Bethany Kivett
Hampshire: Julia Barry, Morgan Davis, Kenneth Taylor, Timothy Allen
Hardy: Hannah Salyers, Mary Chehi, Elizabeth Goodall
Jefferson: Olivia Lloyd
Mineral: Melida Race, Karissa Getz, Chelsea Willis, Daniel Zinn, Sara Willingham
Pendleton: Jamin Holloway, Brian Glover, Rachel Lantz
Pocahontas: Abbi Hall, Seth Mitchell, Benjamin Egan
Preston: Amelia Snyder, Rebekah James, Brandon Ullman, Randy Ratcliff
Tucker: Anna Patrick, Heather Eye