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Students Statewide To Graduate From Governor's School For Agriculture

BLACKSBURG, Va., July 31, 2002 -- Eighty-five students from throughout Virginia will graduate Saturday (Aug. 3) from the month-long Governor's School for Agriculture held at Virginia Tech.

At the graduation ceremony, the juniors and seniors from high schools across the state will receive certificates of completion from the intensive, science-oriented program. The ceremony marks the end of the second summer the school has been offered.

"The school ran very smoothly this year," said Bill Camp, Virginia Tech professor of agricultural and extension education and director of the school. "Last year - the first year of the program - was a wild ride. The experience of one year gave us a tremendous advantage, and I expect having two years' experience under our belts will make next summer's program just that much better."

The school is one of seven summer residential Governor's Schools offered to gifted students through the Virginia Department of Education. These are in addition to school-year Governor's Schools in 15 communities statewide.

About half of the students to the Governor's School for Agriculture are from urban school divisions, with 28 from Northern Virginia. More than half of the students are females.

"These are very bright students who are very focused on their education," Camp said. "They came here because they felt that what we had to offer would first of all satisfy an urge they had to learn about something they think is important, but also because it will make them more competitive when they graduate from high school and start their higher education career."

The residential school was conducted on the Virginia Tech campus from July 7 to Aug. 3. Instruction was provided by professors from the university's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Natural Resources, College of Human Resources and Education, and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, agricultural education teachers from school divisions around the state are members of the school's faculty.

The curriculum was designed specifically to provide a balanced and diverse learning experience for gifted learners, said Camp. Each student chose among sets of classes concentrating in animal science, veterinary science, natural resources, plant science, and agricultural economics.

"The faculty members teaching the classes have been very impressed with these students," Camp said. "The instruction is really college-level material that is being delivered by the people who are doing research in these areas. For example, the dean of the veterinary college taught them a class in pharmacology. That is an experience I bet no other high school students in America are getting this summer."

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