Cabinet Secretary Gayle Manchin, on behalf of the Governor’s Schools of West Virginia, announces the host sites for the Governor’s Honors Academy and the Governor’s STEM Institute.

The Governor’s Honors Academy (GHA), a three-week program offered to rising seniors, promotes critical thinking as students define their paths as digital citizens. GHA returns to Marshall after 15 years at other college/university campuses across the state. The Co-deans and program planners of GHA 2018 are Cara Bailey and Mallory Carpenter. A concentration in “Growing a Culture of Honors and Your Digital World” will guide 170 of West Virginia’s students to cultivate a sense of self and how he or she can contribute uniquely to both the program and his or her own community.

The Governor’s STEM Institute (GSI), the new name and format for the former Governor’s School for Math and Science is open to 7th and 8th grade students. According to Manchin, the decision to change the name was simple fluidity. “As we talked about using technology in the Governor’s Schools, we decided that STEM much better describes what is happening. Engineering has always been part of the curriculum, so we felt that it should be part of the name.”

West Virginia University will host the nine-day program of GSI open to 7th grade students, and will center around the theme “Intelligence: The Mathematics and Science Behind Spies and Espionage.”  The leaders of GSI at WVU, under the leadership of Dr. Jessica Deshler, dean of Students and Bill and Gretchen Gibson, program directors, will work closely with the recently established WVU Center for Excellence in STEM Education.

Green Bank Observatory will host the GSI program open to current 8th graders. The program will center around the theme “Investigate the Universe,” as students are engaged in authentic science research and computational-thinking activities. They will explore their universe with a research-grade robotic telescope, and interact with science, technology, engineering and mathematics experts. Sue Ann Heatherly, senior education director, will direct the program at the Green Bank Observatory.

For more information or to apply, visit https://govschools.wv.gov/, or contact Sherry Keffer at 304-558-2440 or by email at Sherry.L.Keffer@wv.gov.