A total of 24 students from Fayette’s public high schools have been selected to attend the 2016 Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) on the campus of Valdosta State University June 19-July 16.
GHP is a four-week intensive study of undergraduate, graduate, and professional-level coursework, and experience in a given field. Students spend approximately 27 hours a week in highly advanced classes in their fields. Between 650-690 students are accepted into the program; there are 20 areas of study. The Governor’s Honors Program is fully funded by the Georgia General Assembly, so there is no charge for students to attend.
The following students are among the 2016 state finalists:
(Fayette County High) Taylor Davis, music; Derek Hornberger, music; Jubin Thomas, science.
(McIntosh High) Joey Ciancia, music; Hannah Cunningham, visual arts; Paige Groome, communication arts; Mykala Johnson, theatre; Kevin Kerner, music; Jiaxing Liu, music; John McCauley, mathematics; Brandon Moore, mathematics; Tiffany Netto, science.
(Sandy Creek High) Anna Bridgeman, mathematics; Rachel Davis, mathematics; Krista Jackson, mathematics; John Respert, mathematics; Vy Tran, social studies.
(Starr’s Mill High) Madison Hagen, world languages; Caroline Poole, music; Ethan Roland, social studies; Jillian Ruvalcaba, theatre.
(Whitewater High) Megan Castaneda, music; Austin Newland, music; and Matthew Skibiel, world languages.
Nomination to the program is a multi-part process beginning at the school system level with an exam in the students’ selected subject area. If students meet the cut-off score, they participate in a county-level interview, which determines the nominees who are invited to complete a state application. The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement selects a limited number of students to interview at the state level. Finalists are selected from this final group.
GHP is in its 53rd year of operation, making it the longest continually running program of its kind in the nation.
