Governor's School is in session

Some high school students prefer to start the summer earning college credit instead of lounging poolside. 

The Governor's School for International Studies accepted 84 high school juniors and seniors from across the state to live and learn at The U of M for five weeks this summer.  The program focused on a variety of global issues, foreign culture and languages. Students also learn global political science, geography, anthropology and economics.

"We try to do some fun stuff to teach about cultures," said Robert Blanton, director of GSIS and associate professor of the department of political science. "They like it because they get a taste of college life."

The program accepts the "best and the brightest" students out of about 300 applicants each summer, he said.

GSIS is one of 12 Governor's Schools in Tennessee, said Hope Smith, assistant director of the program. Students can also apply to other schools for humanities, engineering, agricultural sciences, computational physics, art, emerging technologies, physics, scientific models and data analysis, prospective teachers and sciences.

"(The GSIS) has such a fantastic reputation," she said. "It's funded entirely by the state and University."

Students will leave the program with six hours of college credit, which are transferable to any college in Tennessee.

"The kids are a pleasure to teach," Blanton said. "They're really bright and engaged. It's really neat the way they bond together. We'll get emails from people who graduated 10 or 15 years ago and say how much The Governor's School meant to them."

The futures of students who attend the GSIS vary significantly, he said.

"I've known preschool teachers, doctors and pharmacists who came to The Governor's School," he said. "It's intriguing to me because they all go in different directions but still share that interest in international studies."

Various responses were given by a classroom of 21 GSIS students, when asked what the future held for them. International journalism, plastic surgery, law, international ambassador and pediatric oncology were among some of their answers.

Peter Elbaum, a senior at Sigel High in Murphreesboro, Tenn., said he enjoys learning languages in the program and the atmosphere.

"I like that we get a certain amount of freedom," he said. "I like being away from my parents, making my own decisions and dorm life."

Keith Offschanka, an upcoming senior at Beech High School in Hendersonville, Tenn., said he applied to GSIS because he likes traveling to European countries.

"I've been to Germany, Austria, Sweden and The Netherlands," he said.

Offschanka, who didn't know anyone when the program began, said his favorite part of the program is interacting with other high school students.

The GSIS keeps the students busy, said Kerey Morris, a rising senior at Independence High School in Franklin, Tennessee.

"We're required to attend classes and seminars, and there are a lot of committees," she said. "It's like trying to fit an entire semester of college into five weeks."

Morris said she would rather take the classes with the program than anywhere else.

"It's better to do it here with people who are interested in (international studies)," she said. "It's a more encouraging environment. The people motivate you."

Inspiration is a two-way street with students, faculty and instructors involved with the GSIS, according to Hsiang-te Kung, earth sciences professor and director of Asian Studies and International Trade.

"Students challenge each other on different geographical and global issues," he said. "I learn from them, and they learn from me. They learn from each other, by living together and learning together. It's a really good program."