An Invitation

The hallmark of the Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities is excellence. We have an exceptionally talented faculty and staff and we are fortunate to work in outstanding facilities. But this is not enough. We must have excellent students-or really, students with the potential for excellence. 

 

Parents, students, alumni, and friends as well as our faculty and staff can be the ambassadors who open the door for emerging artists to study on this campus. Invite these young people to call or visit. We're here to help them with their future. If we all work together, we will continue the tradition of excellence that makes all of us proud to be part of the family of this marvelous place. 

-Bruce Halverson

 President

Alumnus Profile:                      Jacolby Satterwhite                       

Jacolby Satterwhite ('04 Visual Arts) erupts in hearty laughter as he recalls his start as a serious artist. It was when another Eau Claire High School freshman was failing art because he hadn't done the required sketches. Jacolby - who had been drawing since he was 3, but wasn't in the class - "loaned" his portfolio to his buddy, who promptly submitted the artwork as his own. Of course, they got busted. But in the process, Jacolby became a student in his first art class. The rest, as they say, is history.

Last month, the 21-year-old Maryland Institute College of Art painting major won the $20,000 grand prize in an exhibition entitled "Driven," showing through December 31 at the Smithsonian's Institution's S. Dillon Ripley Center. The exhibition is co-sponsored by VSA Arts, an international nonprofit created to promote and showcase artists with disabilities, and Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Colby was a three-year-old toddler when he created his first art. Inspired by his entrepreneurial mom - an inventor of household gadgets and gewgaws - he for years constantly doodled, designed, scribbled, and sketched. Then cancer struck - not once, but twice. A surgical procedure robbed him of mobility in one arm. But instead of packing up his canvas, the ever resilient Columbia native taught himself to let his good arm guide the not so good one. And now, Satterwhite's aptly named prize winning oil on canvas, Remission & Resilience (below), has launched him onto the national stage. 

 

  

A Student's Experience             

by Terrell Shamyra Washington

"No way! Mom and dad, wait until you hear this! I've been accepted to the Governor's School!"

Opening the acceptance letter is when my Governor's School experience began. I admit it was a tough decision to make. Leaving my parents wasn't exactly a piece of cake, but coming here has proven to be a chance I would have regretted not taking. The education I've received, and my roles in dance performances and classes have allowed me to find myself and express who I am through the arts.

The 220 other students welcomed me with open arms and the well-designed campus made the transition comfortable. It was only a matter of hours before I found other students who wanted to be in the studio dancing, playing an instrument, writing a story, or drawing a picture about coming to this new school.

I can confidently say that if you love dance, music, writing, visual arts or drama, then you should be here. It is an opportunity to meet and learn all sorts of things from students from all over the state who are also passionate about the arts. The faculty is incredibly talented. They push us beyond our limits in our art areas. It is impossible to not get a taste of all the arts because they are closely linked through our Humanities coursework. 

The nationwide pool of National Merit Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The following students now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 8200 Merit Scholarship awards, worth over $34 million to be awarded next spring.

Allen Butt - Creative Writing Student, Beaufort (Beaufort Academy)

Matthew Casedonte - Creative Writing Student, Anderson (T.L. Hanna High School)

Chloe Davis - Dance Student, Greenville (SCGSAH)

Jamie Ferguson - Drama Student, Landrum (Polk County High School)

Lauren Koch - Drama Student, Anderson (T.L. Hanna High School)

Benjamin Watkins - Music Student (Piano), Hodges (The McCallie School)

William Smith - Drama Student, Greenville (J.L. Mann Academy)

The nine-month public residential high school is modeled after a master-apprentice community with an arts faculty who are all practicing artists, as well as educators in their areas of expertise. In addition to rigorous pre-professional arts training, students receive an intense and innovative academic education that fosters connections to the arts while meeting all the requirements necessary for a South Carolina high school diploma. 

Life at the school is a constant collaboration. Artists from different backgrounds and all five art areas work together, learn from one another and grow to form bonds that last long past graduation. Located in the heart of the arts district of Greenville, SC, the school's community extends well beyond campus and the Upstate of South Carolina to include parents, legislators, private donors, arts organizations and educators throughout the state.