This summer, from July 13-18, I attended Delaware’s Governor’s School for Excellence at the University of Delaware. Paid for by the office of the Governor of Delaware, the Governor’s School for Excellence is a “one-week summer residential program that brings together academically and artistically talented Delaware high school students who have completed their sophomore year.” The Governor’s School consists of four different programs: the art program (10 kids), the drama program (10 kids), the music program (about 30 kids), and the academic program, which was what I was in (about 70 kids). Acceptance into the visual and performing art categories were through auditions, and for academics, students were first nominated by their school, and then had to submit an application to the physical program.

My family has quite a history with the program, my dad being a part of it the year it began, my mom the second, and my sister during the 30th anniversary. This year was the Governor’s School’s 35th anniversary, and I was the fourth person in my family to attend.

As a member of the academic program, I participated in a myriad of fascinating activities and classes that consisted of discussions, lectures, debates, and films revolving around a specific theme. All of the classes were designed to be something that would be interesting to a group of incoming juniors, as well as something that we would not have usually been exposed to prior to that week. Classes and seminars that I attended included economics, marketing, a stock market simulation, Shakespeare interpretations, a class on how there is no such thing as free speech, international decision making, politics and elections, and a Chinese culture seminar. We even actively participated in a ROTC led leadership and team work class where we learned how to call in emergency medical reinforcements, and create a harness that would help us attach ourselves to a rope so we could climb across tress over a theoretical river. The governor, Jack Markell, came to speak to us in the middle of our class on politics to talk about his new transportation and infrastructure initiative that he was going to discuss with President Obama at the Charcoal Pit two hours later.

One of the days we had a choice of going on one of three field trips; the places ranging from a biomedical engineering trip, to a marine science field trip in Lewes, to a trip on health and exercise science. I participated in the health and exercise science trip, where we learned about exercise physiology, metabolism, and the biomechanics of sports. We got to sit in the BodPod, a $50,000 body fat measurer, and test the potential energy in our legs with a weight induced exercise bike.

When we weren’t involved in classes, we were taking part in the bonding activities that were set up so that all of the kids could meet each other. Since we lived at the University of Delaware for a week, we were split up into quads with around ten people. These groups became teams for the “Gov School Olympics”, “Quad Follies” (skits), and an impromptu “Odyssey of the Mind” competition that culminated with the winning quad receiving Wawa gift cards, (sadly my quad came in second to last).

What made the Governor’s School so unique was the fact that every school in Delaware was represented with an equally bright Delaware student. Although we think that Delaware is tiny, I began to see Delaware as both big and small, and started to see Delaware’s size as a positive attribute. I made friends from the north and the south, and learned with fascination that people from the southern half of Delaware see themselves as “southerners”, while most of us from the north saw ourselves as “northerners.” Delaware’s small size allowed us to meet Governor Markell, and be taught by some of the top professors that the University of Delaware has to offer.

The Governor’s School of Delaware was an incredible experience, inside the classroom with the engaging classes, and outside with all of the new people that I met and remain in touch with today. I cannot recommend the experience enough. I highly encourage all sophomores to look into and apply for this opportunity for next summer!