GSSV Gazette

October 2024

Extending Classroom Learning

Joint Site Event

The first joint site event of the year was a huge success. All 200 Governor's School students came together on the Keysville campus to participate in a Rube Goldberg challenge. Using random items like paper towel tubes, marbles, dominoes, wire, cotton balls, string, cups, and Hot Wheels tracks, student worked in their groups to engineer a multi-step "machine" to complete a simple task of their choice. The extra challenge was that all groups had to incorporate a die in their design and make it move. This was analytical thinking at its best.

Blackfriars Playhouse

The seniors had their first joint site trip traveling to Staunton to watch The American Shakespeare Company's performance of Macbeth. The highlight of the trip, according to the students, was the atmosphere in the Blackfriars theatre, a beautiful recreation of London's 1600 venue. In the small theatre, the students were able to interact with the cast, which made the experience even better. After the play, the seniors enjoyed getting to know their classmates from both campuses better over lunch.

Virginia Fine Arts Museum

The Keysville seniors spent a day at the Virginia Fine Arts Museum in Richmond. While there, they participated in a scavenger hunt to locate certain types of art they have been studying in their Art Appreciation class.

Edgar Allan Poe Museum and Maymont Gardens

The juniors had their first joint site trip at the Poe Museum and Maymont Gardens in Richmond. The students enjoyed learning more about Poe's life as an introduction to their next unit of study. Seeing some of his original manuscripts and learning about his writing journey was truly fascinating. After the museum, the students enjoyed some downtime by having a picnic lunch at Maymont and enjoying the gardens, animals, and a few pick-up games of football and volleyball.

Hurricane Helene Help

As our community service outreach for the fall semester, we collected items for those impacted by Hurricane Helene at the end of September. In a little over a week, our students brought two truck full loads of materials to be donated to Western North Carolina. We passed these donations along to groups who were going to help in the impacted areas. Extra thanks to all of those who donated!

Halloween Traditions

"Halloween is not only about putting on a costume, but it's also about finding the imagination and costume within ourselves." -Elvis Duran

We are never too old to dress up and enjoy some Halloween traditions. We were able to adjust our schedules in Alberta and Keysville so our students could participate in SVCC's costume contest. Our Alberta winners were Avery Shekleton and Rayna Aranzamendez dressed as Linguini and Ratatouille came in first; and Conner Champion, Mollie Deal, Connor DeCarlo and EJ Ogburn coming in second dressed as the Scooby Doo Mystery Gang. Our Keysville winners were Bella Thompson, Kalia Troxler, and Kayne Wooten dressed as Magic Mike; and Kazu Dinmore and Kenny Halliday for being second dressed as a washing machine and Tide laundry detergent.

We also held our own contest in the following categories with the winners listed:

Best Academic:

Kate Griffin (Alberta)

Kamani Watkins (Keysville)

Most Creative:

Kayleigh High (Alberta)

Kazu Dinmore &Kenny Halliday (Keysville)

Best Homemade:

Teriyonna Olds (Alberta)

Hope Arrington, Claire Bailey, Reese Owens & Bailee Watson (Keysville)

Scariest:

Dylan Coleman & Seth Kindall (Alberta)

Daniel Lawson (Keysville)

Best Group:

Hailie Turner & Eli Skinner and Ethan Peterson & Dark Maul (Alberta)

Haroon Abuzaid, Raegan Barton, Charlie Critzer, Lily Marker, & Adyson Metts (Keysville)

Senior Trip Information

The Washington, D.C., senior trip has been approved for April 21-22, 2025. Information will be sent home next week with all seniors regarding this opportunity and the payment plans. This trip is optional for all seniors, but it is such a great time for an end-of-program experience. We will spend two days touring the National Mall and visiting museums and will race the clock in an Escape room for bragging rights to see who can get out the fastest.

Parent's Corner

Parent Email Listserv

Mrs. Swain is in the process of creating a parent email listserv separated by grade, site, and strand. If you would like to be added to these emails to receive announcements and information not appropriate for social media, please complete this Google Form. If you cannot access this form, please email Mrs. Swain (wesley.swain@southside.edu) with your email address and child's name to be manually added.

Parent Advisory Committee

In an effort to continue the partnership and communication with our parents, we are hoping to grow our Parent Advisory Committee that will meet at least twice a year. We would like at least two parents from each participating high school to be on this committee. These parents will be the liaison between the community and GSSV. Of course, direct communication with Mrs. Swain is still always welcome if there is an immediate or private concern.

These meetings will be a combination of on Zoom and in-person meetings. Our first meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 4, 2024, at 5:30 pm. This meeting will be held via Zoom following this link. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please complete the PAC Google Form. Even if you haven't signed up, please join the first meeting.