The "guvies;" Some of state's brightest high school students get a taste of college this summer

BY ALMAR FLOTILDES
The Post and Courier

It's Geek Week at the South Carolina Governor's School at the College of Charleston, and the smart kids who have gathered here this summer are having some fun at their own expense as they promote the social schedule.

Geek Week: A fun-filled week uniting Geekarolinians with geektastic events from sci-fi movies to a live game of human chess.

OK, they're just kidding. Well, not entirely.

More than 200 of the brightest soon-to-be high school seniors from around the state have come to the Governor's School at the College of Charleston for its four-week, pre-college experience, not just for the Geek Fashion Show. Seriously, these kids have done what no ordinary high school student would do, sacrifice a third of their summer for academic pursuits.

"It was a hard decision to come here, because it's summer, and I'm away from my friends," says Cassidy Pendley, 17, a student at Fort Dorchester High School. But since she arrived, she says, she has become a lot more outgoing, and she has learned more in a few weeks than she has the rest of her life.

Well, not that much, she says, but a whole lot.

For Cassidy and many of the other "guvies," the sacrifice of leaving their comfort zone for four weeks has been worth it.

"It's a really good experience, and it gives you the feel for college life," says Meghan Bennett, 17, from Wando High School. "You get to know the professors, there's more interaction, you get more into the classes, and I even have to cook more."

This year's program is already halfway through, and by the time the next two weeks fly by, the students will better know how to fend for themselves, live with a diverse group of people, manage their time and even wake up in the morning all by themselves.

Patrick MacDonald, 16, of Newberry, says this is how he envisions college life. "There's no one to clean after you," he says. At the same time, he has the freedom to go wherever he wants with his new friends - that is, wherever his two feet can take him - though he admits, "I still have to find time to do assignments, and I have to pass up some things to get them done."

The guvies are not entirely independent. They do have curfews and strict regulations.

The students all reside under one roof, suite-style, at the Kelly House Residence Hall on the College of Charleston campus. Each has enrolled in a global issues class, whether it deals with present issues or past events such as the Holocaust, and a subject concentration class, with choices varying from biomedical science to playwriting.

Professors from more than 10 different universities come to the College of Charleston to teach the Governor's School summer courses.

With no TV allowed all month, the students have a lot of free time to themselves and to socialize in town, not to mention the many activities that the Governor's School offers.

Last week was, in fact, themed "Explore Your Inner Geek Week." It featured activities such as sushi and a movie ("Seven Samurai"), a human game of chess "battle-of the-sexes" style, and yes, a Geek Chic Fashion Show.

"Everyone here is a geek in one shape, form or another," Patrick says. "We open up to who we really are (in Governor's School)."

Brent Burchill, 17, from Columbia, is an avid soccer fan who is spending a lot of his time at Marion Square playing soccer with other guvies.

They reminisce about TV sitcoms, cartoons and reality shows they could be watching on the tube, and Brent certainly misses seeing the World Cup soccer matches. "But there's always something to do," he says, "and so many new people to interact with."

Inna Korshikova, 18, from Anderson, has absolutely no problem with the no-TV rule. Instead, she says that her time filled up with lots of homework readings for her classes, visiting sites such as the Gibbes Museum and going to the numerous social activities.

Looking to do something with law or political science in college, Inna is taking Law and Society in which she has chances to visit Charleston courts, participate in controversial discussions and have mock trials. "I'm really interested in my classes," she says.

Inna and several of the guvies are all taking the "That's News to Me!" global issues class taught by Bill Lavery, a history professor from Furman University. The course has specialized interests in Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Lavery has taught at the Governor's School intermittently almost since it started at the College of Charleston 30 years ago. In his "That's News to Me!" class, students showcase what they learn as they publish a weekly newsletter called the Guvie Intelligence Bulletin, covering the articles, authors and issues they discuss and research themselves.

Caroline Grego, 17, from Columbia is especially interested in the class because of Lavery's expertise on the former Soviet Union. "Governor's School forces you to be more open," she says. "The Governor's School brings in different, smart and interesting people. I feel I'm exercising my social skills here all the time."

Caroline wants a career that lets her travel. She desires challenges and looks forward to change in college. She adds, "I want to have a different life than I've known."

The students at the Governor's School are not necessarily overachievers, but students who expect more out of their futures and who just plain want to have fun.

"It's been real enjoyable," says Sean Bear, 17, who attends Pinewood Prep. "At first, I came just because it looked good on a college resume, but it's been so much more than that."

Overall, Sean says, the Governor's School has helped him mature and realize how unimportant one is viewed in high school.

"I don't care what the mass of people think of me anymore," he declares. "It's good to be with a group of people with the same drive, same desire and same outlook on life."

The Governor's School at College of Charleston

History

While there are two other governor's schools in South Carolina with residential programs during the school year, the Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville and the Governor's School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, the Governor's School of South Carolina at the College of Charleston is the oldest in the state.

It celebrates its 30th anniversary this summer, with more than 6,000 alumni living all over the world.

More than 200 students are accepted into the school, which lasts for a month in the summer. All applicants are first nominated and screened by their schools.

Guidance directors can choose only a designated number of students based on the size of a school's junior class.

Nominees are required to be legal South Carolina residents and rising seniors.

All nominees are picked based on academic and intellectual talent.

They are initially judged by class rank or standardized test scores.

Nominees then have to submit applications, along with personal essays, teacher recommendations and their high school transcripts, which are judged by a panel for the Governor's School.

Reach Almar Flotildes at aflotildes@postandcourier.com or 937-5548.