Governor's Honors Academy offerings bring students to WVU and elsewhere this summer

Jim Bissett, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
·2 min read

Jun. 19—There's an app for that (but you already knew that).

The politics and particulars of "scary " movies.

The power of public art.

Citizen journalism and social media.

Innovation and design: Where we came from, where we are and what to expect.

All of the above are just the opening portals to the 2023 Governor's Honors Schools, the immersive camps for Mountain State's top-performing middle school students and highschoolers.

A total of 400 such students are participating in this year's camps — many of which are just getting underway this week.

That includes a new offering: The Governor's Computer Science Institute, which runs through Saturday at WVU.

Around 50 students, high school sophomores and juniors from across West Virginia are taking part in the institute, design to showcase professional opportunities in the computer science field in other science, technology, engineering and math pursuits — or STEM, as those disciplines are collectively known.

Robotics, computer coding and artificial intelligence are among the subjects being delved into during the program, which is hosted by the university's Center for Excellence in STEM Education.

Gay Stewart, the center's director, said practicality is also being programmed in.

"There are currently 814 open computing jobs with an average salary of $75, 109 in West Virginia alone and not all require a college degree, " she said.

"These jobs are the number one source of new wages in the U.S., driving job growth, economic prosperity and innovation."

The arts and entrepreneurship are also part of this year's lineup. The pandemic shut the program down altogether in 2020 and it was held via remote that next year.

Students again answered roll call face-to-face last year after pandemic restrictions were lifted.

The honors academy dates back to 1984, when then-Gov. Jay Rockefeller fronted an academic activity to keep students engaged over the summer.

Visit https://govschools.wv.gov for a full rundown of course offerings.

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