The Governor's Program for Gifted Children

GPGC 2024 | JUNE 9 – JULY 20

Weekly Reports – 2023 Week One – Afternoon Classes and Dorm

Throughout the summer we will be posting weekly reports from the classes. Please let us know if there’s anything else you’d like to see or if you have any questions for specific instructors. We will be posting the first issue of The Thinker (the student newspaper) as soon as the online version is ready.

We are also posting regularly on Facebook. You don’t have to join Facebook to see our posts. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/gpgcla/

Afternoon Classes:

Choir (Colette Tanner, Instructor)

GPGC Choir Students have been working on learning vocal exercises, music literacy (rhythmic and melodic), and reading concert repertoire. Polling the students, they have chosen the theme of NATURE for our FINAL PERFORMANCE.

Critical Thinking (Robert and Jessica Markstrom, Instructors)

This week the students took an animal personality test so they could have fun and learn more about themselves.  We played several different games throughout this week including Carcassonne, Score 4, Twixt, Blokus, Hippos and Crocs, Zombie Dice, Rubix Race, Tsuro, Loot,  What Were You Thinking, and Trial by Trolley.

Dorm Life:

This week the students were welcomed back to the program and spent time getting acclimated to dorm life. They spent their afternoons playing Magic the Gathering and ping pong while also getting to know each other.

On Friday, students got their first weekly bank where they saw their grades for the week. Students spent time after bank going to play soccer or staying at the dorm participating in Stories with Holes where they try to figure out the missing piece in the story presented to them. We also had our first movie night where students came down with blankets and pillows to the lobby and watched Shrek on our big projector screen.

On Saturday morning, students got donuts and fruits for breakfast and were presented a workshop on how to correctly use the dorm laundry machines. They also got to decorate their own laundry magnets. Later in the day, students played Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch and had a chance to go to the Rec to play basketball and other sports. For dinner, students were given Raising Cane’s. That evening we had our first dance where our sophomore students spent time teaching the freshmen our traditional dances.

Sunday began with donuts, church, and a Danny Phantom marathon in the lobby. In the afternoon, students had a chance to get Starbucks and to sing karaoke with their classmates. For dinner, we had Taco Bell, and we finished our weekend with Sundae Sunday. Students were able to pick their ice cream flavors and toppings of their choice to have as a fun end of the weekend treat!

Comments

One of the best parts of the program


for me was, for once, it allowed me to be one of the "normal" kids, instead of the "brainiac" nerd. I cherish that gift.


– George A., Alumnus