Published by Lancaster Online, by Kara Newhouse

March 25, 2014

Pennsylvania Governor’s Schools are making a comeback.

Governor Tom Corbett announced Monday that two new Governor’s Schools will be held this summer. One will focus on agricultural sciences at Penn State’s main campus. The other, focused on engineering and technology will be held at Lehigh University.

Governor’s Schools are summer enrichment programs for talented high school students. The program dates to the 1970s, but in all eight Governor’s Schools were closed under Governor Ed Rendell's 2009-10 budget, according to published reports.

Corbett reopened the program with the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh last summer.

His proposed 2014-15 budget includes $350,000 for the program.

Some local superintendents responded positively to the news of new Governor's Schools.

"We are thrilled to see this opportunity return for our students. Only moments after I received word of it from it from (the state Department of Education), I forwarded it to my high school principal for distribution," said Elanco Superintendent Robert Hollister.

Conestoga Valley School District Superintendent Gerald Huesken said that with proper funding the program creates an opportunity to support students beyond those in need of remediation.

"These programs are generally for our high-flyers or advanced students. In this age of No Child Left Behind and Keystone Exams, it is important to keep a focus on the needs of all of our students," he said.

Governor’s Schools are open to high school juniors who are state residents. Selected students receive full scholarships to the residential programs, which will last between two and five weeks.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Agricultural Sciences will run from July 13 to Aug. 9 and is open to current high school juniors. More information and an application can be found at www.agsci.psu.edu/governors-school.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Engineering and Technology will run from July 20 to Aug. 2. More information and an application can be found at www.agsci.psu.edu/governors-school. Applications are due by April 18.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Engineering and Technology will run from July 20 to Aug. 2. More information and an application can be found at www.agsci.psu.edu/governors-school. Applications are due by April 24.

Applications for the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences, which is five-weeks long, were due in January.

Although the new Governor's Schools all relate to sciences, past programs included a range of subjects, such as international studies, entrepreneurship and the arts.

(Kara Newhouse, "Corbett announces two new Governor’s Schools," 3/25/14)