Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts
| Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Residential Public |
| Motto | Latin: Carpe diem (Seize the Day) |
| Established | 1973 |
| Director | Douglas Woods |
| Grades | 11th and 12th |
| Enrollment | about 200 |
| Campus | Mercyhurst College |
| Website | http://pgse.org |
The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts (PGSA) was one of the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence, a group of five-week summer academies for gifted high school students in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The school was hosted each summer first by Bucknell University, then by Mercyhurst College.
PGSA was defunded by Pennsylvania's 2009–2010 state budget.
Overview
[edit]Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts was established earliest among eight such Governor's schools. Like other Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence, PGSA operated on a state-funded, scholarship basis.[1] Upon its inception in 1973 under Milton Shapp.[2]
PGSA was hosted at Bucknell University in Lewisburg under the direction of Arthur Gatty, who led the program until 1988.[3] It was seen as an early leader in such programs, and among the first in the country.[4] By 1985, the school drew 225 students from 2,000 applicants.[2]
In 1990, the program was relocated to Mercyhurst College in Erie. Similar to a college experience, students took various classes associated with a "major" in one of five art areas: creative writing, dance, music, theater, or visual arts.[5][6]
In addition to these classes, students selected an elective class in an art area other than their primary. Collaboration and multifaceted projects were encouraged and common. Alongside classes, nightly performances and gallery shows combined with a broad range of social activities and special events to create a unique experience similar to that of an artists' colony.
Defunding
[edit]Governor Ed Rendell's 2009–2010 budget proposed cutting funding for all the schools in the PGSE program, including PGSA.[7][8][9] The program was discontinued in 2009, after 36 years of operation.[10]
Notable alumni
[edit]- Kevin Bacon ('74)[11]
- Melinda Wagner (composer) ('74)[12]
- Richard O'Donnell (playwright) ('74)[13][14]
- Aaron Jay Kernis ('75)[15]
- Megan Gallagher ('76)[16]
- Gary Schocker ('76)
- Boris Bally ('77)
- Ian Gallanar ('78)
- Suzanne Keen ('79)
- Daniel Roebuck ('79)[16]
- Alice Sebold ('79)[16]
- Julia Kasdorf ('80)[16]
- Tina Fey ('87)[17]
- Ari Hoenig ('90)[16]
- Asali Solomon ('90)
- Steven Burns ('91)[16]
- Meagan Miller ('91)[16]
- Matthew Hoch ('93)
- Zachary Quinto ('94)[18]
- Neal Dodson ('94)[19]
- Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz ('95)
- Lucas Steele (‘96)
- Stephen Karam ('97)
- Katharine Beutner ('98)
- Gillian Jacobs ('99)[16]
- Andy Mientus ('04)
- Derek Hansen ('07)
References
[edit]- ^ Seltzer, Joan. A Historical Overview of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts. 2012 https://dspace.iup.edu/bitstream/handle/2069/762/Joan%20Seltzer.pdf?sequence=1
- ^ a b Maulfair, Jane (1985-08-11). "GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS ATTRACTS TALENTED YOUTH". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ^ "Arthur Gatty Obituary". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ^ Gatty, Arthur (December 1976). "The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts". Gifted Child Quarterly. 20 (4): 427–432. doi:10.1177/001698627602000410. ISSN 0016-9862. S2CID 142728730.
- ^ "The Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence".
- ^ "PGSE - Arts". The Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence. Archived from the original on 2008-08-20.
- ^ "Rendell previews budget plan". Altoona Mirror. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ^ "Rendell's state budget a solid start". GoErie.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ^ Lindquist, Carl (2009-01-30). "DARE program targeted for cuts". The York Dispatch. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ^ Seltzer, Joan. A Historical Overview of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts - ProQuest (Thesis). Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
- ^ Myers, Marc (2021-03-23). "Kevin Bacon Grew Up Footloose and Captivated by Fame". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ^ Xia, Yujia. "Melinda Wagner and Her Piano Concerto: Extremity of Sky" (PDF). University of Miami. University of Miami, Yujia Xia. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Faulkner, Mary (April 1, 1974). "Governor's Talent School Names Penncrest Five". Rose Tree Reporter. Vol. IX, no. 9, Pg. 3. Rose Tree Media School District.
- ^ Johnson, Allan (August 13, 1999). "R. O'Donnell hopes his new comedy series will shift spotlight to Chicago". Chicago Tribune. No. Friday, Page 1, Section 5 Tempo. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Biedka, Chuck. "Grads plea for reprieve for Governor's Schools". Trib Total Media. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Seltzer, Joan. "PGS Alumni Success". pp. 109, 110. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.476.2173.
- ^ Fey, Tina (January 3, 2012). Bossypants. Back Bay Books. ISBN 978-0-316-05687-8. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Kamin, Hester (2009-03-04). "Letters to the editor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ^ "York County native Neal Dodson comes to York to present his company's first movie, 'Margin Call' - FlipSidePA.com". 2011-11-16. Archived from the original on 2014-11-28.