Orientation Week 2004

Thursday, August 5, 2004

New students in the Jackson River Governor’s School at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College recently completed their Orientation Week and will begin studies Monday when DSLCC’s fall semester begins.

The week wasn’t spent filling out hundreds of forms or sitting behind a desk. JRGS students participated in a variety of activities to introduce them to the college and its environment, as well as the curriculum of the Governor’s School. Part of the first day of camp was spent on a college-wide scavenger hunt, during which students were to find specific landmarks on the campus or information about the college.

“Students respond well to the scavenger hunt,” said Dr. Sue Rollinson, director of the Governor’ School. “It gives them the opportunity to canvas the entire campus and learn the layout and information about the school, such as who donated the land, when was the college founded and the name of the college president.”

Students spent time on other fun activities such as “Magnum Bubble Corporation,” where their job was to find a recipe for the best bubble-making liquid.

They were also murder suspects participating in a Biotechnology Camp for seventh and eighth graders sponsored by DSLCC, Virginia Cooperative Extension Service and Tech Prep. JRGS students posed as the cast of characters suspected in the “death” of Professor Halftrack, a researcher who was about to unveil his secret genetic coding sequencing for livestock cloning which he’d been studying in his position at the University of Illinois. JRGS students introduced themselves as the suspects, stated their alibis and were then questioned by teams of campers during the “investigation.”

Pure academics weren’t left out of the orientation either. Students spent time in the laboratory, observing fossil tracks, conducting experiments and keeping a laboratory notebook. They were also taught the basics of writing a scientific term paper and had to put that knowledge to use writing a short paper during the orientation.

“Our goals for orientation include getting to know the other students, getting familiar with the campus and the laboratories, and getting some knowledge of how the Governor’s School is going to differ from their regular high school classes,” Rollinson said.

Comments from the students indicate the goals were not only met, but surpassed. The largest complaint found on the evaluation forms was having to wake up early. Otherwise, the students found the activities enjoyable and are looking forward to the challenge of the coming year. “I was a little scared that the classes would be just sitting and listening to the lectures, but I’m really going to enjoy the labs, experiments and hands-on learning,” wrote one participant.

The Jackson River Governor’s School is a regional public high school for motivated high school juniors and seniors who want to go beyond the traditional high school offerings in science, mathematics, and technology.
Students come from seven school divisions in western Virginia—Alleghany County, Bath County, Botetourt County, Buena Vista, Covington, Lexington, and Rockbridge County.

Governor’s School students come to the DSLCC campus for morning dual enrollment classes in math, science and technology taught by college faculty members. They return to their home high school for afternoon classes in English, social studies and electives.

The curriculum at the Governor’s School is intended to emphasize the connections between the disciplines. The junior year Environmental Science course weaves biology, geology, and chemistry to provide a multi-disciplinary examination of Planet Earth. Statistics and technology, particularly as they relate to field studies and presentation of results, are integral to the course. The required precalculus course prepares students for the rigorous study of physical science in their senior year. The senior year curriculum emphasizes physics and calculus. Elective courses available to seniors include computer programming, engineering, chemistry, and a variety of independent studies.

For more information about the Jackson River Governor’s School contact Sue Rollinson at 863-2841, toll free 877-73DSLCC. E-mail srollinson@dl.vccs.edu.