Lost? Confused? Read the FAQs!

by Anna Berkey and Elizabeth Kidd

Hello,

Anna and Elizabeth here! We are both juniors at Massanutten Regional Governor's School, and we wrote this blog post to hopefully answer any questions you may have about Gov. School. Thanks for reading!

Q. What is the morning bus schedule for Rockingham/Harrisonburg Students?

• East Rock: 6:45 AM

• Harrisonburg: 6:55 AM

• Spotswood: 6:55 AM

• Page: 7:00 AM

• Central: 7:10 AM

• Luray: 7:15 AM (From Park & Ride)

• Broadway: 7:20 AM

Q. How is it waking up early?

• At the beginning of the year, waking up early was definitely an adjustment. Personally, we both get up around 5:30 am in order to get to school on time. While that is very early compared to regular school, the good news is there is a long, quiet bus ride. We take advantage of this time to sleep, work on schoolwork, or zone out for a while.

Q. What classes are offered at MRGS?

• Junior Year:

Environmental Science (Geology 105)

English (College Composition, English 111; Technical Writing, English 113)

Agro-Ecology (Intro to Plant Sciences 142)

Statistics (Math 245, 246)

Research

• Senior Year:

Environmental Science (Geology 110)

English (American Literature, English 246; Creative Thinking, Humanities 246)

Agro-Ecology (Agricultural Policy 241)

Calculus (Math 263, 264)

Research

Q. How many credits can I earn by the time I graduate?

• You can earn 19 college credits junior year and 21 senior year by dual enrolling at Laurel Ridge Community College. Cumulatively, you can receive 40 college credits by the time you graduate high school.

Q. How do collaborative classes work, and how often are they intertwined?

• Every couple of weeks, two classes will be combined for a group project or discussion. Often, assignments will involve elements of multiple subjects, and so they will be submitted to several teachers. Occasionally there are projects combining both Junior and Senior classes, as well.

Q. What kind of assignments will I have at MRGS?

• Almost all MRGS assignments are project based with an emphasis on science. There are rarely tests or exams, and collaboration and group work are heavily implemented.

Q. What does Research look like?

• The only class we have on Fridays is research. Each student can choose their own topic and subject to research in-depth over the course of a year or two years. Students can either work individually or with a group of other students. For example, Anna is researching the effects of sodium chloride on macroinvertebrates and water quality. Elizabeth’s research project is working with a group of students to conduct original research about the Civil Rights Movement in Harrisonburg, Virginia, by interviewing eyewitnesses and creating a documentary.

Q. How can I make my application stand out?

• Ultimately, your application should be an accurate reflection of who you are, not just academically, but as a person. The Board of People Who Determine Your Future (JK) knows nothing about you. The only opportunity you have to demonstrate your character and academic excellence is through your application, so try to make it personal. This is also an opportunity to brag about yourself a little. Explain the challenges you’ve overcome and how you have taken the initiative with your education.

Q. What opportunities are there at Governor’s School?

• Model UN: Students travel to Maggie Walker Regional Governor’s School in Richmond to participate in a two-day replication of a United Nations conference.

• Envirothon: Groups of students spend the day outside rotating between different stations that test their knowledge on various environmentally-related topics.

• Brain Bee: Similar to Scholastic Bowl, this is another competition opportunity through Governor’s School.

• JMU Regional Science Fair: Research projects can be entered into the Regional Science Fair at JMU.

Q. How many students are there in Governor's school?

• There are approximately 80 students currently enrolled in MRGS. Four classes (two junior and two senior) make each class size around 20 students.

Q. Is everything in MRGS about the environment?

• While the environment is a heavy focus in our classes, there occasionally is an assignment (in English or Math) unrelated to this topic. There are multiple assignments where you can choose what topic to focus on as well.

Q. What is the homework load like?

• Most of the time, MRGS keeps a relatively rigorous workload especially if you are also taking advanced classes at your home school. However, the majority of students also have time to participate in after-school activities and extracurriculars as well.

Have any other questions we didn’t answer? Fill out this form and we’ll answer them for you!