Approximately 85 outstanding high school students from throughout the state will attend the West Virginia Governors School for the Arts at the WVU Creative Arts Center June 20-July 10.

The three-week residential program is for exceptional arts students who have completed their sophomore year of high school. This is the second summer the College of Creative Arts has hosted the event.

We are extremely pleased to again be hosting the Governors School for the Arts,said College of Creative Arts Dean Bernie Schultz.Our goal is to provide a program and environment for young West Virginia artists that will explore traditional practices and new technologies and promote a better understanding and appreciation of the visual and performing arts across cultures.

While in residency at the Creative Arts Center, the students will study in the states only educational facility solely dedicated to the instruction and performance of all of the visual and performing arts.

Classes will include ceramics, printmaking, electronic media, studio arts, instrumental music, voice, world music, jazz, music theory and history, theatre arts, acting and performance, theatre history, dramatic literature and criticism, scenic costume and lighting design, computer-assisted design for the stage, and dance.

An interdisciplinary faculty of artists and educators will work with the students, providing both individual and in-depth group instruction.

The students also will work with recognized guest artists and specialists and will take part in field trips and special events. At the end of the school, they will present a special collaborative performance highlighting all of the disciplines and showcasing their abilities.

The Governors School for the Arts is part of the West Virginia Governors Honors Academy. The mission of the Academy is to operate an academically rich environment designed to honor high-ability and high-achieving students in an institution of higher education, challenging them to grow intellectually and creatively in a culturally diverse atmosphere.

WVU College of Creative Arts Associate Dean William Winsor is the artistic director of the Governors School for the Arts and Cindy Conner-Bess, a faculty member of the Division of Music, is associate artistic director. Keith Garbutt, director of the WVU Honors Program, is director of student life.

The Governors School for the Arts assures that its participants receive both an intensive artistic and social experience,Winsor said.WVU is offering a specialized program that will realize these goals within the context of exploring the arts in a global community.

In addition to providing practical instruction and experience, Winsor said, the curriculum objectives include helping students understand the nature of creativity and the role technology plays in the arts, as well as encouraging them to develop a personal understanding of the relationship between critical theory and artistic practice and the changing social role of artists and scholars in the arts.

The Governors School for the Arts is open to students who attend school in West Virginia, exhibit a strong commitment to their personal development as artists, score near the top on a national achievement test, and rank in the top half of their class academically. All students who apply must complete an audition or portfolio review. There is no cost to students or their families for tuition, room, meals, activities, books, or instructional materials. They pay only for travel and personal expenses.

For more information about the Governors School for the Arts, see the Web site athttp://www.wvgovschools.org.

2004 WV Governors School for the Arts Students (listed by city)

Beckley: Lynn El-harake, Audrey File, Anisha Patel

Bridgeport: Stacey Fernandez

Cameron: Amanda Okel

Charleston: Kathryn Casdorph, Tiana Dixon, Vincent Tiley

Clarksburg: Tiffany Manusco

Dunbar: Bethany Fisher, Luke Miller

Elkins: Abbey Martin, Jesse McBee, Katherine Tavolacci

Ellamore: Noah Harris

Fairmont: Reggie Jose

Fayetteville: Kathryn Wilson

Flemington: Aaron Burton

Friendly: Brianna Clark

Gerrardstown: Amelia Thomas

Glen Dale: Kristen McCabe, Megan Otte

Grafton: Jeanna Nestor

Huntington: Elizabeth Garza, Laura LaCara, Rosemary Larue, Nathaniel May, Evan Minsker, Evan Price, Danielle Purcell, Katie Schreiber, Michelle White

Hurricane: Eric Ginn, Justin Warner, Jacquelyn Weittenhiller, Stephen Wilson Kenna: Jessica Anderson

Kermit: Elizabeth Endicott

Keyser: Rachel Wilson

Kingwood: Morgan Kasprowicz

Lewisburg: Katelyn Mayers, Diane Zahuranec

Linn: Aaron Latos

Martinsburg: Marie Crenwelge, Frank Shaw

McMechen: O.J. Hays

Morgantown: Lindsey Bloom, Evan Boehehold, Kristen Graber, Meredith Gulley, Sarah Hannah, Sage Perott, Angeline Prichard, Amy Ramsey, Nora Rye, Whitley Saffron, Kelly Stubna

Moundsville: Shane Earley, Justin Jones

New Martinsville: Zev Goldstein, Andrea Null, Laura Seavy

Paden City: Emily Vincent

Parkersburg: Morgan Helfin

Princeton: Nicole Garcia, Vanessa Swanner

Reedsville: Kenneth Johnston

Ridgeley: Jacqueline Dubins

Upper Tract: Laurel Beatty

Vienna: Matthew Doering, Lindsay Husk, Lauren Maiden, Patricia Sefton

Wheeling: Brianna Carroll, Elizabeth Godown, Lauren Hayes, Creighton Hill, Lindsey Lucas, Grace Maxwell, Jesse Nugent, Valerie Pittenger, Leland Wheeler, Allison Yeager

Williamson: Jennifer Wrubleski