ALHGS Newsletter ~ 1 ~

As we all enjoy the beautiful spring weather and begin to anticipate the

end of another school year, I am happy to report that 2012 – 2013 has been

another very successful year for us here at HGS. It has been our privilege

to serve 276 students this year from the 16 school systems with whom we

partner. These students have collectively earned over 2,000 college credits

and successfully taken a big step toward preparing themselves for college

and their chosen careers. We here at HGS are very gratified to be able to

assist our partnering school systems and these students in accomplishing

this important first step.

We are also excited to report that we will be welcoming two new adjunct

faculty members and offering two entirely new courses in 2013 – 2014.

Mrs. Dominique Locke will be offering Creative Writing this next school

year, a course that we have wanted to offer for some time and one that

promises to be a very interesting learning opportunity for students with a

literary flair and perhaps a desire to follow this passion into one of the

many careers where writing is showcased. Students in this course will

learn to creatively express themselves in a variety of styles and to leave

with folders and perhaps published material that will greatly enhance their

professional portfolio. We expect this course to be a very popular one.

Our second new course will be Environmental Science, taught by Mrs.

Julie Reimer. Recognizing the many exciting and lucrative job

opportunities in this field caused us to search for some time for just the

right person to teach our course. We are now happy to announce that we

have found her. Mrs. Reimer has an extensive background in

environmental science and will guide our course, which will address

necessary general principles but focus on the uniqueness of our

Appalachian Environment. Mrs. Reimer’s many hours of hiking and

camping in the remote areas of our region will enable her to include these

Appalachian treasures and guarantee our class is both relevant and very

interesting. We also anticipate this course to be well received by our

students.

Both of these courses have been outlined in detail with partnering

Guidance Counselors who can assist interested students in including them

in their schedules for the coming year. Students are encouraged to sign up

soon to guarantee their spot in these exciting classes.

Danny Dixon

Linwood Holton Governor’s School

Director’s News

P.O. Box 1987

One Partnership Drive

Abingdon, VA 24212

Phone:

(276) 619-4326

Fax:

(276) 619-4328

E-mail:

holton@hgs.k12.va.us

www.hgs.k12.va.us Virginia’s First Virtual Governor’s School

Spring 2013 Newsletter

Contents

Director’s News 1

Dominique Traverse Locke 2

Julie Reimer 3

History Field Trip Reflections 4

Potential Exoplanet! 5

Anatomy & Physiology 7

Advanced Multimedia 8

P&S Gets Naked 9

EM&CP Update 10

Supporters across the Region 11

Our Mission 12

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 2 ~

Dominique Traverse Locke received her B.A. in English from Virginia

Intermont College where she served as editor of the college’s literary

magazine and ran Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field. She received her

M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte. She

has been publishing work in literary magazines such as The Sow’s Ear

Poetry Review, Barely South Review, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel,

The Howl, The Clinch Mountain Review, The Dead Mule, and other fine

publications regularly since 2006. Two of her manuscripts were finalists

in the Press 53 Open Awards, one of which won the poetry category. Her

poem, “Thumb,” was a finalist in the STILL: The Journal Literary

Contests. Additionally, her poem “By Late July” was nominated for a

Pushcart Prize. Dominique’s first collection of poems, a chapbook

entitled The Goodbye Child, was published by Aldrich Press in late

spring of 2012. Also, in 2012, her first full-length collection of poems,

No More Hard Times, was published by Alabaster Leaves Publishing.

Dominique is a member of the Appalachian Authors Guild and the

Virginia Writers Club. She currently coaches, and teaches Advanced

Placement English, British Literature, and Journalism at Twin Valley

High School.

Dominique will be teaching one of our newest courses, Creative Writing.

Sign up today!

Creative Writing I & II ENG-211 / ENG-212 (3/3)

ENG 211 - Creative Writing I

Introduces the student to the fundamentals of writing imaginatively. Students write in forms to be selected from

poetry, fiction, drama, and essays.

3 credits

ENG 212 - Creative Writing II

Introduces the student to the fundamentals of writing imaginatively. Students write in forms to be selected from

poetry, fiction, drama, and essays.

3 credits

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 3 ~

Julie Reimer grew up outside Charlottesville, Virginia, and received

her B.S. degree from Virginia Tech with a major in Biology and a

minor in Chemistry. She worked as a chemical analyst at an

environmental testing laboratory for two years before returning to

school to gain teacher licensure. She taught Environmental Science and

Chemistry at Chilhowie High School for 9 years, where she also

enjoyed coaching the Envirothon team. In 2012, she left CHS to

complete her M.S. degree in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences at

Virginia Tech. Mrs. Reimer has always enjoyed spending time

outdoors hiking, camping, backpacking, canoeing, and horseback

riding. Currently living on a farm in Marion with her husband and their

pets and livestock, she enjoys learning about and practicing sustainable

agriculture. She is looking forward to sharing her love of nature and

her knowledge of environmental science with her students at the

Governor's School.

Julie will be teaching one of our newest courses, Environmental

Science and Related Problems. Sign up today!

Environmental Science and Related Problems I & II ENV-100 / ENV-220 (3/3)

This course will place emphasis on the unique Appalachian environment and its challenges.

ENV 100 – Basic Environmental Science

Presents and discusses basic scientific, health-related, ethical, economic, social and political aspects of

environmental activities, policies/decisions. Emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of environmental problems

and their potential solutions.

3 credits

ENV 220 - Environmental Problems

Studies the relationship of man to his environment; ecological principles, population dynamics, topics of current

importance including air, water, and noise pollution; poisoning and toxicity, radiation, conservation and

management of natural resources.

3 credits

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 4 ~

The A. Linwood Holton Governor’s School 2012-2013 History Field Trip was April 12-13, 2013. Thirty-two students

from five counties in the ALHGS service area participated in the trip. The historic museums and sites visited were the

Frontier Culture Museum at Staunton, VA, the Wolf Creek Indian Village at Bastian, VA and the Beckley Exhibition

Mine at Beckley, WV.

The Frontier Culture Museum is a perennial favorite of ALHGS students. This outdoor

museum consists of restored buildings, transplanted from Germany, Ireland and England to

illustrate the various European cultures carried into the Valley of Virginia by settlers in the

colonial era. A reconstructed African village documents the contributions of slaves to the

colonial world as well. There are also restored cabins and houses from across the Valley of

Virginia, circa 1750 to 1850, to show how the various Old World cultural traditions

influenced the New World. The observations of Ashleigh Keen, a student from Twin Valley

High School, Buchanan County, best summarized the impact of this outdoor museum. The

Frontier Culture Museum’s exhibits “showed how each culture had a different way of doing

things when they came to America and they showed how the cultures adopted each other’s

ways of life,” she wrote of the trip. “They made sure that each person understood how hard

it was for each of the cultures that moved here to survive in this new and very strange land,

but they also showed how they adopted new ways to help them survive in this new country.”

Wolf Creek, a reconstructed Pre-Columbian village, was also a success with

the students, showing them the vast history of our region. While this site was

visited early in the day with a chill closer to winter than spring in the air, Wolf

Creek engendered a greater understanding of the aboriginal peoples who lived

here in the 15th

century.

The Beckley Exhibition Mine was a working mine in the early-twentieth

century. It is now open for tours, with coal-miners as guides. In addition to

the mine, various buildings from coal camps in southern West Virginia have

been relocated to the mine site and

restored to their appropriate

chronological period. Of all the sites

visited on this trip, the Mine provoked

the greatest amount of discussion among the participating students. George

Saado, a student from Clintwood High School, Dickenson County, offered one of the best comments on the Beckley

Mine. “The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine in West Virginia provided for a great

adventure. I have always been curious as to what really goes on inside the mines,

and this site quenched my curiosity. The fact that Dickenson County thrives off the

coal industry provided an excuse for me to indulge in what the Beckley Mine had to

offer. We have a prime example of what was once a coal camp community and

Trammel, and it was intriguing to see the contents of these establishments.”

Plans are underway for the 2013-2014 History Field Trip.

There are plans to incorporate the National D-Day Memorial

and Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest into the trip. “We are

blessed with so many excellent historic sites and museums in

the region, that it is always a challenge to create a field trip

itinerary,” observed Mark Hagy, ALHGS History Instructor.

“It is my goal to return to both the Frontier Culture Museum

and to the Beckley Mine with future students. Hopefully, we

can include all of these excellent sites.”

by Course Instructor, Mark Rogers Hagy

“…this site quenched my curiosity.”

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 5 ~

By course instructor, Dr. Steve Rapp

In the fall of 2012 students in Dr. Rapp’s astronomy class became planet hunters, looking for alien worlds outside our

own solar system. They collected about 70 sets of data with each set having about 50 images and they came up with

results for each data set. Shown in table 1 are typical results per observation.

Name Area Mean Total Brightness Min Max

TRES3 8:27 60 85 5142 46 571

Compare 1 8:27 60 84 5056 46 434

Compare 2 8:27 60 89 5355 46 645

Background 1 8:27 60 47 2857 45 51

Background 2 8:27 60 48 2889 46 52

Table 1

Students used a telescope in the Arizona desert that they controlled remotely using their computers. The telescope is

provided by NASA and the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. They

took images of stars thought to be orbited by planets, sort of an “alien” solar system

that may be similar to our solar system. A photo of the Micro-Observatory

telescope is shown in figure 1.

The students eventually zeroed in on a star system called “TRES3.” The system is

estimated to be about 1300 light years away from us and is found in the

constellation Hercules. The transit detection method is one of the most important

ways to find planets in other star systems — and it’s the one students used.

However, it only works when the orbit of the alien planet happens to be aligned just

right, with respect to our line of sight. They did some computer modeling on transit

light curves by plotting time on the x-axis and brightness of the star on the y-axis as

shown in figure 2. The dip in the graph is an indicator that an alien planet has

passed in front of the star.

Figure 1

Figure 2

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 6 ~

All data was posted online at http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smgphp/otherworlds/index.php. Figure 3 below shows the

student data for the TRES3 star system. Each dot represents an observation.

Figure 3

A characteristic V shape (orange line) turns up in the data when a best fit line is superimposed on the graphed data.

Frank Steinwitz of the Harvard Smithsonian Institute said, “Dr. Rapp, I think your students are on to something here. I

think they may have zeroed in on an alien world. I will have to check it out more thoroughly.”

Students used a telescope in the

Arizona desert that they controlled

remotely using their computers.

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 7 ~

Mrs. Smith and Scottie Hurley

WOW! We thought winter would never be over and all of a sudden it is the end of 2nd

semester and I am losing some

wonderful seniors to colleges all over the nation. This truly has been an amazing year with exceptional students whose

futures are all planned. Now, all they have to do is get there. I am proud to be sending some of my best ever on to some

very fine institutions of higher learning.

Anatomy and Physiology students have mastered several hundred Greek and Latin terms. They have turned their

kitchens at home into experimental laboratories. They now know they are digesting popcorn even before they buy it at

the movie theater. They realize that studying this course a little each day is better than cramming the night before a test.

Most importantly most feel they are equipped to assist a medical professional if the need should ever arise.

All Anatomy classes have had very educational fieldtrip experiences this year. In the fall 2 classes went to Eastern

Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. As always we were allowed to examine almost every area of the program

there. Students now have at least 15 cadavers they became acquainted with, they have had experience doing physical

examinations on medically prepared actors, and their knowledge of pathology and forensics has spiked much curiosity in

those two fields. We did take a trip to the Atlantic Ocean and Tidewater Community College invited us to their

planetarium. We watched a show that explained the first forms of life. The students asked many questions mostly about

how the planetarium works.

Two other classes visited and toured the Virginia College of Osteopathic

Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia in March. The students and I were thrilled

when Scottie Hurley, a former student of mine from Hurley High School, talked

to us about his experiences in his first year of medical school. He informed the

students how he knew he wanted to be a physician, his thought processes in

knowing he was prepared to go to medical school, and he explained the very

demanding schedule of a first year medical student. He did assure us that he

made time for himself too. He told the students that they could do it too and

after Mrs. Smith’s Bio-141/142 class, they wouldn’t have a problem. All

students were interested to learn that the study of osteopathic medicine actually

began in Lee County, Virginia.

Anatomy students participated in a shadowing period of time with a medical

professional. Many were able to observe surgeries. Gall bladder, tonsillectomy, broken

bones set, and even live births were witnessed by some. Others were in awe of experiencing patient/doctor

communications and actually seeing how a medical practice operates.

Many students participated in a volunteering capacity in a

medical setting. They spent time helping in nursing homes,

rescue and fire squads, blood banks, hospitals, home health

settings, doctor’s offices, and health screenings. The feedback

from these projects has been amazing and the professionals in

our communities were very generous in allowing students to

ask questions and be involved.

As I look back on A. Linwood Holton Governor School’s 14th

year I see how our “Virtual Classroom” is making an impact on

Southwest Virginia as well as our country. We are preparing

future medical professionals and scientists and it is so

rewarding for me to see how successful they are. I am already

looking forward to the bright students of the 2013-2014 school

year. ~ Karen Webb Smith

Chilhowie High students expertly prepared for their trip.

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 8 ~

This Spring in

Advanced Multimedia Applications (AMA)

This Spring AMA has offered many

opportunities to our students to use their acquired

media creation skills. The idea of the course is that

our AMA students gain experience in using all of

the elements of multimedia from text to video to

animation. The point of multimedia is

communication and problem solving. The

"problems" vary. For example, if we want to

inform an audience about a specific situation, then

the "problem" might how do we convey this

message in the most effective way? The answer--

use multimedia.

The first

step: create a

storyboard.

This is

considered

the

planning

stage. Planning is essential for success in whatever

we are trying to accomplish, so having to create a

storyboard helps cement the concept of failing to

plan = planning to fail.

The next step our students learn is to create and

collect the assets (the

images, videos, music,

animations) they will

want to use in their

multimedia presentation.

What is exciting is

that our AMA students

now have the skills to

create their own assets.

They can create and edit their own images, videos,

animations and audio. This image on the left, of

the USA, is a creation of Deeanna Luchini from

John Battle HS. It is the US filled with cell

phones that she

created to inform

viewers of the

problem with cell

phones filling up the

landfills.

This infographic to

the right was created by

Tiffany Bright of Rye Cove

HS to inform viewers of

sexual assault statistics in

America.

Using Audacity

AMA students are

able to import,

record and edit their

own audio files to add to the presentation.

Completed asset

folders are then

skillfully pulled

together into a single

multimedia

presentation that

hopefully solves the

problem of how to communicate the message in

the best possible way.

To be able to create is very freeing for our

students because they no longer need to rely on the

creativity of others to convey their messages with

strength and clarity. Our students

will never outgrow the need to be

creative problem solvers. I have

enjoyed so much working with this

group of talented teachers and

talented students. I hope all have a safe and happy

summer.

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 9 ~

Yes, that’s right. The Governor’s School’s Probability & Statistics class curriculum has received a make-over with one

of the first steps being to get naked, Naked Statistics that is, the besting selling book by Charles Wheelan. This popular

book, to be used in the course beginning fall 2013, helps explain the why in an easy to read conversational style. With

probability and statistics used in everything from DNA testing, recommending items to web customers on sites such as

Amazon’s, to helping to finding a cure for cancer, when learning the easy mechanics of application, students often lose

sight of “why” it is important. This book will be used beginning this fall of 2013 to not only help fill this void but also to

show the many uses and abuses of statistics.

Want more exciting changes? Video presentations by leading experts in the

field will also be available to students to aid in their understanding. While it

can be interesting to read how, for example, a political poll or drug

affectivity study should be conducted, it is a better experience to hear from a

practicing expert in the field how it really is done.

That’s not all that is new. Beginning in the fall term, students will also have

access to a Q&A web site where they can ask and get answers to class

related questions 24/7. This site not only allows students to get answers

between class sessions,

with this software

product also being

used by many major

universities, students

get the answers they

want when they need

them and learn the

tools they will be

required to use in their college careers.

Want more resources for student success? The class now

incorporates an on-line lab component as well as an on-line

“textbook”, featuring video examples and skill enhancing

exercises.

Beyond all the new books, new videos, new instruction methods, and new on-line resources is probably the best new

course feature for Probability & Statistics students: The Governor’s School’s Center for Computation and Applied

Mathematics, which has been in development for several years. The Center is a tool for students through which they can

archive their work for the region and, more importantly, work with area companies to gain real work experience and be

part of the exciting field of statistics. Beginning this fall, exceptionally well qualified students will be given the

opportunity to perform analysis for a local consulting firm in the area of material fatigue. According to the course

instructor, Dr. Norton, “This is a great opportunity for students to take what they learn and apply it to real world data

sets, to learn about the difficulties outside of the textbook world, and experience the time and money constraints they

will encounter throughout their professional careers. There

will also be the potential for students to participate in

technical conference presentations and have their work

published in pier reviewed journals. The experience they

gain will carry over to whatever field they pursue in their

academic career giving them a significant advantage among

their peers.”

Beginning this fall, exceptionally well

qualified students will be given the

opportunity to perform analysis for a

local consulting firm in the area of

material fatigue.

Anatomy & Physiology Students:

With probability and statistics used in

everything from DNA testing, to helping

find a cure for cancer, this course would be

most beneficial to your career.

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 10 ~

Almost all pundits forecast that probability and statistics will be one of the top 10 job fields over the coming decade,

with needs - and high salaries - in almost all fields: medical arts, marketing, at policy institutes, environmental impact

modeling, meteorology, choir director ….just to name a few. Statistics will have a determining influence in sports, not

just player statistics but the way the games are played, with the major play changes over the coming decade in football

based on work by statisticians and their safety and risk assessments.

So if you plan to one day be in the job market, or just want to be able to “get along” in everyday life, then Probability &

Statistics is a must have course for you. Probability & Statistics is offered for both block schedule and academic year

schedule students. Have questions or want more information? Please contact the instructor (Dr. Bruce Norton:

bnorton@hgs.k12.v.us) or Governor’s School Abingdon Office. We will be happy to assist you in the start of your

journey in this exciting topic. See you this fall of 2013!

As another year draws to an end, students are completing their projects, from a re-envision of the classic arcade game

to an adventure game in the tradition of the classic computer game . Check out the course web site

over the summer as students’ work is showcased. Want to be able to create your computer video game? Engineering

Methods and Computer Programming is offered for both block and academic year schedule students.

Almost all pundits forecast that probability and

statistics will be one of the top 10 job fields

over the coming decade, with needs—and high

salaries—in almost all fields: medical arts,

marketing, at policy institutes, environmental

impact modeling, meteorology, choir director

….just to name a few.

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 11 ~

Mr. Willie Sullivan.......................... Buchanan County

Ms. Beth Rhinehart ......................... Bristol City

Mr. Steve Childers .......................... Norton City

Mr. John Skeen ............................... Dickenson County

Mr. Kyle Chadwell .......................... Lee County

Ms. Linda Cross .............................. Russell County

Mr. Jeff Kegley ............................... Scott County

Ms. Susan Sneed ............................. Smyth County

Mr. David Woodard ........................ Tazewell County

Ms. Elizabeth Lowe ........................ Washington County

Ms. Betty Cornett ............................ Wise County

Ms. Haydee Robinson ..................... Superintendent’s Representative

Dr. Michael Robinson ..................... Superintendent’s Consortium of Region VII

Ms. Rita Street................................. Administrator, Russell County

Ms. Ruby Rogers............................. Administrator, Scott County

Mr. Gary “Bo” Catron ..................... Administrator, Washington County

Ms. Pat Farmer ................................ Guidance Counselor, Washington County

Ms. Debra Gilly............................... Governor’s School Facilitator, Wise County

To Our Supporters,

We truly thank you!

Advisory Committee Members

Governing Board Members

Participating

Schools

Participating

Colleges MOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WYTHEVILLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Abingdon High

Bland High Carroll County High

Castlewood High Central High

Chilhowie High Clintwood High

Council High Eastside High

Fort Chiswell High Galax City High Gate City High

George Wythe High

Graham High Grayson County High

Grundy High Haysi High

Holston High Honaker High Hurley High

J.I. Burton High John Battle High

Lebanon High Lee High

Marion Senior High

Northwood High Patrick Henry High

Richlands High Rocky Gap High

Rural Retreat High Rye Cove High Tazewell High

Thomas Walker High Twin Springs High Twin Valley High

Union High Virginia High

ALHGS Newsletter ~ 12 ~

Is to provide challenging learning opportunities for the gifted &

talented students of far Southwest Virginia that are not available to

them in their regular school program.

We will accomplish this by strengthening their abilities and

nurturing their social and emotional well-being—through

mentoring, rigorous academic courses, service to the community,

and leadership training within an entrepreneurial culture that

encourages creativity, initiative, and problem solving.

W

e will accomplish this by strengthening their abilities and nurturing their social and emotional well being - through mentoring, rigorous academic courses, service to the community, and leadership training within an entrepreneurial culture that encourages creativity, initiative, and problem solving.

Find us on to discover more about upcoming events!

Or, simply use it as another avenue to just “keep in touch.”

We’re there and waiting…and remember…

we are already one of your biggest fans!

Check us out!