2009 Governor's School of Agriculture Graduates 96   BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 18, 2009 – Michael Clements of Fairfield, Va., graduated from the 2009 Governor’s School of Agriculture held at Virginia Tech on June 28 to July 25. Clements, a senior from Rockbridge County High School, was one of 96 rising junior and senior high school students from across the commonwealth selected to participate in the month-long summer residential program for gifted students interested in agriculture and natural resources. The program was developed in 2001 to provide hands-on, cutting-edge, scientific, and academic instruction to future leaders and scientists to promote their understanding of the scope, opportunities, and challenges, through academic and scientific rigor of the broad fields of agriculture, human health, natural resources, and veterinary medicine. Students received instruction from Virginia Tech professors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences href="http://www.cals.vt.edu/">www.cals.vt.edu, the College of Natural Resources (http://www.cnr.vt.edu), and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine www.vetmed.vt.edu/. In addition, agricultural education teachers from school divisions around the state joined the school’s faculty. The curriculum was designed specifically to provide a balanced and diverse learning experience for gifted learners, said Tom Broyles, assistant professor of agricultural and extension education in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Governor’s School. Each student chose from sets of classes concentrating on animal science, natural resources, veterinary medicine, agricultural leadership, plant science, and agricultural economics. Each student was assigned to a “major,” a class made up of about 17 students, based on his or her interests. Students in each major completed the same specialized course designed to provide major-specific instruction and to prepare them to work on a major-specific project. Each major was divided into work groups to undertake a group research project that culminated in a symposium and poster session on the last day of the school. Students also participated in a variety of recreational activities, field trips, and industry tours during the 28 days. The school will be held next year, June 27 to July 24, 2010. Interested students should contact their high school guidance counselor or Richard Rateau < site director for the Governor’s School of Agriculture, at (540) 231-6836.

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