By Pamela Childress, VHS Debate & Speech Coach
Two Valdosta High School students have been selected as finalists to attend the 2024 Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) on the campus of Georgia Southern University June 16 through July 13.
Rising seniors Raymond Moody in Communicative Arts, and Katie Raab in Dance, will spend their summer working with instructors, state leaders, authors, and professionals in their field of study.
Additionally, rising junior Kobe Stone advanced to the semi-final round in Dramatic Arts. Kobe is able to apply again in the fall.
Over 4,200 students were nominated to the state level GHP competition this year and nearly 1,500 of them participated in this year's state interview/audition selection process. And 600 of those became finalists invited to attend the summer program.
"We are extremely proud to have these students represent Valdosta High School and Valdosta City Schools as Governor's Honors finalists," said Dr. Craig Lockhart, superintendent of Valdosta City Schools. "Their advancement in this process proves that the rigor of instruction they received from our school system helped them to become educationally competitive in such a vast array of talented young people from around the state of Georgia."
ABOUT GHP
The Georgia Governor's Honors Program is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors during the program. The program offers instruction that is significantly different from the typical high school classroom that is designed to provide students with academic, cultural, and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders. This program is funded by the Georgia legislature so that the only cost incurred by the students is the cost of traveling to the university.
Each year, thousands of nominations are received from each of the twelve economic development regions in Georgia. Finalists progressed through several rounds of intensive competition, including interviews and performances, to be named as finalists for the 2024 Governor's Honors Program.