Eight Ravens have been selected to attend the North Carolina Governor’s School this summer. 

The multi-week summer residential program for gifted and talented high school students integrates major academic disciplines, the arts and unique courses on each of the two college campuses that host it. Students are selected to attend through a competitive process after being nominated by their school or district. Applicants must be rising seniors, with rising juniors in the fine arts also permitted to apply. The curriculum focuses on the exploration of the most recent ideas and concepts in each discipline, and it does not involve credit, tests or grades. 

Congratulations to these students, who will enjoy intensive work in their primary area, as noted, while also enjoying additional opportunities for learning and growth:

• Sara Baende ’23 (Spanish)

• Tul Cherukuri ’24 (Instrumental Music)

• Sophia Hopper ’24 (Choral Music)

• Josie Ludlam ’23 (Visual Art)

• Tayla Nargassans ’23 (English)

• Jenna Seidenfrau ’23 (Choral Music)

• Lila Wilson ’23 (Visual Art)

• Yogin Patel ’23 (Instrumental Music)

Co-Director of College Counseling Sean Kennedy, who serves as Ravenscroft’s Governor’s School coordinator, made the announcement earlier this week, expressing surprise and delight that so many students had been accepted.

“The North Carolina Governor's School program is one of the most selective merit-based summer programs for academics and arts in the country,” he said. “To have eight students selected for the program in one year from a private school of our size speaks volumes about the depth and diversity of talent within our student community.”

The record-breaking slate of fine arts students who were invited to apply — 10 in all, with six ultimately accepted — shared reflections on the rigorous application process, which many said reinforced their commitment to their craft.

“The application was certainly a lot. It helped me learn to stay on top of my work and pushed me to do my absolute best because this audition is prestigious and extremely competitive,” Jenna Seidenfrau ’23, who will attend in choral music, wrote in her reflection. “Doing my best was the only option if I wanted to be considered as a serious candidate, so I took time and put my best work into this extremely important audition.”

“The application process made me think about my work at a more critical level, and through the eyes of someone else,” visual art student Josie Ludlam shared. “When I choose what artwork I want to share with my friends or family, it’s usually not the best technical piece; it’s pretty intimidating to show other people because my art isn’t always consistent. [Through the application process,] I learned to share some of the art that I had a fun time making, but also the art that challenged me.”

Governor’s School brings together students from all over the state. The schedule of concerts, lectures and classroom discussions about modern and contemporary thinking gives students  — whether from rural, urban or suburban schools — the opportunity to make connections and expand their worldview.

 As the FAQ webpage on Governor’s School, which is managed by the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction, explains, “The hallmark of our intellectual work … is the interplay between theory and students’ responses, between the abstract and the personal. Without the common burdens of covering a defined body of material and being tested on it, students and teachers can forge a safe, non-competitive intellectual environment where ideas from many disciplines are entertained and all active learners are taken seriously.”

Congratulations to these students on this noteworthy accomplishment!

Story update! As of May 12, three more students have been offered and accepted places in this summer’s session: Eun Yoo ’24 (Choral Music), Alex Gillon ’24 (Instrumental Music) and Zihui Qiu ’23 (Natural Science). “Even the Governor’s School director was impressed by our numbers!” Kennedy said. Way to go, Ravens!