Governor's School

Powhatan County Public Schools is one of the eleven school divisions that participates and supports the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies. Established in 1991, the Governor's School for Government and International Studies serves high school students selected on the basis of aptitude and interest in government and international studies, and who intend to pursue a college preparatory program.

The admissions process is highly competitive and seeks to include a pool of culturally diverse applicants which represent the demographics of the school division. Local and regional selection committees are provided with a variety of information to identify students who have the potential for success at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School. Students residing in Powhatan County during their eighth-grade year have the opportunity to submit an application to the Admissions Coordinator through the county's Gifted Coordinator. 

Students expressing interest in applying for Maggie L. Walker Governor's School are strongly encouraged to have completed the following courses if offered during the middle school years:

• Algebra I
• Honors English
• Honors History/Social Sciences
• Earth Science
• One year of an International Language

Maggie L. Walker site linked here

Powhatan County Public Schools supports student enrollment at the Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts and Technology. The Appomattox Regional Governor's School provides a unique opportunity for a community of learners with similar interests and abilities to pursue excellence in specific focus areas of the arts and technology: Dance, Instrumental Music, Literary Arts, Musical Theater, Technology, Theater, Visual Arts and Vocal Music. To ensure that all qualified students have the opportunity to apply for admissions, the criteria and evaluation procedures have been developed using multiple and nontraditional measures designed to identify students gifted in the arts or technology, regardless of cultural background.

Appomattox Regional Governor's School site linked here

Step 1: Awareness Session and Open House: 

Early each fall, representatives from Maggie L. Walker Governor's School and Appomattox Governor's School are invited to meet with interested students and their parents and share information about the school's academic and extracurricular programs. This informal session provides students and their parents a forum for asking questions of the Governor's Schools' staff as well as of Powhatan County students currently participating in the school's program.

Maggie L. Walker Governor's School and Appomattox Regional Governor's School hold an Open House during mid-November where prospective students and their parents may come meet teachers and students, ask questions, tour the building and receive an overview of the program and extracurricular activities offered at each Governor's School.

Step 2: Application Submission:

Students who are interested in becoming applicants from their local school division must request applications from the county's Gifted Coordinator. Students who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply:

1. Those students who have attained a score of 85% or higher on the total composite of a standardized ability or achievement test.
2. Those students who have a B average on the core subject for the 7th-grade year (according to local grading scale).
3. Students who do not meet the above criteria, but would like to be considered as an applicant due to special circumstances, must provide a letter of explanation with the application form.

Students must submit their completed application, which includes personal data, activities, and honors to the Powhatan Junior High School guidance counselor or Gifted Coordinator no later than the deadline in early December. Persons completing recommendations for the applicant must submit them to the school guidance counselor or Gifted Coordinator no later than the December deadline. The completed application packets are forwarded to the Governor's Schools' Coordinator of Admissions. No additional information from the student or parent may be added to the student's application after it has been submitted.

Note: Private school students wishing to apply to Maggie L. Walker or Appomattox Governor's Schools must obtain an application from the middle school/junior high school in the county in which they reside. Students applying through Powhatan County Public Schools must provide proof of residency prior to receiving an application.

Step 3: Assessment Sessions:

Each applicant is required to attend a regional assessment session. Only students with a valid application submitted by the Gifted Coordinator will be permitted to participate in the assessment. 

Students applying to Maggie L. Walker Governor's School are required to participate in an assessment which includes standardized ability and achievement tests, and a writing sample which will be scored on three criteria: composing, written expression and usage/mechanics.

Applicants to the Appomattox Regional Governor's School are scheduled to participate in an adjudication or portfolio review, a writing sample, and a student and parent interview.

In an emergency or extenuating circumstances, a make-up session is available. Pre-approval is required. Please submit a request to the Powhatan County Public Schools Gifted Coordinator.

Step 4: Application Evaluation and Regional Review:

A regional committee composed of members from each participating school division will evaluate all applications. The standardized tests and writing samples are evaluated by trained personnel. The other items are scored by experienced and trained teams of evaluators. A profile including assessment results is then created for each applicant. 

Following a review of the student applications/profiles, the regional committee will establish a regional minimum composite score required for admissions.

Step 5: Notification: 

All applicants who complete the admissions process will receive a letter of decision from the division's superintendent. Letters will be placed in the mail in mid-March. No information from the evaluation process will be available before this date. Students offered admissions to the Governor's Schools will be invited to "shadow" at the school and be given a due date to accept or decline the invitation.

Appeals: 

Parents/guardians who have initial questions regarding the admissions decision shall contact their local division Planning Committee member. If an understanding cannot be reached, the parents/guardians may initiate an appeal of the admissions decision by submitting a written request to the Gifted Coordinator in their home school division within 10 school days from the date on the letter of decision received from the division superintendent. The request of the parents/guardians should include specific concerns related to the application process that they would like to have considered in the review. The Gifted Coordinator will refer the appealed case to the Coordinator of Admissions and the Regional Appeals Committee.

The Regional Appeals Committee is composed of at least three members from the participating school divisions not involved in the appeal. This committee reviews all pertinent information (submitted by the application deadline) that is used to determine student admission. Appeals are heard within 20 school days of the receipt of the written request. The finding of the Regional Appeals Committee will be submitted to the division superintendent or designee who will notify the parents/guardians within 10 school days of the final decision.