Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2006-06-15

The 87 high school students who attend Alabama Governor's School (AGS) at Samford University June 18-30 will hear from the top officials of the state's judicial and executive branches of government.

Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Drayton Nabers, Jr., will speak during opening ceremonies Sunday, June 18, at 2:45 in Samford's Reid Chapel. Nabers' daughter, Mary Nabers Doyle, was an AGS participant in 1988.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley will speak during closing ceremonies Friday, June 30, at 10 a.m. in Reid Chapel.

During the two-week honors program for academically gifted students, the rising high school seniors will study major and minor areas of coursework. Topics include the legal process, healthcare, anatomy, research science, the arts, television news, magazine publication, photography, Alabama heroes, astronomy, fitness, urban geography, Alabama plants and animals, Euripides' Medea, web design, Southern culture and business management.

AGS students will participate in a community service project, attend a Birmingham Barons baseball game and travel to Montgomery for a production of Man of La Mancha at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. They will also attend a session on how best to successfully apply for college admission and scholarships. The schedule also includes recreational activities and a talent show.

A special "Insights" dinner on June 27 will feature speakers Pat Pelham and Elaine VanCleave, representatives of Power of One anti-poverty coalition.

This year's AGS students represent 59 high schools in 31 Alabama counties.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.