The t-shirts were sorted, the
door decorations were hung, the ID badges were ready…on Opening
Day all of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts awaited the
most important part of the three-week summer program—the students!
The Resident Assistants (RAs) helped the students
and their families
get acquainted with the Residence Life side of GSA
before everyone crossed the street to the Mitchell Fine Arts Center
for an opening
ceremony.GSA Executive
Director Heather Weston Bell welcomed the Class of
2008 along with
Stephen Klein, the President of the Kentucky Center
for the
Performing Arts;
Dr. Charles Shearer, President of Transylvania
University; Lindy Casebier, the Deputy Secretary of
the Kentucky Tourism, Arts
and Heritage Cabinet; Helen Carroll, the Manager of
Community
Relations for Toyota Motor Manufacturing
Incorporated and GSA
Advisory Council Chair; and Jane Gentry Vance,
Kentucky Poet
Laureate 2007-2008. Each speaker congratulated the
students and
urged them to take advantage of every opportunity
that they will
have at GSA.
Next the parents followed their students as they went to meet their
instructors, splitting up into their respective disciplines of
Architecture, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Instrumental Music,
Musical Theatre,
New Media, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. Soon however, it was time
for the parents to say their goodbyes.
After being introduced to their studios, the students met in
their
RA groups for the first time. Although they will spend most of
their
time in their studios, RA groups offer GSA students the chance
to
get to know young artists studying disciplines other than their
own.
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| Best Job Ever: Head RA Adam Kingsley laughs with
fellow RAs during registration. |
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| Students primp between shots for the all school
photo. |
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This year over 1500 students applied for GSA, but only 241 were
selected. The faculty and staff already expected great things
from this class, but no one could have imagined that the
students would be playing name games and getting to know each
other as much as they did during the very first night! GSA
students, RAs, DAs, Faculty, and Administration all mingled
together after the all-school photo as they waited to take
pictures by discipline, RA group, and county.
Before bed, the RAs held the first hall meetings explaining
rules,
offering advice about surviving dorm life (even if it is only
three
weeks) and assuring students that an RA will be there to help
them
with anything at any time.
| Students get to know each
other on the very first night. |
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