Week of June 9, 2021

Textbook Return

School resources and text return takes place on Friday, June 11, from 8 a.m. to noon for students currently on virtual learning. Resources/texts will be returned to teacher classrooms or another designated location. A comprehensive list will be available at the bluestone lobby upon check-in. If a student cannot make it to campus on Friday, June 11, they should email their teachers to make alternative arrangements the following week. For clerical purposes, we strongly encourage drop-offs on June 11. All books or other materials must be returned no later than Friday, June 18. Students present on campus will return their books over the next few weeks through their normal class schedule.

Rising Seniors, Register for Boot Camp

College Boot Camp will return to a fully in-person event in August 2021. Interested students of the class of 2022 may register at this link AND must pay on the MLWGS website by Friday, June 11. Information about fee waivers, if needed, is included within the Sign-Up Genius.

Give a Timeless Gift to Your Grad!

The Governor’s School Foundation invites families of MLWGS seniors and graduates to purchase inscribed pavers to leave a lasting tribute at the school. Pavers are a great graduation gift from parents, grandparents, or anyone trying to find something special to give their favorite graduate(s). You can purchase either a bluestone paver inside the school lobby or a brick paver to be placed on the Lombardy Street walkway. All donated funds beyond the cost of the engraving are tax-deductible.

Orders must be received by July 1. The cost is:
* $500 for an exterior brick paver (up to 3 lines of text with 13 characters/spaces per line)
*$1,000 for a bluestone lobby paver (up to 3 lines of text with 13 characters/spaces per line)

Order online or contact Ginger O'Neil.

Year-End Scrip Report

Thanks to the MLWGS parents who helped raise $1,762.33 in doing their everyday shopping and gift giving with scrip gift cards, we exceeded our fundraising goal. Please continue to shop online over the summer, and look for details on next year's schedule in the back-to-school packets.

Athletics

Any student interested in athletics at Maggie Walker for 2021-2022 must email a Virginia High School League physical in PDF format ONLY to the following emails: phawkins@gsgis.k12.va.us and cturnbow@gsgis.k12.va.us. All try-out/start dates can be found here. 

Week of April 22, 2020

AP EXAM UPDATE

As you know, AP exams have moved to 100% at-home administration this year. The schedule of AP exams has changed and will begin May 11. Dr. Loving sent a detailed email about the changes on April 3 and the College Board has been in touch with AP testers.

If any student wishes to cancel an AP exam, the College Board has waived the cancellation fee. To cancel an exam and initiate a refund, visit the link below and complete the Google Form.

Please contact Dr. Loving with questions about AP exams.





ATTENTION JUNIORS AND PARENTS!



Registration for College Application Boot Camp is open as of April 16! Emails with instructions were sent to juniors and parents at the start of registration.

The mission of College Boot Camp is to provide rising seniors the space and time to complete their Common Application and/or Coalition Application (and/or other application of their choice) before the start of the school year. Boot Camp will be held August 24-26, 2020. A morning (9 a.m.-12 p.m.) and afternoon session (1-4 p.m.) will be offered. College Boot Camp is an optional fee-based workshop led by the senior counselors. The cost of Boot Camp is $55 and this fee will not be collected until August. Fee waivers are available if paying for Boot Camp would be an obstacle. Please email Kierstin Streitel with any questions or if you would like to request a fee waiver. Registration will close on May 31. Registration operates on a “first come, first served” basis, so if you are interested in attending please register as soon as possible.

More information about College Boot Camp: The MLWGS Senior Counselors will provide a structured curriculum over three, three-hour sessions with specific tips and personal assistance at every step. College Boot Camp is designed to walk students through each section of the Common Application and/or Coalition Application and provide them with the resources to complete each section during the program. A guest speaker will address the essay specifically, and the students should leave the Boot Camp with their Common App primary essay (or other essay of their choice) in a completed draft form. There will be some group discussion, peer editing, quiet individual work time, and one-on-one consultations. The Boot Camp will also touch on college-specific supplements and popular institutional applications. Topics can be adjusted based on the needs of the group.

We are very hopeful that we will be able to come together as a group for Boot Camp in August; however, if that is not the case, we will be making adjustments in order to still provide Boot Camp via video conference, etc. In the event that we need to switch formats, the cost of the program will be lowered. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

We can't wait to see you all again in person!

MLWGS Senior Counselors

METRO RICHMOND REGIONAL STEM FAIR WINNER! 

Perisa Ashar (Henrico '21) presented her research on lung cancer at the Metro Richmond Regional STEM Fair on the topic: "Development of a Novel miRNA Biomarker Panel for Treatment and Rapid Identification of Lung Cancer by Blood Tests Utilizing Next-Generation Sequencing, Computational, and In-Vitro Analyses." She won first place in Biochemistry in the senior division. 

Additionally, Perisa won the International Science and Engineering Fair Finalists award, the Yale Science and Engineering award (at the Metro Richmond STEM Fair), presented her research at the Virginia State Junior Science and Humanities Symposium where she won third place and will be presenting at the National JSHS symposium, the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair, and the Virginia Junior Academy of Science.

Week of April 15, 2020

2020-21 MLWGS SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL  

Looking for student and parent volunteers! The MLWGS School Advisory Council (SAC) currently has both student and parent openings for the 2020-2021 school year. To learn more about the SAC, please visit THIS LINK.

Students must be rising juniors, have no honor code violations, a minimum GPA of 3.3, show a demonstrated commitment to MLWGS, and be willing to serve a 2-year term. If interested, please contact Mr. Dan Brown who will send you an application. Any parent PTSA member may be on SAC (except for current PTSA Board members); parents serve a 3-year term. If you are interested in becoming a parent member, would like to nominate someone, or would like to learn more, please contact Karen Townsend. SAC is requesting to receive all expressions of interest no later than Friday, April 17.

SENIOR SURVEY IS OPEN

The senior survey is now available on Naviance and must be completed by 

May 6 as a part of the official check-out process. This survey will give the senior counselors information about each student’s post-graduation plans, which is critical so that we know where to send your transcript in June. We still plan to recognize seniors in some way for the scholarships you have received (even if you are turning them down in some cases), so the survey will ask you for that information as well. We find this information helpful so that we can stay abreast of institutions’ awarding trends. To access the survey, students should go to Naviance and click the senior survey link under “About Me.” When completed, select “Save and Finish.” If a student changes his/her college decision or receives a scholarship after submitting the form, please notify his/her senior counselor by e-mail. Please contact Dr. Loving if you have any questions.

ATTENTION JUNIORS: COLLEGE APPLICATION BOOT CAMP

Registration for College Application Boot Camp is open as of April 16! Emails with instructions were sent to juniors and parents at the start of registration.

The mission of College Boot Camp is to provide rising seniors the space and time to complete their Common Application and/or Coalition Application (and/or other application of their choice) before the start of the school year. Boot Camp will be held from August 24-26, 2020. Morning (9 a.m.-12 p.m.) and afternoon (1-4 p.m.) sessions will be offered. College Boot Camp is an optional fee-based workshop led by the senior counselors. The cost of Boot Camp is $55 and this fee will not be collected until August. Fee waivers are available if paying for Boot Camp would be an obstacle. Please email Kierstin Streitel with any questions or to request a fee waiver. Registration will close on May 31. Registration operates on a “first come, first served” basis, so if you are interested in attending, please register as soon as possible.

The MLWGS Senior Counselors will provide a structured curriculum over three, three-hour sessions with specific tips and personal assistance at every step. College Boot Camp is designed to walk students through each section of the Common Application and/or Coalition Application and provide them with the resources to complete each section during the program. A guest speaker will address the essay specifically, and the students should leave the Boot Camp with their Common App primary essay (or other essay of their choice) in a completed draft form. There will be some group discussion, peer editing, quiet individual work time, and one-on-one consultations. The Boot Camp will also touch on college-specific supplements and popular institutional applications. Topics can be adjusted based on the needs of the group.

We are very hopeful that we will be able to come together as a group for Boot Camp in August; however, if that is not the case, we will be making adjustments in order to still provide Boot Camp via video conference, etc. In the event that we need to switch formats, the cost of the program will be lowered. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

We can't wait to see you all again in person!

MLWGS Senior Counselors

GRASP ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE

Class of 2020 high school seniors have been dealt a major blow by the upheaval of traditional senior year events caused by the COVID-19 impact. For many of these seniors, college plans that once seemed certain are now in limbo, in part, because of the current financial uncertainty of their lives. Figuring out the next steps to achieve their college goals is daunting but doable, and GRASP (www.grasp4va.org), a Virginia career/college access non-profit organization, is available NOW to provide assistance, hope and encouragement needed to ensure career and college access for all, especially during these uncertain times.

GRASP services, which are free of charge, include assistance with FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completion, assistance with understanding financial aid award letters, as well as assistance with the process for requesting Professional Judgement for financial aid adjustments if the family income situation has changed. Despite today’s obstacles, GRASP is available and ready to provide hope and to guide students to the educational paths that will allow them to forge fulfilling lives.

Although the COVID-19 virus has disrupted in-person GRASP services, our FAFSA/financial aid services are available by email (pfeyerabend@grasp4va.org) and by phone (804-527-7741). For students who have already worked with a GRASP advisor this academic year, invitations are being sent to participate in a texting option for assistance. Please contact us if you need assistance with your post-secondary education plans. There is hope for your future!

DRAGONS WIN SABR ANALYTICS FOR A FOURTH TIME

For the fourth year in a row, a team representing MLWGS garnered first-place honors at the SABR Analytics Diamond Dollars Case Competition in Phoenix, AZ. This contest pits students from colleges across the country against each other in an analytic major league baseball operations decision — the type of decision a team’s general manager and staff face over the course of a season. The first-place team consisted of MLWGS alums Tom Blue (’19), Nicolas Ferree (’19), Dom Gammino (’19) and David Winters (’19).

This competition was held on March 13-15, 2020.

Congratulations to Mr. Benesh, team sponsor, for your dedication to this program.

MW WINS GOVERNOR'S CHALLENGE 

The Virginia Governor’s Challenge is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their economic literacy while competing with other students across the state. Teams of three to four students in two divisions complete online exams that may qualify them for exciting championship competition.

Due to school closings, the in-person state championship event was canceled. Winners were determined using the online competition scores only.

VIRGINIA STATE WINNER IN THE DAVID RICARDO DIVISION

Maggie Walker Governor’s School, Richmond City, Teacher: Allison Anthony

Students: Ronit Jain (Henrico '22), Michael Kish (Henrico '22), Abhay Duggirala (Henrico '22), Sam Lichtman (Henrico '22)

DOE Region #1 Winner

Maggie Walker Governor’s School, Richmond City, Teacher: Allison Anthony

Students: Ronit Jain, Michael Kish, Abhay Duggirala, Sam Lichtman

Week of April 25, 2018

MLWGS DRAMA CLUB PRESENTS: 2018 SPRING ONE-ACTS FESTIVAL

An Evening of Student-Directed Short Plays April 26-28

This year's One-Acts Festival will be held on April 26, 27, and 28 at 7:00 p.m. in the Black Box Theater and features three student-directed short plays. Additionally, two of these productions will be premieres as they are original scripts written or adapted by MLWGS students. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door.  Please join us for the following productions:

Clue: The Movie- adapted and directed by Clara Studdard ('18, Richmond)

A Game- directed by Amarah Ennis ('19, Chesterfield)

Galois- written and directed by Olivia Youmans ('20, Chesterfield)

Please contact maggielwalkerdrama@gmail.com with any questions.





STRESS LESS, LAUGH MORE WEEK! 

April 30 – May 4, 2018

Stress Less, Laugh More Week is an event designed to provide some fun and relaxation for our students prior to AP exams and the spring SOL assessments. It is being sponsored by Lisa Ebeling, School Psychologist and Paige Hawkins, Activities Director. A committee of students have worked with Mrs. Ebeling and Ms. Hawkins on generating ideas for this event. During lunch, our students can look forward to a Lip Sync Battle, treats at lunch, a visit with therapy dogs, and some other entertaining activities. Please note that in order for students to visit with the therapy dogs on May 4, they MUST have the attached permission form signed by a parent and returned to the school counseling office by May 3. Questions? Contact Lisa Ebeling at lebeling@gsgis.k12.va.us.

PROM AND FORMAL WEAR DRIVE

Do you have any gently used cotillion or prom dresses? Any outgrown blue blazers, suits, or ties? The Junior Class is sponsoring a community service project in conjunction with Prom. Charterhouse School is a year-round school affiliated with the foster care program at UMFS. The kids at Charterhouse are residents of the Child and Family Healing Program, and their prom is organized by volunteers and outreach programs through UMFS. They rely on donations for prom-wear. The Junior class is sponsoring a prom/cotillion dress (short or long), suit/blazer and tie drive for the kids at Charterhouse School for their prom, which is May 11. There is a rack in the athletic hall for people to put their donations. Please make sure all donations are gently used, clean, and on a hanger. The Junior class will be collecting donations through by May 1. Please consider surveying your kids' closets. These donations make a big difference for the kids at Charterhouse.

Any questions, please contact Michael Schweiker, mschweiker19@gmail.com

www.charterhouseschool.org/locations/#block-richmond-locations

ATTENTION SENIOR PARENTS

The April issue of the Senior Newsletter is now available! Please read for important upcoming deadlines.

ATTENTION JUNIORS AND PARENTS

Registration for the College Application Boot Camp is open as of April 24! The mission of College Boot Camp is to provide rising seniors the space and time to complete their Common Application (or other application of their choice) before the start of the school year. Boot Camp will be held from August 14-16, 2018. A morning (9 a.m.-12 p.m.) and afternoon (1-4 p.m.) session will be offered. College Boot Camp is an optional fee-based workshop led by the senior counselors. The cost of Boot Camp is $55. Fee waivers are available if paying for Boot Camp would be an obstacle. Please contact Kierstin Streitel in the Counseling Office with any questions. Registration will close on May 31. Registration operates on a “first come, first served” basis, so if you are interested in attending please register ASAP.

Click on the link to register: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0d4fabae28a5fe3-college

More information about College Boot Camp: The MLWGS Senior Counselors will provide a structured curriculum over three, three-hour sessions with specific tips and personal assistance at every step. College Boot Camp is designed to walk students through each section of the Common Application and provide them with the resources to complete each section during the program. A guest speaker will address the essay specifically, and the students should leave the Boot Camp with their Common App primary essay (or other essay of their choice) in a completed draft form. There will be some group discussion, peer editing, quiet individual work time, and one-on-one consultations. The Boot Camp will also touch on college-specific supplements and popular non-Common App applications. Topics can be adjusted based on the needs of the group.





NEWS FROM THE GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Grandparents and Special Friends Day 

We are happy to report that we had more than a hundred attendees at this year's Grandparents and Special Friends Day, sponsored by the MLWGS Foundation. We loved being able to welcome grandparents who were setting foot in the school for the first time as well as others who were attending for a second, third, fourth, or even eighth time! Some came from as far as Chicago! Thanks go to the Foundation's Events Committee for putting on a beautiful event, to Dr. Lowerre for welcoming all our visitors, and to the Deadbeats for their fantastic performance. You can find pictures from the reception on our Facebook page.

Don't Miss the 2018 Day of the Dragon- Tuesday May 1

On Tuesday, May 1, the Governor's School Foundation is hosting the first ever Day of the Dragon- a full day dedicated to celebrating the good work of the Governor's School and promoting Foundation support. The Foundation will kick off the Day of the Dragon with a special breakfast honoring our newly launched Legacy Circle, which recognizes Foundation contributors who have given more than $25,000 cumulatively throughout the history of the school. Other activities throughout the day include an ice cream social study break for MLWGS students, a phone-a-thon/thank you note writing party after school, and an alumni happy hour that evening under the lights of the Byrd Marquee which will recognize MLWGS! And throughout the day, we will be busy sharing information about the Foundation's many efforts to strengthen the academic experience for our students, and garnering support for our 2017-2018 Annual Fund Campaign.

How can you make the 2018 Day of the Dragon a success?

Make a gift to the 2017-18 Annual Fund Campaign at https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/GSGISFFoundationGovernorsS/annualfundgift.html 

Volunteer at the Parent/Student Phone-a-thon/ Thank You Note Writing Party- 3:45- 7:45 pm (contact sstora@MLWGSFoundation.org to volunteer) 

Like the Governor's School Foundation's Facebook Page- https://www.facebook.com/MLWGSFoundation/ 

So far this year, the Foundation's 2017-18 Annual Fund Campaign has raised $273,906. 32% of current parents have donated a total of $62,956. In our strongest fundraising years, parent participation has reached 70% so we still have a long way to go! Here is the parent participation by class as of April 10:

Senior: 27%
Junior: 39%
Sophomore: 30%
Freshmen: 33% 

And keep spreading the word! Parent support is critical to our success!