Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts
Residential public school in Erie, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts (PGSA) was one of the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence, a group of five-week summer academies for gifted high school students in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The school was hosted each summer first by Bucknell University, then by Mercyhurst College.
(Seize the Day)
| Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Residential Public |
| Motto | Latin: Carpe diem (Seize the Day) |
| Established | 1973 |
| Director | Arthur Gatty, Douglas Woods |
| Grades | 11th and 12th |
| Enrollment | about 200 |
PGSA was defunded by Pennsylvania's 2009–2010 state budget.
Overview
Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts was established earliest among eight such Governor's schools. Like other Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence, PGSA operated on a state-funded, scholarship basis[1] upon its inception in 1973 under Milton Shapp.[2]
PGSA was hosted at Bucknell University in Lewisburg under the direction of Arthur Gatty, who led the program until 1988.[3] It was seen as an early leader in such programs, and among the first in the country.[4] By 1985, the school drew 225 students from 2,000 applicants.[2] In 1990, the program relocated to Mercyhurst College, in Erie.
Similar to a college experience, students took classes associated with a "major" in one of five art areas: creative writing, dance, music, theater, or visual arts.[5][6]
In addition to these classes, students selected an elective class in an art area other than their primary. Collaboration and multifaceted projects were encouraged and common. Alongside classes, nightly performances and gallery shows combined with a broad range of social activities and special events to create a unique experience similar to that of an artists' colony.
Defunding
Governor Ed Rendell's 2009–2010 budget proposed cutting funding for all the schools in the PGSE program, including PGSA.[7][8][9] The program was discontinued in 2009, after 36 years of operation.[10]
Notable alumni
- Kevin Bacon ('74)[11]
- Melinda Wagner ('74)[12]
- Richard O'Donnell ('74)[13][14]
- Aaron Jay Kernis ('75)[15]
- Megan Gallagher ('76)[16]
- Gary Schocker ('76)
- Boris Bally ('77)
- Ian Gallanar ('78)
- Suzanne Keen ('79)
- Daniel Roebuck ('79)[16]
- Alice Sebold ('79)[16]
- Julia Kasdorf ('80)[16]
- Tina Fey ('87)[17]
- Ari Hoenig ('90)[16]
- Asali Solomon ('90)
- Steven Burns ('91)[16]
- Meagan Miller ('91)[16]
- Matthew Hoch ('93)
- Zachary Quinto ('94)[18]
- Neal Dodson ('94)[19]
- Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz ('95)
- Lucas Steele (‘96)
- Stephen Karam ('97)
- Katharine Beutner ('98)
- Gillian Jacobs ('99)[16]
- Andy Mientus ('04)
- Derek Hansen ('07)
- Honey Davenport[20]
- Rebecca Wisocky[21]