On Friday, December 2, history teacher Bill Quigley celebrated the publication of his new book, Pure Heart: The Faith of a Father and Son in the War for a More Perfect Union with a book signing and reading on campus.

The greater Governor’s community gathered in the Bergmann Theater to listen to Mr. Quigley discuss how his book came about, his writing process, and the history behind the men in the book and their importance in history. Afterward, Mr. Quigley signed books for a sizeable crowd!

Pure Heart, published by Kent State University Press, had its beginnings right here on the campus.  More than 20 years ago, history teachers Babe Ceglarski and Bill Quigley discovered a trove of old documents while rescuing boxes from a flooding basement in the Frost Building. Inside were pressed wildflowers from Civil War battlefields, pencil and ink sketches of soldiers and their camps, and twenty letters written by a Civil War soldier to his father, the rector of Philadelphia’s historic Christ Church. Who were these men? What is their importance in our country’s history? And how did the letters end up here in South Byfield?

Quigley’s research and writing over the past dozen years unearthed a series of fascinating discoveries and an archetypal case of the Union in the Civil War.

Congratulations, Mr. Quigley!

To learn more about Pure Heart, Bill Quigley, and upcoming book signings, visit Mr. Quigley’s website, here. 

Mrs. Stickney’s chemistry class recently worked with Mr. Oxton’s photography class to test a “green” developer in the Academy' darkroom. Developer is one of the chemicals that helps produce a printed image. 

When Mrs. Stickney’s chemistry class was researching types of chemical reactions, developing photos came up as an example of a chemical reaction. Her class decided to collaborate with Mr. Oxton’s photography class to test a green developer. 

The chemistry class produced two types of developer- one using vitamin C and one that used instant coffee. The class simplified the chemistry a bit, but discussed the transfer of electrons, why red lights are used in the dark room, and were able to develop the photos taken using their own developer! 
 
Learn more about our science classes here and our art program here.

Photos of photography students developed using the green developer. 

The annual Scholastic Art and Writing award winners were announced last week and students at The Governor’s Academy earned a combined total of 104 total awards in art and writing.

Governor’s students won an impressive 62 art awards and 42 writing awards. 

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program is the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative high school students in the United States. Work is judged on originality, technical skill, and emergence of a personal voice or vision.

Governor’s students topped all independent schools in Massachusetts in the Scholastic Art awards competition. Students at Govs have received the most awards in the competition for seven of the last nine years.

The art awards are broken down by gold keys, silver keys, and honorable mentions. Govs students collected a remarkable 14 gold keys, 22 silver keys, and 26 honorable mentions.

The gold key recipients in art are: Jin Kang ’17, Abigail Bashaw ’17, Alex Eliasen ’17, Lia Swiniarski ’17, Jin Kang ’17, Joonwoo Baik ’18, Kevin Zou ’18, Maeve Corbett ’18, Becca Schwartz ’18, Kevin Zou ’18, Josephine Azarovitz ’17, Alexander Berzansky ’17, Jihyun Kim ’17, and Jack Norton ’17.

For the complete list of art award winners, please click here.

To view all of the award-winning artwork, please click here. 

The writing awards are also broken down by gold keys, silver keys, and honorable mentions. Govs student writers collected 42 total writing awards, one of which includes an American Visions and Voices medal.

Only five students' work is selected from each of the regions of the United States to win an American Visions and Voices medal. Maeve Corbett ’18 won one of the national medals for her personal essay/memoir, You Are Not Snow; A Letter to my Future Daughter.

Seven student writers won gold key awards (the American Visions and Voices award is also a gold key), 14 students won silver key awards, and 21 students won honorable mentions for their writing.

The gold key recipients in writing are: Maeve Corbett ’18 (two gold keys), Afoma Maduegbuna ‘17 (two gold keys), Jade Fiorilla ’17, Harrison Tuttle ’18, and Hannah Walsh ’18.

To read three gold key award-winning writing pieces, please click here.

Please click here for the complete list of writing award winners.

Congratulations to all of our talented art and writing award-winning students!

Cover image: Painting by Charlotte Collins '18 

Ms. Honorato’s mathematics class has been collaborating with Mrs. Okula’s AP Ceramics class during several class sessions to create ceramic mugs.

The two classes first met to produce a 2D net of the ceramic mugs they would create together. A 2D net is a two-dimensional shape that can be folded to form a three-dimensional shape. It is also a pattern made when the surface of a three-dimensional figure is laid out flat showing each face of the figure. 

The classes worked together to make their constructions using compasses, rulers, paper, and scissors. During their next class session together, they will be creating the ceramic mugs from their 2D nets.

Learn more about our science classes here and our art program here.

To see more photos from the first class session, click here.

Three Governor’s students won National Medals in the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Maeve Corbett ‘18 of Beverly, MA won two National Medals for writing - a Gold Medal for her poem, and a distinctive American Voices Award for a personal essay. Maeve is the only student in Massachusetts to earn an American Voices Award for writing this year. 

Afoma Maduegbuna ‘17 of Mohegan Lake, NY won two Silver Medals for writing (Dramatic Script, Personal Essay) and Kevin Zou ‘18 of Somerville, MA won a Gold Medal for photography. This is the most National Medals that Govs students have earned in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition in one year. 

Only 114 Massachusetts high school students earned National Medals for their writing or art this year (85 in art, 29 in writing). Govs students won 5 of the 22 National Awards given to students from independent high schools in Massachusetts. No other independent high school earned more than three National Medals. 26 Govs students have won National Medals in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition since 1999. (20 in art, six in writing).

Congratulations to Maeve, Afoma, and Kevin!

Kevin Zou '18 Gold Medal for photography, "The Other Side"

To read about our 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing award winners, click here.

A generous gift from Tim and Emily Collins P’18 has enabled The Governor’s Academy to install solar panels on the Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts.

The environmental impact of having solar panels on the Wilkie Center is substantial. They will provide a reduced, more stable, and predictable electricity rate while eliminating harmful carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. This furthers the Academy’s commitment to its mission to reduce its ecological footprint by developing a greener campus.

The solar panels on Wilkie will offset the yearly carbon dioxide emissions from 4,150 gallons of gasoline, 85 barrels of oil consumed, 39,356 pounds of coal burned, and 1,508 propane cylinders used.  

Of their gift, the Collins’ said, “We are pleased to be able to provide support to this solar array at The Governor’s Academy. We are firm believers that it is critically important for alternative energies to be embraced and supported so that, over time, they become mainstream. We see assisting Govs with this array as a win/win – we are able to help the school which our daughter is attending and also expose many students to solar. We’re hoping that walking by the panels every day will help students to think of solar power as something that it is ‘obvious’ to consider in future for use in the home or office, rather than something that is ‘uncommon’ and therefore doesn’t get considered.”

The Wilkie Center is the second building on campus to feature a solar array. The Alumni Gymnasium has had solar panels on its roof since 2010. To see the impressive energy production and contribution that the solar panels make each day, click here.

In May, two Governor’s seniors will present their research papers on historical subjects of local interest at the Museum of Old Newbury.

Jack Norton ’17 and Lia Swiniarski ’17 will present their papers researched and written for their Advanced Placement U.S. History class with Mr. Quigley. See and hear what high school students can make of history by examining original sources as well as scholars' works.

The student symposium will take place on Thursday, May 4 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Museum of Old Newbury in Newburyport, MA. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

For more information on the student symposium, you may visit the Museum of Old Newbury’s website, here.

"Honorable & Glorious: The Birthplace of America's Navy" by Jack Norton '17

Six different places claim the historic and patriotic distinction of being the birthplace of the U.S. Navy: Skenesborough (now Whitehall), NY; Machias, ME; Providence, RI; Philadelphia, PA; Beverly, MA; Marblehead, MA. But which of those claims is true? Which place, akin to Boston's unrivaled fame as the cradle of American liberty, is the berth of the American Navy? 

Jack Norton, a native of Beverly and a senior at The Governor's Academy, enjoys the outdoors, ceramics, acting, and singing. Jack's research took him to the National Archives, where he was assisted by the Archivist of the U.S.

"Freemasonry's Influence on the Values & Principles of America's Government" by Lia Swiniarski '17

The American Revolution caused divided loyalties between colonial Freemasons. A minority of America’s Founders were Freemasons, but that minority significantly influenced the framing and ratification of the Constitution of the United States, which embodies Freemasonry’s core principles of the brotherhood and equality of all men as well as Masonic concepts of religious toleration, representative democracy, and federalism.

Lia Swiniarski, a lifelong resident of Byfield and now a senior at The Governor's Academy, enjoys history and the humanities as well as photography and community service. Her research included archival materials at the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts in Boston.

On Sunday, May 28, The Governor’s Academy held its 254th Commencement exercises and watched yet another class of graduates make the jump over the wall. The jumping of the wall, where graduates literally jump over the wall behind the Mansion House, has been our tradition since the 1950's and continues to be a treasured and significant ritual for each graduating class.  

After spending a few last moments lingering with faculty in the shadow of the Little Red Schoolhouse, friends join hands and take that metaphoric, and often courageous leap into the next chapter of their lives.

Delivering the Commencement address this year was Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.)

General Cheney served in the Unites States Marine Corps for 30 years, retiring from active duty in 2001 from his position of Commanding General of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. During his distinguished military career he also served as: Deputy Executive Secretary to Defense Secretaries Cheney and Aspin; ground plans officer for Drug Enforcement Policy in the Pentagon; liaison to the Congressional Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces; and Inspector General of the Marine Corps.

In 2006, General Cheney joined the board of the American Security Project, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating the American public and the world about the changing nature of national security in the 21^st Century. General Cheney now serves as the organization’s chief executive officer. He has been recognized nationally for his leadership in recognizing climate change as a national and global security issue.  

As a long-time public servant and member of the armed forces, General Cheney delivered an address that spoke to both Memorial Day and our school motto, Non Sibi Sed Aliis.

The Thorndike Hilton Cup, “awarded to the highest ranking scholar of the graduating class,” was presented to Ming Zhu of Shanghai, China.

The Morse Flag, which is presented each year “to a senior whose record in all respects meets the highest approval of the faculty “ was awarded to Melissa Cortes, of South Bound Brook, New Jersey.

The Academy Prize was presented to Alexis Quirk of Topsfield, Massachusetts. This prize is “awarded to a senior whose unselfishness and sportsmanship have best exemplified the spirit of the school.”

Chloe Quigley, of Barrington, Illinois was the recipient of the Peter W. Bragdon Head of School Cup, which is “given to that senior, who in the judgment of the Head of School, serves the mission of the school.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2017!

To view the photos of the weekend’s events, click here. 

This past week our fall athletic schedule ended, and it was a great season for Govs.

Leading the way was our varsity field hockey team who were seeded 2nd in the NEPSAC Class B tournament. Having beaten Hopkins School and St. Mark’s School in the quarter and semifinals, respectively, our team faced Middlesex in the finals on Sunday. The girls fought through the bitter cold in western Massachusetts, leading 2-1 at half time and emerging as New England Champions after a 3-1 victory.

A BIG congratulations to the varsity field hockey team- NEPSAC Class B Champions! Go Govs!

On Friday, December 2, history teacher Bill Quigley celebrated the publication of his new book, Pure Heart: The Faith of a Father and Son in the War for a More Perfect Union with a book signing and reading on campus.

The greater Governor’s community gathered in the Bergmann Theater to listen to Mr. Quigley discuss how his book came about, his writing process, and the history behind the men in the book and their importance in history. Afterward, Mr. Quigley signed books for a sizeable crowd!

Pure Heart, published by Kent State University Press, had its beginnings right here on the campus.  More than 20 years ago, history teachers Babe Ceglarski and Bill Quigley discovered a trove of old documents while rescuing boxes from a flooding basement in the Frost Building. Inside were pressed wildflowers from Civil War battlefields, pencil and ink sketches of soldiers and their camps, and twenty letters written by a Civil War soldier to his father, the rector of Philadelphia’s historic Christ Church. Who were these men? What is their importance in our country’s history? And how did the letters end up here in South Byfield?

Quigley’s research and writing over the past dozen years unearthed a series of fascinating discoveries and an archetypal case of the Union in the Civil War.

Congratulations, Mr. Quigley!

To learn more about Pure Heart, Bill Quigley, and upcoming book signings, visit Mr. Quigley’s website, here. 

Mrs. Stickney’s chemistry class recently worked with Mr. Oxton’s photography class to test a “green” developer in the Academy' darkroom. Developer is one of the chemicals that helps produce a printed image. 

When Mrs. Stickney’s chemistry class was researching types of chemical reactions, developing photos came up as an example of a chemical reaction. Her class decided to collaborate with Mr. Oxton’s photography class to test a green developer. 

The chemistry class produced two types of developer- one using vitamin C and one that used instant coffee. The class simplified the chemistry a bit, but discussed the transfer of electrons, why red lights are used in the dark room, and were able to develop the photos taken using their own developer! 
 
Learn more about our science classes here and our art program here.

Photos of photography students developed using the green developer. 

The annual Scholastic Art and Writing award winners were announced last week and students at The Governor’s Academy earned a combined total of 104 total awards in art and writing.

Governor’s students won an impressive 62 art awards and 42 writing awards. 

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program is the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative high school students in the United States. Work is judged on originality, technical skill, and emergence of a personal voice or vision.

Governor’s students topped all independent schools in Massachusetts in the Scholastic Art awards competition. Students at Govs have received the most awards in the competition for seven of the last nine years.

The art awards are broken down by gold keys, silver keys, and honorable mentions. Govs students collected a remarkable 14 gold keys, 22 silver keys, and 26 honorable mentions.

The gold key recipients in art are: Jin Kang ’17, Abigail Bashaw ’17, Alex Eliasen ’17, Lia Swiniarski ’17, Jin Kang ’17, Joonwoo Baik ’18, Kevin Zou ’18, Maeve Corbett ’18, Becca Schwartz ’18, Kevin Zou ’18, Josephine Azarovitz ’17, Alexander Berzansky ’17, Jihyun Kim ’17, and Jack Norton ’17.

For the complete list of art award winners, please click here.

To view all of the award-winning artwork, please click here. 

The writing awards are also broken down by gold keys, silver keys, and honorable mentions. Govs student writers collected 42 total writing awards, one of which includes an American Visions and Voices medal.

Only five students' work is selected from each of the regions of the United States to win an American Visions and Voices medal. Maeve Corbett ’18 won one of the national medals for her personal essay/memoir, You Are Not Snow; A Letter to my Future Daughter.

Seven student writers won gold key awards (the American Visions and Voices award is also a gold key), 14 students won silver key awards, and 21 students won honorable mentions for their writing.

The gold key recipients in writing are: Maeve Corbett ’18 (two gold keys), Afoma Maduegbuna ‘17 (two gold keys), Jade Fiorilla ’17, Harrison Tuttle ’18, and Hannah Walsh ’18.

To read three gold key award-winning writing pieces, please click here.

Please click here for the complete list of writing award winners.

Congratulations to all of our talented art and writing award-winning students!

Cover image: Painting by Charlotte Collins '18 

Ms. Honorato’s mathematics class has been collaborating with Mrs. Okula’s AP Ceramics class during several class sessions to create ceramic mugs.

The two classes first met to produce a 2D net of the ceramic mugs they would create together. A 2D net is a two-dimensional shape that can be folded to form a three-dimensional shape. It is also a pattern made when the surface of a three-dimensional figure is laid out flat showing each face of the figure. 

The classes worked together to make their constructions using compasses, rulers, paper, and scissors. During their next class session together, they will be creating the ceramic mugs from their 2D nets.

Learn more about our science classes here and our art program here.

To see more photos from the first class session, click here.

Three Governor’s students won National Medals in the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Maeve Corbett ‘18 of Beverly, MA won two National Medals for writing - a Gold Medal for her poem, and a distinctive American Voices Award for a personal essay. Maeve is the only student in Massachusetts to earn an American Voices Award for writing this year. 

Afoma Maduegbuna ‘17 of Mohegan Lake, NY won two Silver Medals for writing (Dramatic Script, Personal Essay) and Kevin Zou ‘18 of Somerville, MA won a Gold Medal for photography. This is the most National Medals that Govs students have earned in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition in one year. 

Only 114 Massachusetts high school students earned National Medals for their writing or art this year (85 in art, 29 in writing). Govs students won 5 of the 22 National Awards given to students from independent high schools in Massachusetts. No other independent high school earned more than three National Medals. 26 Govs students have won National Medals in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition since 1999. (20 in art, six in writing).

Congratulations to Maeve, Afoma, and Kevin!

Kevin Zou '18 Gold Medal for photography, "The Other Side"

To read about our 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing award winners, click here.

A generous gift from Tim and Emily Collins P’18 has enabled The Governor’s Academy to install solar panels on the Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts.

The environmental impact of having solar panels on the Wilkie Center is substantial. They will provide a reduced, more stable, and predictable electricity rate while eliminating harmful carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. This furthers the Academy’s commitment to its mission to reduce its ecological footprint by developing a greener campus.

The solar panels on Wilkie will offset the yearly carbon dioxide emissions from 4,150 gallons of gasoline, 85 barrels of oil consumed, 39,356 pounds of coal burned, and 1,508 propane cylinders used.  

Of their gift, the Collins’ said, “We are pleased to be able to provide support to this solar array at The Governor’s Academy. We are firm believers that it is critically important for alternative energies to be embraced and supported so that, over time, they become mainstream. We see assisting Govs with this array as a win/win – we are able to help the school which our daughter is attending and also expose many students to solar. We’re hoping that walking by the panels every day will help students to think of solar power as something that it is ‘obvious’ to consider in future for use in the home or office, rather than something that is ‘uncommon’ and therefore doesn’t get considered.”

The Wilkie Center is the second building on campus to feature a solar array. The Alumni Gymnasium has had solar panels on its roof since 2010. To see the impressive energy production and contribution that the solar panels make each day, click here.

In May, two Governor’s seniors will present their research papers on historical subjects of local interest at the Museum of Old Newbury.

Jack Norton ’17 and Lia Swiniarski ’17 will present their papers researched and written for their Advanced Placement U.S. History class with Mr. Quigley. See and hear what high school students can make of history by examining original sources as well as scholars' works.

The student symposium will take place on Thursday, May 4 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Museum of Old Newbury in Newburyport, MA. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

For more information on the student symposium, you may visit the Museum of Old Newbury’s website, here.

"Honorable & Glorious: The Birthplace of America's Navy" by Jack Norton '17

Six different places claim the historic and patriotic distinction of being the birthplace of the U.S. Navy: Skenesborough (now Whitehall), NY; Machias, ME; Providence, RI; Philadelphia, PA; Beverly, MA; Marblehead, MA. But which of those claims is true? Which place, akin to Boston's unrivaled fame as the cradle of American liberty, is the berth of the American Navy? 

Jack Norton, a native of Beverly and a senior at The Governor's Academy, enjoys the outdoors, ceramics, acting, and singing. Jack's research took him to the National Archives, where he was assisted by the Archivist of the U.S.

"Freemasonry's Influence on the Values & Principles of America's Government" by Lia Swiniarski '17

The American Revolution caused divided loyalties between colonial Freemasons. A minority of America’s Founders were Freemasons, but that minority significantly influenced the framing and ratification of the Constitution of the United States, which embodies Freemasonry’s core principles of the brotherhood and equality of all men as well as Masonic concepts of religious toleration, representative democracy, and federalism.

Lia Swiniarski, a lifelong resident of Byfield and now a senior at The Governor's Academy, enjoys history and the humanities as well as photography and community service. Her research included archival materials at the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts in Boston.

On Sunday, May 28, The Governor’s Academy held its 254th Commencement exercises and watched yet another class of graduates make the jump over the wall. The jumping of the wall, where graduates literally jump over the wall behind the Mansion House, has been our tradition since the 1950's and continues to be a treasured and significant ritual for each graduating class.  

After spending a few last moments lingering with faculty in the shadow of the Little Red Schoolhouse, friends join hands and take that metaphoric, and often courageous leap into the next chapter of their lives.

Delivering the Commencement address this year was Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.)

General Cheney served in the Unites States Marine Corps for 30 years, retiring from active duty in 2001 from his position of Commanding General of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. During his distinguished military career he also served as: Deputy Executive Secretary to Defense Secretaries Cheney and Aspin; ground plans officer for Drug Enforcement Policy in the Pentagon; liaison to the Congressional Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces; and Inspector General of the Marine Corps.

In 2006, General Cheney joined the board of the American Security Project, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating the American public and the world about the changing nature of national security in the 21^st Century. General Cheney now serves as the organization’s chief executive officer. He has been recognized nationally for his leadership in recognizing climate change as a national and global security issue.  

As a long-time public servant and member of the armed forces, General Cheney delivered an address that spoke to both Memorial Day and our school motto, Non Sibi Sed Aliis.

The Thorndike Hilton Cup, “awarded to the highest ranking scholar of the graduating class,” was presented to Ming Zhu of Shanghai, China.

The Morse Flag, which is presented each year “to a senior whose record in all respects meets the highest approval of the faculty “ was awarded to Melissa Cortes, of South Bound Brook, New Jersey.

The Academy Prize was presented to Alexis Quirk of Topsfield, Massachusetts. This prize is “awarded to a senior whose unselfishness and sportsmanship have best exemplified the spirit of the school.”

Chloe Quigley, of Barrington, Illinois was the recipient of the Peter W. Bragdon Head of School Cup, which is “given to that senior, who in the judgment of the Head of School, serves the mission of the school.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2017!

To view the photos of the weekend’s events, click here. 

Three rising seniors have been on the Govs campus the past six Fridays working alongside engineering teacher Marcus Soule on a special project. Kyra Steck ’18, Nathan Bargman ’18, and David Wilson ’18 have been working under the guidance of Soule to build a beehive monitoring system.

The apparatus, built through wiring, soldering and coding, will have the ability to measure both the internal and external temperature and humidity of the hive, as well as its overall weight. The data collected by built-in sensors will then be transmitted via Wi-Fi to a database server so that students and faculty have the ability to view live updates as well as observe the changes the hive undergoes. Finally, in an effort to adhere with the Academy’s green-energy initiative, the system is entirely solar powered.

Bargman and Wilson were approached by Soule to join the project for their coding and wiring skills, while Steck was asked to join as the group’s resident bee expert. Once the proposal and agenda for the project was set, it was broken up into a few major categories. Steck took the lead on documentation, website creation, and solar energy; Bargman mastered the load cells to accurately measure the weight of the hive, as well as data transmission; and Wilson headed the effort to code all sensors. When reflecting on his experience, Wilson shared that he “learned a lot about how to program microcontrollers and sensors...it’s been a great few weeks.”

While this project has only been on the minds of the students since April, it’s been a dream of Soule’s for much longer. As an avid reader of Make Magazine, Soule read an article titled The Internet of Bees by Nathan Seidle, a piece dedicated to documenting and explaining Seidle’s process in creating his own beehive monitoring system. To Soule’s estimation, this occurred over three years ago. “I’ve never forgotten that article,” says Soule. “It’s always something I’ve wanted to do.” This year, with the help of Roberta McLain, science teacher and campus apiarist, his vision became a reality.

The inception and planning of the project was fairly simple. Its execution, however, was been anything but. Over the course of six weeks, the group faced new, confusing and frustrating challenges everyday - challenges of equipment availability, compatibility, coding and software. "At first the Load Cells [instruments for measuring mass] wouldn’t physically fit into the other pieces we bought. It took a while to figure out the issue, but eventually we were able to measure mass,” shares Bargman. At the same time, Wilson struggled with sensory data. “Initially, we had problems reading multiple sensors on the same I2C bus because they had the same hardware address. However, after researching online, we learned that two sensors with the same address can be used if we utilize an I2C multiplexer,” Wilson states.

The benefits of this project, however are immense. To begin, teachers from all disciplines of the Science Department can take advantage of the collected data for educational purposes by incorporating it into classes, projects or even field trips to the hive. The data made accessible by this system will also benefit members of the Govs Beekeeping Club, as it will make maintenance of the hive easier and prolong hive life, which in turn increases honey yield.  

The effects of the project go far beyond the Byfield campus. The team believes that given the access to the hive’s data and the ability to further analyze it, the hive population can be better preserved in the winter months when the health of the hive is at its lowest. “Working to understand the aspects of a healthy hive is the first step in conversation,” says Steck. This idea of conservation and protection is one that has recently gained traction and mainstream support, as the rapid decline of the U.S. honeybee population continues to concern apiarists, environmentalists and economists alike.

Kyra Steck ’18 recently had one of her photo pieces selected for the 2017-2018 AP Studio Art Exhibit. Her photo was selected from all of the AP Studio Art portfolios submitted in spring 2017. The exhibit is produced each year by the AP Program to honor and celebrate the work of outstanding AP Studio Art students. This is an extremely impressive recognition as Kyra was one of 30 students whose work was chosen from the 60,000 students who submitted art portfolios this year. Her work will be touring the country.

Each piece was selected because it represents the extremely high level of rigor, commitment, and accomplishment AP Studio Art students can achieve. The exhibit is shown at different locations around the United States throughout the year. Kyra's piece will also be displayed online at the AP Central website.

Kyra is the second Govs student whose work was chosen for an AP Art Exhibit. Audrey Hemlepp '15 also had one of her AP photos chosen for the 2014 AP Art Exhibit (Audrey took AP Photo as a junior). Academy Photography teacher David Oxton said, "The fact that so few student pieces of artwork get chosen for this exhibit is further proof that our art students are producing artwork at the very highest level of quality."

Kyra's photography teacher is David Oxton P’03, ’08. 

Homepage image courtesy of Kyra Steck ‘18

On Tuesday, September 26, Governor’s welcomed renowned speaker Jackson Katz to campus. Dr. Katz delivered his speech “Taking it Personally: Why Gender Violence is an Issue for Men” during convocation to students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Katz's visit was the first in our Katherine Krall Guy Social Justice Speaker Series. Throughout her 40 year career at The Governor's Academy, Kathy championed all issues pertaining to Social Justice, and in her honor, we are committed to bringing a nationally acclaimed social justice speaker to campus every year.

Jackson Katz, Ph.D., is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist who is internationally renowned for his pioneering scholarship and activism on issues of gender, race, and violence. He has long been a major figure and thought leader in the growing global movement of men working to promote gender equality and prevent gender violence. In 1993, Dr. Katz co-founded the multi-racial, mixed-gender Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program at Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. MVP is one of the longest-running and most widely influential gender violence and bullying prevention programs in colleges and high schools across North America and beyond.

Dr. Katz spoke to the student body for nearly an hour, beginning by describing how his transition from high school to college inspired his career path. He spoke about issues related to gender and gender violence that our society is facing today. Dr. Katz offered solutions to help our society move forward in a constructive way.

“One of the things that we need to do to go forward, as a society- as a species, is for men to stop responding defensively to women’s assertions of their human rights and dignity and understand how you would feel in their shoes…defensiveness is the enemy of forward progress,” said Dr. Katz.

Following his speech to the student body, Dr. Katz hosted a smaller, informal breakout group for male faculty members. The purpose of this breakout group was for male faculty to work with Dr. Katz on best practices, and to open a dialogue on how best to work with male students around issues of healthy masculinity.

Dr. Katz’s TED talk, “Violence Against Women-it’s a Men’s Issue,” has been viewed more than three (3) million times. He is the author of an influential book entitled The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help, and the critically acclaimed Man Enough? Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the Politics of Presidential Masculinity. Man Enough won a bronze prize in Foreword Reviews’ Indie Awards for political science books in 2016.

To learn more about Dr. Katz, visit his website here.