1. May parents/guardians visit their children at the Governor’s School?
Yes. We hope that parents/guardians will attend classes on Parents’ Day (Saturday, July 2), and suggest limiting additional visits to our weekend traveling/visiting hours: Saturdays from 12:00 pm to 7:45 pm, and Sundays from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm. Parents/guardians are, of course, welcome to visit campus during other times, but they must inform the GSW office (for visits during office hours) or a TAC (during all other hours) of their presence.
2. May parents/guardians take their children off-campus during the session?
Yes, but only during the weekend traveling/visiting hours: Saturdays from 12:00 pm to 7:45 pm, and Sundays from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm.
3. May other relatives and/or friends visit students at the Governor’s School?
Yes, but only during the weekend traveling/visiting hours: Saturdays from 12:00 pm to 7:45 pm, and Sundays from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm. We have only six weeks and four weekends in which we can be together, and we value our shared experiences both in and outside of class. Accordingly, students are asked to wait for visits with their friends until the mid-session break.
4. May other relatives and/or friends take students off-campus during the session?
Yes, but only if they are one of the persons indicated on the Parents’ Assurance and Permission Form during the weekend traveling/visiting hours: Saturdays from 12:00 pm to 7:45 pm, and Sundays from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm. If families wish to add someone to the Parents’ Assurance and Permission Form during the session, the parent/guardian must call the office at 336-917-5353 during office hours. Calls made on Saturday afternoons or Sundays may not be received in time for the student’s visitor to be added.
5. May students leave campus to attend religious services?
Yes. Attendance at religious services is left to the individual. Governor’s School makes arrangements with local houses of worship of a variety of faiths and denominations, some of which are within walking distance of campus and some of which send buses or vans for the students. Students can make these arrangements with the Activities Director once they arrive.
6. I’d like to call my child when he/she is not in class. What hours are students busy?
Please click here for our hours of operation. Students are generally in class until 3:15 for academic disciplines and often until 4:00 for arts disciplines. They may attend optional seminars at 4:00 and 7:00 pm and there are a variety of required speakers and concerts on evenings throughout the summer. Click here to see our typical daily schedule.
7. What are the hours of the Governor’s School Office and the Health Center?
The Governor’s School Office is open from 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Monday-Friday, and 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM Saturday.
The Health Center is open from 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM and 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM Monday-Friday.
8. What are the dates of concerts, performances, and speakers this summer?
Please refer to the 2011 Session Arts and Events Calendar for this information.
9. How do I send mail to a student at the Governor’s School?
Students’ mail is delivered daily by their TACs. Students who receive packages may claim them on weekdays. Mail should be addressed as follows:
[Student’s Name]
[Student’s Residence Hall and Room Number]
Governor’s School West
603 S. Church St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
10. What kind of health services are available at the Governor’s School?
Governor’s School West’s medical coordinator, Alice Reynolds, is available for specified office hours Monday-Friday (8:30 AM – 9:00 AM and 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM) and is on-call 24 hours a day (336-978-4444). The phone number in the health center is 336-721-2713. Various staff members are assigned to Hospital Duty 24 hours a day so that they are available to drive students to the emergency room or doctors’ offices as needed, and all TACs are certified in First Aid from the American Red Cross. Governor’s School also consults adolescent clinical psychologist Bill Sloan on an as-needed basis. For setting up regular allergy shot visits or other routine medical needs, please contact the medical coordinator.
11. How do students do laundry while at Governor’s School?
Each dormitory has washers and dryers available to students. Washers cost $1.00 per load, and dryers cost $0.75 per load. The machines are operated with laundry payment cards available for purchase in the basement of Babcock Dormitory. The card initially costs $2.00, and its balance is able to be refilled as needed.
12. What time are students free to leave on the last day of the session (July 23rd)?
On the last day, students attend a shortened first period class and a final convocation ceremony. Students may pack up between about 10:30 am and 12:00 noon and must vacate campus by this time.
13. May families attend the final convocation ceremony on July 23rd?
In mid-July, a letter will go out to parents that includes one ticket to the final convocation. This ceremony is not a formal graduation, but rather a final time to gather and present personal reflections on our six weeks together. Due to the capacity of Hanes Auditorium, each student may only have ONE guest, and each guest must present a ticket. A LIMITED amount of additional tickets will be available in the Governor’s School Office beginning at 8:30 AM on July 23rd. These will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and limited to one additional ticket per family. These may not be reserved in advance and there are not enough for every family to have an additional ticket. We apologize for the inconvenience. Historically, many families have used this as an opportunity for one parent to begin moving their child’s belongings out of the dorms.
14. Can students bring computers to Governor’s School? What kind of computer access is there on campus?
We provide access to computers in the Salem College computer lab, which is open to students from 3:30-5:00 pm Monday-Friday, and in the Gramley Library during its opening hours. If students bring their own computers, they should be careful of them as they would with any valuables and take care to spend plenty of time NOT on their computers, as we find that excessive time spent on computers aggravates homesickness and feelings of isolation. Internet access is available in students’ rooms if they bring an ethernet cord, and there are limited wireless hotspots around campus.
