Generation pi?

From the street, the building that stands out so prominently from lesser structures in sleepy downtown Hartsville has a masterful presence, not unlike the fictional Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters known to fans of the popular "X-Men" movies. But parallels are undeniable when applied to the 128

Indeed, students at the Governor's School have "super powers" - the kind most likely to serve them ably in the real world of research, industry, and commerce. Instead of the fantastic mutant ability to shoot lightning bolts from fingertips or to move objects using one's thoughts, GSSM students perform such feats as using usubstitution to find anti-derivatives in sets of calculus functions or explaining the difference between the Punnett square and the Hardy-Weinberg model in determining genetic probability. And they are just the kinds of young people South Carolina needs to nurture and recruit if the state is to gain prominence in the competitive global marketplace.

On some level, the students experience their own brand of academic real-world shock when they first move into the residence halls and begin attending the rigorous classes offered at GSSM.

"The first semester here is like running headlong into a brick wall," noted Eleanor Gillette, a recent Governor's School graduate from Columbia. "I used to be able to do crossword puzzles and make A's. It is a real shock when you get that first score of 79 and everyone says 'good job!' "

Students and teachers echoed the sentiment.

"In a program like ours, we have, in my opinion, a transition struggle," biology teacher Dr. William C. Alexander said. "I have had kids sit in my office with tears in their eyes. They don't know what to do. They have never gotten C's before. They have never cracked a book."

GSSM students are compelled to abandon status quo attitudes and abandon them quickly.

"This is an extremely demanding program," he said. "The bridge needs to be crossed quickly. There is really no break in time here. They have to hit the ground running."

Not Your Father's High School

As a youngster, GSSM Admissions Director Cindy Billiot attended the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. She can relate to what the students are experiencing. It's a far cry from lackadaisical high school reading periods, standardized test learning curves, and parent homework project rescues. The students are absolutely accountable for their grades, study habits, and personal conduct.

"The students are responsible for their behavior. It is a college-type schedule, with professors keeping office hours for one-on-one conferences," she explained. "We have high expectations. It is not easy any more. You can't really coast like before."

Billiot said that the typical gifted student generally does not come to GSSM with good study habits. The easy "A" is a thing of the past. They learn that they must invest more time and effort into their studies.

"I have wanted to come to GSSM since the 7th or 8th grade," said Nate Meyers, a student from Andrews. "The biggest adjustment was the studying factor. I couldn't watch TV or play video games like I wanted to. That cut back on time. But that was a good thing. It is a stimulating environment."

Gillette agreed that GSSM compels students to become effective time managers. They have more choices, and more self-responsibility.

"You pick the things that you are really interested in devoting your time to," she said. "You have to have the discipline."

To help students regulate their study time, the school introduced QUEST - Quiet Uninterrupted Enforced Study Time - Sunday through Thursday evenings. Students also are strongly encouraged to support one another in terms of personal and academic goals. Students gain a sense of community acceptance by living and studying among similarly gifted youngsters.

"At their old schools, sometimes students felt like they couldn't shine because they might be stigmatized," Billiot explained. "When they come to GSSM, they really find themselves. They can shout out answers and not be labeled a nerd."

"This is a good bridge between high school and college," said student Shanae McConnell of Lexington. "It helps you mature. We have real conversations about current events and the outside world. ... I think it's a good thing that the work is so challenging. By the time you are in the real world, it could be too late."

Whitney Bryan, a recent graduate from Myrtle Beach, applauded the congenial atmosphere of the school and an overall sense of acceptance and camaraderie that come with living in a community in which knowledge is admired and coveted.

"You get what you give," Bryan said. "Everyone is here to learn. It is because of the environment."

"I like to think of it as beneficial competition," Meyers added. "Everyone pushes you to do well."

"All of us are for higher education. You want to study. It's a positive kind of peer pressure," explained Bryan Brooks, a champion high school distance runner and 2006 GSSM graduate from West Columbia. "Everyone else is studying; you can't slack."

A major benefit of 24-hour access to accomplished classmates is informal peer tutoring.

"Students are a second resource," said rising senior Kelly Brock of Greenwood. "If you need math help, there is usually a certified math genius right down the hall."

An Unwritten Non-Compete Clause

Established in 1988 with leadership from then Gov. Carroll Campbell and Charles W. Coker, then president of Sonoco Products Company, GSSM operated from facilities on the campus of Coker College until 2003, when it opened the newly completed first phase of its dedicated campus, which includes separate boys' and girls' residence halls.

One in four GSSM students is a member of a racial minority group. No one is turned away because their family cannot pay the school's $1,050 annual fee. The school hopes to increase its student body to 300 by 2008 and is working to secure an additional $15 million in funding to expand and complete the campus.

There's no question that competition to get into GSSM, a public residential high school for high-achieving juniors and seniors, is fierce. There are at least three applicants for each available vacancy. The average SAT score of the Class of 2005 was 1396.

"It is competitive," Admissions Director Billiot confirmed. "We look at all kinds of things - academics, thirst for knowledge, curiosity, teacher recommendations, leadership qualities, outside classroom activity, maturity to balance academic and social life. ... We give them a great, rounded education. We give them a great curriculum and great experience, an opportunity to exercise their curiosity."

But, once they're in, the students learn quickly to check their natural competitiveness at the door.

"We have to work to avoid competition. These students are accustomed to being highly ranked in their class, to being the smartest one around. It would be really easy for these young people to engage in extreme competition," school President Murray W. Brockman PhD said. "So we work to avoid that. We encourage support and collaboration."

The quality of GSSM's faculty is unparalleled among high schools in South Carolina. Nearly four out of five instructors, 79 percent, have PhDs in their fields; all possess a master's degree. The school boasts a 10:1 student/teacher ratio, so no one is a stranger. Much to the relief of students, the school does not rank them, as is common practice across mainstream academia. That removes much of the pressure to compete.

Members of the GSSM faculty also possess the immeasurable qualities that so obviously have endeared them to their pupils. Student Gillette expressed that teachers at the school take a genuine personal interest in students, often spend extra one-on-one time with them after hours, and even give out their home phone numbers and e-mail addresses to the students.

"Organic chemistry is my favorite. It's a really good class with a good teacher," she said. "You get to actually do the chemistry. It is not just a lecture. The class has helped me so much."

"The teachers are very accommodating," McConnell agreed.

"And they're really good about writing college recommendations," Gillette added.

Brock finds it compelling that her teachers take such an avid interest in their subjects and the students themselves.

"You can just tell that the teachers really love what they teach, she said. "That is why I am understanding calculus. The teacher will make sure."

"Our school is a classic example of the benefits of homogenous grouping. It's a stimulus to kids. One size doesn't fit all," Dr. Alexander explained. "One thing I have learned is that bright kids are not easy to teach. If you are not fully prepared, the bright kids will take over. If you can help them focus and take direction from something you say, then they will take the ball and run with it."

Dr. Carlanna Hendrick is the school's humanities division chair and also teaches history. She came to GSSM after teaching at Francis Marion University in Florence and said the contrast has been refreshing.

"Teaching in college, you had a great diversity of competence, but you also had the blase attitude of collegians, that it wasn't cool to study," she said. "At GSSM, they are excited about studying."

Outside the Classroom

Dr. Hendrick pointed out that not only do students at GSSM prosper academically and socially, they also benefit from extracurricular activities that might otherwise have been closed to them back home. GSSM is a 1-A sports school with 13 teams, from basketball, volleyball, and track to soccer, softball, swimming, and tennis. A variety of clubs and intramural activities offer adventures in such interest areas as fencing, chess, choir, and weightlifting. The school's Math Club is fourth in the nation.

"Our track and field, tennis, and soccer teams are stateranked," Dr. Hendrick said. "A lot of kids won't be on varsity at their hometown school, but here they can be. They discover talent that, in many instances, would not have been available to them."

James Lee, a GSSM student from Greenville, agreed.

"I was able to join six clubs and even be captain of one," he said. "I found out what my true passions were."

To instill a sense of belonging and giving back, the school requires students to perform three hours of community service a week while they are in Hartsville. This can include providing office help, working at the local animal shelter, assisting with landscaping, tutoring young children, coaching swimming, ushering at the local theater, or lending a hand at the local chamber of commerce.

Dr. Brockman gushed about the sophistication of GSSM students and their ability to apply what they've learned.

"Here, you can really see how much we can and should expect of these young people," he said. "I say this over and over. There is absolutely no limit to what these young people can do."

In the summer after their junior year, GSSM students embark on a required six-week, university-caliber research project under the guidance of a professional mentor and their GSSM advisor. Often the research is conducted in the university setting as well. More than a dozen institutions participate in the research component, including Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the Savannah River National Laboratory, Furman University, and the University of South Carolina.

After working with their mentors and advisors to analyze findings, the students prepare formal research reports and present their work at an annual colloquium. Abstracts published for the 2006 colloquium include topics such as "Morphological Assessment of an Animal Model of Parkinson's Disease." "A Study of Polyandry in the Saltmarsh Sharp-Tailed Sparrow, Ammodramus Caudacutus," "The Development of Clinical Assay for the Presence of the Surviving Protein to Diagnose and Monitor Bladder Cancer," and "Racial Disparities and CoMorbidities in Sickle Cell Disease."

"What's different about these kids is the confidence and poise they have," Dr. Brockman said. "They have been challenged, and they have met the challenge. They know how good they are. All their lives, they have been told they are really smart. Now they really know it."

Building an 'Intellectual Infrastructure'

Having come to GSSM from the industry sector (DuPont), Dr. Brockman understands businesses' perspective on a skilled workforce.

"Opportunities right now for technologically astute people are dramatic," he said. "Technology opens doors for millions of people. The pace of that is only accelerating. We haven't seen anything yet. Technology is not a zero-sum game. It doesn't divide wealth; it creates it."

GSSM has an excellent college-placement record. According to Billiot, more than 90 percent of GSSM students are accepted to their first or second college choice. About half choose to receive their higher education in South Carolina, and the rest are bound for prestigious out-of-state institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cal Tech, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. Billiot noted that GSSM students in 2005 were offered more than $9 million in scholarships and grants.

It's difficult to say precisely how much of that talent ultimately stays in South Carolina. The students offered a few insights.

"When I was younger, I couldn't wait to get out of South Carolina," student athlete Brooks said. "As I have grown up, I feel different. I wouldn't want to go to a big state like California. Being in Hartsville is a good thing. I get to enjoy the amenities of rural life. I think I could see myself coming back to South Carolina because of the quality of life."

Meyers said he does not expect to settle in the Palmetto State.

"The only reason I didn't choose South Carolina is because I want to be an aerospace engineer," he explained. "There aren't those kinds of opportunities in South Carolina."

"I think coming to this school really defines who you are as a person," Lee said. "According to the statistics, half of GSSM students stay in South Carolina, and half leave. But I think (by staying) we can bring more honor to South Carolina."

"We will represent the state no matter what we do," McConnell said. "We can change where we work and live, but we can't change where we came from. It is always going to be South Carolina."

Dr. Brockman noted that GSSM alumni have been responsible for three start-up companies, one in South Carolina and two out of state. One former GSSM student was named innovator of the year at Stanford.

"We are trying to get the cutting-edge people into the pipeline," he said, to create a virtuous cycle where businesses demand these kids. We are building a human intellectual infrastructure. The leverage of creative human beings is enormous."

"Our students not only answer the questions but they question the answers," Billiot added.

At the fictitious Xavier School, Professor Charles Francis Xavier states that mutation - the quality that makes his students special - is the key to evolution. In South Carolina, boldly nurturing promising minds is the key to the evolution of a true innovation economy.

"One of the most amazing things about this school is the constant change," Dr. Hendrick observed. "I love it. I can't think of anything that is more fun. It's cool to be a 'Govie.' "

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