By Sudha Kamath
It’s a report card any parent would be proud to see, and the director of the Governor’s School @ Innovation Park (GS@IP), Karen Dalfrey, is elated about the results so far.
GS@IP is one of 19 academic-year Governor’s Schools across the commonwealth sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)—and the only one in a four-year university setting. Since the school opened on George Mason University’s Prince William Campus in 2010, it has accepted the area’s brightest high school juniors and seniors each fall.
High school students Nick Angello and Frederick Zhang team up with Mason professor Mikell Paige on their chemistry presentation at the Governor’s School’s research symposium. Photo by Evan Cantwell.
A collaborative initiative among Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park public school systems, along with George Mason, GS@IP had “very positive” findings in a recent VDOE evaluation, says Dalfrey. The VDOE team was impressed with the advanced opportunities in many career fields that the program offers to students in the region.
The evaluation team also noted the program has been successful in creating its own “community of learners” and reported that students are pleased and excited to be part of the program; they enjoy attending classes at a university campus setting, and are willing to put forth the extra time and effort to be successful in a more rigorous program of studies.
The team also commented that the diversity of the student body is one that is celebrated by GS@IP, and that the diverse faculty creates a positive role model experience for students.
The Governor’s School students attend five science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) college-level courses with Mason professors for almost four hours on weekday mornings. The students then return to their regular high schools for other instruction and extracurricular activities.
GS@IP science classes cover biology, chemistry and physics. The program also offers math courses from pre-calculus through Calculus III, as well as linear algebra. There are also a variety of engineering and computer science courses available. Each student is enrolled in a research course supported by mentorship opportunities, sponsorship and site visits that can be found right down the road with STEM industry leaders including Lockheed Martin, Micron, Aerojet and Aurora Flight Sciences.
“We prepare our students to contribute to the global community of the 21st century,” says Dalfrey, who served as a biotech coordinator at Osbourn Park High School in Prince William County for eight years. She is also a Mason alumna. She earned a bachelor’s in biology, a master’s in education and a PhD in biodefense—all from Mason—and taught biology at Mason before being brought on board to launch GS@IP in 2010.
High school student Faysal Shaikh unveils his mathematical sciences research at the Governor’s School’s research symposium. Shaikh worked with Mason professors Evelyn Sander and Padmanabhan Seshaiyer. Photo by Evan Cantwell.
“It seemed like a good fit,” she recalls. A busy summer that year led to a fall launch, and 75 students became the first group to enter GS@IP. “They were our ‘pioneer’ group by participating in a new program and providing input that allowed the program to improve and grow to better meet the needs of the students in our community” she says. “Each year since, we have had a pool of applicants that are better prepared for the program, with attrition rates improving.”
Faculty includes graduates of Mason, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California–Los Angeles and Clemson University with international backgrounds ranging as far as China, Colombia and Slovenia. They include Bruce Averill, chemistry; Yingjin Cui, math and computer programming; Ales Psaker, physics; Felipe Gutierrez, math and engineering; Sami Nefissi, math; and Elizabeth Romano, biology.
“Due to class locations on Mason’s Prince William Campus and enrollment in college STEM course work, GS@IP students are provided a unique educational opportunity to experience life beyond that of a standard high school student,” says Romano, part of Mason’s College of Science. “The courses are designed to mirror those offered at Mason with a gifted and talented edge. As a component of this, students are encouraged to think critically to solve real-world problems, preparing themselves as the future leaders of our global society.”
Faculty and students alike face challenges at GS@IP; it’s all part of the learning process. Because they are so bright and haven’t really been academically challenged, many of “these students haven’t really had to study before,” says Dalfrey. “There’s a learning curve here on how to organize themselves. One of the most positive outcomes here is the organizational skills they take on before joining college full time.”
And it can take some adjustment for university professors to teach high school students. Dalfrey says it’s a matter of the student adapting to the professor’s teaching style, and the professor adapting to the student’s learning style.
Students also tend to raise the bar on themselves. “They are very driven to maintain a high GPA,” says Dalfrey. “They do generally put a lot on their plates. They don’t want to give up anything.”
Many of the students also take advantage of the fact that, in a university setting, they have access to some of the top researchers in the region. For the third consecutive year, every GS@IP student who participated in the Prince William Regional Science and Engineering Fair this March placed in their categories. All the first and second place winners then competed in the Virginia State Science Fair. Caroline Gellene, from Battlefield High School, and Ashleigh Wright, from Patriot High School, earned the top prize in the chemistry category and the chance to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles.
Also at the regional fair, Kendall Dalkiewicsz won first place in medicine and health and was mentored by Nelson Cortes of Mason’s School of Recreation, Health and Tourism. Michael Machado won first place in math; he was mentored by Padhu Seshaiyer from Mason’s College of Science.
Olivia Carros from Manassas Park High School and Maddie Guyant from Forest Park High School earned first place in the bioengineering category and earned the U.S. Metric Association Award. They’ll take part in I-SWEEEP, an international science fair open in engineering, environmental and energy categories with an emphasis on sustainability.
Indeed, the students are succeeding. Those who have completed the Governor’s School curriculum have gone on to top schools, including Mason. Nineteen GS@IP students have joined or will be joining Mason this fall.