20 June–31 July 1999
St. Andrews College
Laurinburg, North Carolina
Introduction
One day in 11th grade, I got a notice from the office at my high school. “Congratulations!” it started. “You have been nominated by at least one teacher as a candidate for the 1999 Governor’s School.”
Hey! Awesome, I thought. But, wait a minute: what is “Governor’s School”?
“Governor’s School is a prestigious summer program for academically/intellectually gifted students,” the notice went on to explain. “Only 800 students will be selected to attend from across North Carolina.”
More school — during summer break?! That sounds fantastic, the nerd in me thought.
Fortunately, 400 other nerds from across the state thought the same thing, and fortunately I was selected to be one of them. We all came together, with some incredible faculty and staff, for an amazing six weeks on a small college campus in a small town for Governor’s School East, GSE 1999.
It is hard to imagine that was now 25 years ago. When you are 17 years old, six weeks feels like it lasts approximately forever. I knew I was having fun. What I didn’t know was that I was having a watershed moment in my life. Looking back on it now I can honestly say that it was probably the single best experience I had in all four years of high school.
I have never been back to Laurinburg. But my experiences there have never quite left me. Yet it was not the place that made the impact. It was the people.
So, my fellow participants at GSE 1999, this is for you. (Well, a little bit for me, too.) A few years ago as I was working to get rid of the piles and boxes of papers I’d collected over the years, I digitized everything I still had from GSE 1999. It amounts to a fairly substantial collection. And now, a quarter century on, I’m sharing and preserving some of that here. These documents are the ones that seem most relevant to a larger audience. A few are specific to me, but they convey a larger sense of what Governor’s School was and what it meant to be a part of it.
Enjoy. And know that in the years and travels to come, you’ll always be a part of my life.
Dustin Joyce
GSE French 1999
New York, June 2024
Certificate of completion
Certificate of Existence
Calendar
An unofficial calendar of events, activities, and performances that took place at Governor’s School East 1999.
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS
Performing arts programs
Governor’s School East 1999 performing arts calendar
Calendar of concerts, recitals, and shows put on by students participating in the performing arts programs at Governor’s School East 1999.
This calendar is re-created below with direct links to the programs that are available on this site.
▼ GSE 1999 performing arts calendar
| Date | Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 27 June | 7.00pm | Choir concert | Scotland High School |
| Friday 2 July | 7.30pm | Faculty recital | Liberal Arts Auditorium |
| Wednesday 7 July | 7.30pm | Choir concert | Scotland High School |
| Thursday 8 July | 7.30pm | Wind ensemble concert | Large gym |
| Thursday 15 July | 7.30pm | Dance concert | Small gym |
| Friday 16 July | 7.30pm | Dance concert | Small gym |
| Saturday 17 July | 6.30pm | Jazz concert | Liberal Arts Auditorium |
| Tuesday 20 July | 7.30pm | Chamber music concert | Liberal Arts Auditorium |
| Sunday 25 July | 6.15pm | Talent show | Avinger Auditorium |
| Wednesday 28 July | 7.30pm | Choir concert | TBA [Laurinburg Presbyterian Church] |
| Thursday 29 July | 7.30pm | Wind ensemble concert | Large gym |
| Friday 30 July | 7.30pm | Choir concert | TBA [Laurinburg Presbyterian Church] |
Program for “The Music of Love” choir concert, 7 July 1999
The program for a performance of the Governor’s School Choir at Scotland High School in Laurinburg on 7 July 1999.
Program for wind ensemble concert, 8 July 1999
The program for a performance of the wind ensemble at Governor’s School East on 8 July 1999.
Program for “Going …” dance presentation, 15–16 July 1999
This program was presented by the dance department of Governor’s School East on 15 and 16 July 1999.
Program for chamber music concert, 20 July 1999
The program for a chamber music concert performed by students at Governor’s School East 1999 on 20 July 1999.
Program for “The Music of Faith” choir concerts, 28 and 30 July 1999
The program for performances of the Governor’s School Choir at Laurinburg Presbyterian Church on 28 and 30 July 1999.
Program for wind ensemble concert, 29 July 1999
The program for a performance of the wind ensemble at Governor’s School East on 29 July 1999.
Other events
Governor’s School East 1999 schedule for orientation, 20 June 1999
Schedule for orientation events that took place on 20 June 1999 for Governor’s School East 1999.
Governor’s School East 1999 arrival day schedule of events, 20 July 1999
Schedule for events on the day students arrived for Governor’s School East 1999, 20 June 1999.
Governor’s School East 1999 college fair, 21 July 1999
The list of colleges represented at the college fair held at Governor’s School East on 21 July 1999.
Information for lecture by Dr. Svi Shapiro, 27 July 1999
Introduction and background for a lecture by Dr. Svi Shapiro on “Challenging the Assumptions of Public Education” at Governor’s School East on 27 July 1999.
Program for final convocation, 31 July 1999
The program for the final assembly of students, faculty, staff, and parents on the final day of Governor’s School East 1999.
Letter: Governor’s School East 1999 reunion, 15 July 2000
A letter from Dr. Joseph O. Milner, director of Governor’s School East 1999, with details of a reunion for GSE 1999 students that took place 15 July 2000 at Meredith College in Raleigh, where GSE has been held since 2000.
General information about GSE 1999
Welcome letter, 17 May 1999
A welcome letter to students from Dr. Joseph O. Milner, director of Governor’s School East 1999.
Welcome letter for students in Area I French
A welcome letter to students selected to participate in Area I French at Governor’s School East 1999.
Letter to parents, 1 July 1999: The long weekend
A letter from Dr. Joseph O. Milner, director of Governor’s School East 1999, with details and instructions for parents on the long weekend that took place midway through the session, 9–12 July 1999.
Letter to parents, 19 July 1999: The final day of Governor’s School
A letter from Dr. Joseph O. Milner, director of Governor’s School East 1999, with details and instructions for parents for the final day of Governor’s School, 31 July 1999.
Contacting your son or daughter during Governor’s School East 1999
Information for parents on contacting their children during Governor’s School East 1999. This form includes my own contact information during the session.
Student information and forms for Governor’s School East 1999
A list of the forms students and parents were required to complete and return to participate in the 1999 session of the Governor’s School of North Carolina, with instructions on where to mail them (remember, it was 1999).
St. Andrews College and Laurinburg maps and directions (1999)
A map of the campus of St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, North Carolina, where Governor’s School East 1999 took place; a map of the Laurinburg area; and driving instructions to Laurinburg and the St. Andrews Campus. (Note that this information may not be current.)
Brochure for the DeTamble Library at St. Andrews College for students at Governor’s School East 1999
A brochure for students at Governor’s School East 1999 for the DeTamble Library, the campus library for St. Andrews College. (Note that the information about the library contained in this brochure may not be current.)
Governor’s School East Student Handbook 1999
The student handbook for Governor’s School East 1999, with detailed information not only about rules and guidelines for students but also many other aspects of life, learning, and participation at GSE.
Background & selection process
The Governor’s School of North Carolina information brochure, circa 1999
An information brochure, circa 1999, about the Governor’s School of North Carolina, “the oldest statewide summer residential program for academically or intellectually gifted high school students in the nation.” The brochure provides an overview of the program’s curriculum, purposes, tuition (which at the time was free), student nomination and selection process, locations, and contact information.
The Governor’s School of North Carolina: Frequently asked questions, 1999
Additional information about participating in the 1999 session of Governor’s School, including a calendar of the nominating and selection process and the summer session.
1998 Session of the Governor’s School of North Carolina: Eligibility requirements, nomination criteria, and student selection procedures
Detailed information for the 1998 session of Governor’s School, most of which remained unchanged for the 1999 session. Information provided includes student eligibility, nomination, and selection; nomination forms; audition requirements; the curriculum; and frequently asked questions.
Selection letter, 30 December 1998
A letter from the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) informing me that I had been selected to represent CMS in the selection process for the 1999 session of the Governor’s School of North Carolina.
Selection to the Governor’s School of North Carolina, 1 April 1999
The letter from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction informing me that I had been selected to attend the 1999 session of the Governor’s School of North Carolina.
IN MEMORIAM
Dr. Joseph O. Milner, 1937–2023
Dr. Milner was the director of Governor’s School East 1999. He served as director of GSE through 2002 and oversaw the campus’s move to Meredith College in Raleigh in 2000. But his service to GSE and the Governor’s School of North Carolina didn’t end there. As the North Carolina Governor’s School Foundation explains, “Upon retiring from campus, Joe served as president of the NC Governor’s School Foundation, where he led the campaign to save Governor’s School when funding was eliminated from the state budget in 2011–12. He spearheaded efforts to raise over $700,000 in private funding to keep the school open that summer and generated a groundswell of alumni support that convinced lawmakers to reinstate the program the following year. … As one alumnus described, ‘Without Joe and [his wife] Lucy’s leadership efforts, GS would have died in 2012.’ ”
GSE 1999 was the only time I interacted with Dr. Milner. But I remember his warmth and intelligence. It set the tone for everything that happened at GSE, and it molded GSE into the watershed experience in my life that it has become. GSE and North Carolina — indeed, our world and my life — are better because Dr. Milner was a part of it.
— Dustin Joyce
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