UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Most High School Students Welcome The End Of The School Year With Open Arms. However, 64 Juniors And Seniors Across Pennsylvania Decided To Extend Their Schooling By Enrolling In A Different Sort Of School This Summer.

But the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences is not your usual classroom. This school is held for five weeks each summer at Penn State's University Park campus and is attended by top students from around the state. Students are chosen based on academic qualifications, essays and teacher recommendations.

Why would students put themselves through this process and surrender part of their summer? Because the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences offers a unique opportunity to get an inside look into the important and multifaceted field of agricultural sciences. During the five-week session, participating scholars take courses, get hands-on experience, participate in research projects and visit relevant off-site businesses and government agencies.

Featured courses include animal science, agribusiness, food science, plant science and tissue culture, and agricultural and biological engineering. Elective courses taught in the past explored issues such as water conservation, meat science and artistic expression in the sciences.

Between 70 and 100 Penn State faculty and staff participate in these courses and assist students with a variety of independent research projects. For Governor's School students who continue on to Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences after high school, these same faculty members will be their professors, teaching them in class and mentoring them in undergraduate research. "Other networking opportunities are available through the Governor's School as well," says Ketja Lingenfelter, Governor's School assistant program director. "The counselors at the school are usually undergraduates in the college, so they can be role models for the scholars and provide guidance for those students who return to Penn State as freshmen."

Lingenfelter believes the Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences gives many scholars a head start on higher education. "It gives the students an opportunity to take classes in a field that they might want to pursue in college," she says. "Through this experience, they have a major leg up on other freshmen."

The school provides a college experience in a limited timeframe, according to Lingenfelter, without the pressure of grades and credit hours. "This allows the students to learn for the sake of learning," she says. "Though they have a very busy schedule, they spend a large amount of time with the same people, so students who continue on to enroll in Penn State may already have some friends because of their time at the Governor's School."

And many of the students do end up at Penn State. According to Lingenfelter, at least 50 percent of the school's participants come to Penn State, and a large number of those enter the College of Agricultural Sciences.

The students' busy schedules are broken up by several field trips throughout the session. The New Bolton Center large animal hospital and Hershey Foods are two places the students will visit this summer. Students also serve on different committees—they plan social and recreation activities, publish a weekly newsletter and organize other special events such as faculty picnics and graduation. This all helps to build a community feeling that Lingenfelter feels is important at the Governor's School.

Students' tuition and housing are paid for, so they can attend the school at a minimal cost. The school is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Enrollment for this summer's governor's school has closed, but applications for the 2006 summer session will be available in mid-October, and completed applications must be submitted by February 2006. Applications are available from high school guidance offices or on the web at http://governorschool.cas.psu.edu or http://pgse.cis.drexel.edu. Further inquiries can be directed to Marianne Fivek at mafivek@psu.edu or Lingenfelter at ketja@psu.edu.

Governor's schools are also available in many other areas such as the arts, sciences, health care, education, information technology, international studies and global entrepreneurship. Information about these schools can be found at http://pgse.cis.drexel.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Marianne Fivek at 814-865-7521 or by e-mail at mld1@psu.edu.

Writer: Whitney Glaser

Editor: Jeff MulhollemOffice 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877