The South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities (SCGSAH) develops the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate in our students through a challenging curriculum in the arts and academics, along with other programs designed to engage and support student success. Our school slogan, Many Paths. One Community. Govie Unity speaks to the diverse backgrounds of our students and the varied opportunities that await them when they graduate. The school prepares its graduates for success in college, in arts careers, and in other professional fields where they will use their creative talents. 

Students demonstrated and developed these World Class Skills across the curriculum in 2024-2025. The “four C’s” in this set of skills tie directly into our mission: pre-professional arts instruction and academic excellence. Students demonstrated creativity and innovation along with critical thinking and problem solving in work that was recognized nationally via the following awards and accomplishments:

Creative Writing students were selected as finalists at Young Arts in both nonfiction and fiction. One of these fiction award winners earned Distinction for her work and was nominated as a US Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Writing students also won Scholastics regional recognition for both individual work and portfolios. Nationally, students earned gold for portfolio and silver for poetry, the critical essay, and personal essay/memoir. Students also published in literary journals and were awarded prestigious creative writing scholarships. 

Dance students earned recognition from the National Honor Society for Dance Arts, as well as awards from Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and the school’s own dance competition and festival, Grand Jeté. One senior dancer won third place in Senior Classical Dance at YAGP’s national competition. Graduates will attend top-tier dance and exercise science programs, as well as pursuing science and engineering degrees. 

Drama students excelled as an ensemble and as individuals committed to their craft. Students auditioned successfully at top-tier college programs via the Unified Theatre Auditions in Chicago and New York. Students were accepted to some of the nation’s premiere summer programs in Drama: Songbook Academy, Marymount Manhattan (Musical Theatre Intensive), Juilliard, and USC’s Musical Theatre program

Music students won or placed in state, regional and national competitions including Furman University’s Cellobration, SC MTNA Senior Performance Competition, SC NATS Competition, and USC Band Clinic’s Honor Band. Students also performed with various ensembles including the Eastman School of Music Viola Workshop, Brevard Music Center’s Summer Institute, the Carolina Youth Symphony, Greenville County Young Artist Orchestra, Charleston Chamber Music Intensive, and SC Band Directors Honor Jazz Combo along with All-State and Region Band and Orchestra. Individual students excelled as demonstrated by winning the Carolina Youth Symphony Senior Solo competition, the New England Music Camp award. Four students were selected as Piccolo Spoleto Rising Stars. After graduation, students will attend prestigious schools pursuing majors in music as well as in other areas of study and in interdisciplinary programs.

Visual Arts students participated successfully in significant regional and national competitions. These include the Scholastic Art Awards, YoungArts, a national ceramics conference, regional student art exhibitions at Greenville Technical College and Converse University, and ArtFields Jr, a noteworthy regional exhibition event. Animation students had films selected for screening at the Reedy Reels Film Festival. Seniors also produced work to exhibit at the Greenville office of Pacolet Milliken, the Artistry Gallery, and the NEXT Innovation Center.

Collaboration and teamwork are also World Class Skills, and the school’s Film program launched this year with 11 students starting as juniors. They worked collaboratively to learn all the elements of film production, and they also engaged with other departments including Drama, Creative Writing, and Production. Cross-curricular collaborations also included: Photography and Dance, Creative Writing and Visual Art, and Music and Film. Two instructional days were dedicated to learning skills in other art departments, which is crucial for successful collaboration. Finally, in the renewal of certification as an ABC school this year, students joined a range of stakeholders in assessing and reflecting on our arts programs and strategic priorities.

As part of the Humanities curriculum, students explore how they can benefit their community and discuss global perspectives on important issues that help them develop insight, communication skills, and integrity both as artists and citizens. They are also encouraged to participate in service learning opportunities through the Connecting Arts Through Service (CATS) club. Students found creative ways to connect with the community in service projects this year, using the IPARD method for planning, implementing, and assessing the needs for and impact of their work.

Alongside these arts and humanities programs, several key data points demonstrate SCGSAH’s commitment to career and college readiness for every student. Academic accomplishments include:

• Scores on SAT, ACT, and AP exams higher than state and national averages

• 159 (of 234) students enrolled in an AP course and those students took 267 exams

• 18 students earned recognition in the SC Seal of Biliteracy program (some in more than one language)

  • 3 Gold in Spanish

  • 1 Gold in German

  • 1 Gold in French

  • 1 Gold in Portugese

  • 7 Silver in Spanish

  • 5 Bronze in Spanish

  • 3 Bronze in French

  • 1 Bronze in German

• The 104 seniors in the Class of 2025 were distinctive:

  • 100% graduation rate

  • 100% completed at least one college application

  • 22 (over 20% of class!) earned Academic Achievement Awards

  • SC Diploma Pathways Seals of Distinction

    • Career pathway: 92 

    • College ready pathway: 99 

    • Honors pathway: 54 

    • Specialization - World Languages: 27

    • Specialization - STEM: 8

    • Specialization - Arts: 104

    • 49 inducted into the National Honor Society

    • 25 named Palmetto Fellows

    • 39 (additional) eligible for the LIFE Scholarship at four-year colleges

    • 100% eligible for the LIFE Scholarship at two-year colleges

    • 35 eligible for SC Hope Scholarship

  • Two students were National Merit Finalists and one of these went on to become a National Merit Scholar at the University of South Carolina.

In a review of the Profile, several of the Life and Career Characteristics also stand out as significant accomplishments. Our students showed remarkable integrity, self-direction, perseverance, and work ethic. Through natural disasters and more personal crises, they were often leaning into these characteristics and being reminded of their importance. Rather than "soft skills" the hope, engagement, and belonging we seek to build into our community are hallmarks of school success and student achievement.

This work, as is true from year to year, is a direct result of the high level of artistic and academic excellence that the Governor’s School’s faculty and staff bring to their jobs every day. They continuously provide innovative learning experiences for students while pursuing professional development and remaining active and productive members of their respective professional communities. Our student life and health services staff are critical members of the educational team, and they work diligently and successfully to engage and support students. The Care and Concern team connects these elements of the school to ensure individualized responses to student needs.