No Explaining Love for "Summer School"

By Casey Breese
Heath High School, Paducah

Who in their right mind would want to spend the majority of the summer before their senior year at a five-week “intellectual” program? Who in the world would leave their best friends to surround themselves with 360 unfamiliar faces? But honestly, who would sacrifice their right to sleep to attend 9 a.m. classes?
When my parents presented the idea of the Governor’s Scholars Program to me, all these questions, along with 99 others went spinning through my cerebellum at the speed of sound. It wasn’t until two weeks into the program that I stopped and thought, “This isn’t nerd camp, this is GSP.”
Thrown into a brand new environment that was extremely unfamiliar and incredibly awkward, I didn’t know what to expect of GSP. All the GSP alumni I had spoken with previous to arriving at the Bellarmine University campus had assured me it would be an once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I just wasn’t seeing it. With all the exceptionally long GSP meetings, a strange sense of misdirection everywhere I turned, and the lack of companionship, there was nowhere to go but up. But the “up” that I was looking for wasn’t far away, not far away at all.
In reality, the basis of what I was looking for, the catalyst that would heighten my “GSP experience,” was some sense of comfort. I wanted to fit in somewhere, have people to talk to, and not have awkward silences waiting for me around every corner. At first this seemed extremely difficult, but day-by-day the awkwardness was brushed off our shoulders, the discomfort thrown off our backs, and the tension left in the dust behind us. It wasn’t long into the program that my list of friends began to grow, and I began to grow too.
I danced onstage during the weekly Showcase theater. I learned to salsa on Arts Day. I, Casey Breese, sat through the entire Casablanca motion picture – and I liked it. This is what GSP does. It pulls you out of your comfort zone and throws you into the unknown. It may sounds harsh to outsiders, but this is the foundation of GSP. This is what makes it such an effective program. While I couldn’t help but point out every negative that I could find the first week, I began to realize that there are so few negatives up against so many positives.
One positive that comes with GSP is the requirement to be an independent thinker. I think that when we are at home, in our own little towns, we have the tendency to get too content with ourselves. We begin to become way too satisfied with our level of conformity. GSP breaks you out of this protective shell, throws you directly into the lion’s den of discomfort. Between three separate classes (focus area, general studies, and seminar), new ideas are tossed around with more speed than a big league fastball on steroids.
That’s the genius of this program. What better idea to expand intelligence, promote thinking, and create a new network of friends than to throw together 360 of the most well-rounded seniors in our state in an environment that puts more emphasis on creating a sense of community than generating a classroom setting.
I think that when I return home, I might receive some sort of ridicule for spending my entire summer at “school.” The ironic thing is that I can’t really blame people for those thoughts, because I would think the exact same thing. But at the same time, I will be able to do nothing but shake my head and laugh. When my parents brought up the idea of GSP a couple of years ago, I couldn’t fathom how awesome the experience could be.
As cliché as it sounds, all good things must come to an end. With the program coming to a close, I have a feeling is in the pit of my stomach that four weeks ago, I would have never expected to have. I’m going to miss this place. What was once so different has become the norm. But regardless of my wishes, this five-week “intellectual” program lasts only five weeks. There’s no doubt in my mind, though, that I can walk away with my head held high, because I know I am taking away friendships, ideas, and perspectives that will last a lifetime.