Arkansas Governor’s School 2008 Activities Schedule

Required events are starred (*)

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Week 5: Monday, July 14 - Sunday, July 20

After the Blood Drive on July 20, cereal will be taken to Hulen Ballroom, and the Cereal Sculpture Contest officially begins.

Cereal sculptures must be finished by July 22.  The cereal sculptures will be judged at 6 pm on July 22.  The results will be announced at the Music Performance.

Human Chess and So You Think You Can Act Signups
Come sign up to play human chess or be a part of So You Think You Can Act.

Water Polo
A game that is similar to a combination of soccer and basketball played in a pool.  Players are on two teams and try to score in a soccer-style goal by passing the ball around with their hands like in basketball.

Melinda Beith and Peggy Scranton: “18 Million Cracks: Hillary and the Glass Ceiling”
We will trace the Glass Ceilings Hillary broke through during her career up to her ultimate challenge, the 2008 Democratic Nomination race.  Come share your ideas about what happened to Hillary and why.

Kristen Alexander: “Getting Acquainted with China”
Kristen Alexander, a 2001 AGS Alum, recently spent nine months teaching English in China.  Learn basic aspects of Chinese culture and community, experience the Chinese language, and hear what life is like for an American on Chinese soil.

Ask the Director
Ask the AGS director anything you want to ask him.

AGS Idol Meeting
All remaining contestants, as well as the top ten, will meet to discuss the finale.

College Panel: “Everything You Wanted To Know About College”
Come and ask our panel questions about college admissions, campus life, finding a major, or anything else you ever wanted to know about college.

College Fair
Students are encouraged to visit booths from over 20 colleges.  There are colleges from six different states, and each college will have a table with a representative available to answer any questions.

Debbie Hibbs: “Slacker Boys: Myth or Crisis?”
Most girls who enter a 4-year college will earn a degree.  Most boys won’t.  Why?  Is there an epidemic of undermotivated, underachieving boys?  What could be driving this trend?  Videogames?  ADHD medication?  Join this discussion of Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph. D.

Stephen Castleberry: “Creation and Evolution”
Stephen Castleberry, a recent graduate of Central Baptist College, will discuss evolution and faith.

Martha Gary and Joe Guy InuYasha Anime Series & Discussion”
Discussion of the series itself as well as Japanese religions and mythology.

48 Hour Film Festival Interest Meeting
Want to make a movie?  Come find out how to participate in the AGS 48 hour film project!

Hotel Rwanda
This film is about a family’s and a nation’s effort to survive and about the political indifference of the international community with regards to the systematic extermination of 500,000 Tutsis by Hutu Interhamwe militia in Rwanda in 1994.

Hip-Hop Workshop
Come to a beginner hip-hop dance class with an emphasis on self-expression and social development.  This is a one-hour class with two classes each week.

Adam Frank: “Chinese Poetry”
Learn about the structure and subject matter of the ancient Tang Dynasty poetry, and create poems together in the style of the Tang.

Joe Guy and Martha Gary: “Dragonball Z Anime Series”
Students will watch episodes of Dragonball Z and discuss the use of Chinese/Japanese mythology and folklore.

AGS Leadership
Come participate in student-led leadership building exercises.

Tim Purkiss: “AGS Newsletter Committee Meeting”
Members will meet with Tim Purkiss to work on the AGS newsletter.

The Phantom of the Opera
It will be a night filled with romance, horror, drama, and music.  Come watch the special edition DVD of the Academy Award-winning musical about an opera ghost who fights for the love of a young girl.

Capture the Flag
A giant game of capture the flag played throughout the main part of campus.  Players will be split up into two teams, and each game will last roughly half an hour.

Lauren Bartshe: “‘I Had Things to Say But Not the Words to Say Them’: A Photo Essay Reaction to Holocaust Literature”
Elie Wiesel once commented that he “had things to say, but not the words to say them.”  This photo-essay by Lauren Bartshe and Julie Champlin (AGS '05) gives Wiesel and other Holocaust writers’ words a visual medium of expression by pairing images of concentration camps in their current state with descriptions presented by works of literature from Holocaust survivors and witnesses.  There will be a discussion of the role of concentration camps as memorials, Lauren and Julie’s trip experiences, and the Hendrix Odyssey program.

Peggy Scranton: “Roundtable on Genocide: Holocaust and Rwanda”
What happens and why?  Can genocide be prevented or stopped?  How do criminal prosecutions work?  Faculty and staff will share their experiences and answer questions.

Acoustic Sin
Listen to an instrumental ensemble playing original compositions “fusing” jazz, rock, alternative, and classical styles.

Quidditch, Racquetball, and Campus-Wide Relay Signups
Come sign up to participate in Quidditch, Racquetball, or a Campus-Wide Relay in the Sunporch.

Yoga and Meditation for Beginners
Come to a weekly session of meditation and yoga with Peggy Scranton.  No previous experience needed.  Bring a bath towel or mat.

Adam Frank: “Chinese Visual Art”
We'll learn about the aesthetics, themes, and techniques of visual art, particularly painting, in ancient China. How does one "read" a Chinese painting?  What makes one painting "Daoist" and another "Buddhist"?  What is happening in the world of contemporary Chinese art?

Katie Pratt: “What you need to know for the MCAT: General Chemistry”
For those of you interested in medical school, you can never begin studying too early for the MCAT.  Come learn about key chemistry concepts needed for the chemistry section.  Be sure to bring paper!

Student vs. Faculty/Staff Softball Game
The final game of softball pitting the students against the faculty and staff.  Whoever wants to play is welcome to come.  There are also stands for those who want to watch the game and cheer on the teams.

Revis Edmonds: “‘Check ‘Yer Oil, Ma’am?’ The Traditional Service Station as a Part of Americana”
A station owner’s son uses examples of station styles, gimmicks, and even TV ads to tell about the “golden age” of a once-popular small business.

Candide
Leonard Bernstein brilliantly brings to the stage Voltaire’s famous satire. Following the adventures of Candide, a hapless young man motivated by a boundless optimism which leads him into adventure, the comic opera is presented here under the direction of Lonny Price.

Peggy Scranton: “Roundtable on Post-Conflict Reconciliation”
Faculty and staff will share their expertise on ways and means of national reconciliation as a process in Rwanda.

Melinda Beith: “First Dance”
Join Melinda Beith for an introduction to basic dance. This workshop is for individuals with little to no dance experience.

Firefly Series
Join faculty and staff in watching a science-fiction television series created by Joss Whedon. The show takes place in space but is modeled after old Westerns.

Talent Show Rehearsal
People participating in the Talent Show will rehearse their performances.  Participants must bring all necessary materials.  If you are playing in the softball game, then please come as soon as you can.

Folk Night
Come rock out with covers of traditional songs and instrumental originals.  You may sing along if you wish.  Featuring Martha Gary, Louis Weedman, Christine Faubel, Louis Chacon, Lauren Bartshe, Perry Johnson, and Bryan Cwik.

AGS Indie Music Club
If you’re passionate about music (particularly independent music), this club is for you.  Come armed with your MP3 player and be ready to listen.  We will share music, talk about music, and learn about new music each Thursday.

Adam Frank: “Contemporary China”
From the Olympics to the trade deficit to human rights abuses to the recent tragic earthquake in Sichuan province, China has become an increasingly visible presence in international news. This lecture will touch upon a broad range of issues and conclude with suggestions about how students can help the earthquake victims.

Conversation with Rwandan Students
Come meet 25 Rwandan students who are attending college in Arkansas next year.

Everything is Illuminated
A young American Jewish man goes on a quest to find the woman who saved his grandfather -- in a small Ukrainian town that was wiped off the map by the Nazi invasion.  The quest starts off miserably but turns into a surprisingly meaningful journey with an unexpected and powerful series of life-changing revelations.

Intermediate Ballroom: Salsa
A fifteen-minute session of beginner moves as a refresher leading into an hour of new salsa moves.

Yoga for Everybody!
Beginning level yoga instruction and practice for all body types and levels of fitness.  Please bring a towel and/or yoga mat.  Everyone is invited (signing up is unnecessary).

Yoga Practice
This weekly yoga class is for students interested in a longer session than the Beginner’s yoga class and for students who already practice yoga.  Bring a bath towel or mat.

Morgan Cavin and Martha Gary: “Women, Beauty, and the Media”
Come join us for an open discussion about how the media affects women’s perceptions of their bodies and what can be done to spread awareness of the problem.

American Sign Language Seminar Part 1
Learn basic sign language from Meg Brown, a certified ASL instructor.  Practice a fun language that will teach you courtesy in interactions with the deaf community, or a sneaky way to communicate with friends.

Tim Purkiss: “Social Activities Committee Meeting”
SAC members will meet with SAD Tim Purkiss to discuss the upcoming week.

Campus-Wide Relay
This is not your normal relay race.  Teams of 6 – 8 people will compete to complete various challenges around campus and race to be the first team done.  It is similar to the Scavenger Hunt at the start of AGS.  Sign-up individually or in groups in the Sunporch.

AGS 48 Hour Film Competition
Write, shoot, and edit a movie in 48 hours.  For more information, see Alison Boland in the AGS Office in Trieschmann.  The competition begins at 7:00 pm on July 18 and ends on July 20 at 7:00 pm.

Wesley Beal and Christopher Simeone: “Art & Propaganda: Walt Disney & Beyond”
What is art?  What is propaganda?  Walt Disney provides some answers.

Julius Franz: “Medical Ethics Discussion Group: Case Studies”
Informal discussion group of case studies on medical ethics.  Topics will range from cloning and infanticide to euthanasia and other significant topics.

Lars Seme: “How Big is Infinity?”
What do we mean by infinity and how big is it?  Can we do meaningful mathematics with infinity?

Talent Show
Come cheer your friends on as they showcase their various talents.

Star Wars Series: Attack of the Clones
Fans and casual moviegoers alike are welcome to come watch George Lucas’s “space opera.”  This series will show one Star Wars movie each week in order of release.

Quidditch
Quidditch will be played all day Saturday.  To play, you need to sign up in the Sunporch.  Teams will be randomly chosen.  Once the signup is complete, a list of play times for teams will be posted in the Sunporch.

Faculty/Staff/Student Jam Session
Join the faculty/staff and your fellow AGS students for a jam session.  If you have any musical ability at all, we can find a place for you.  Drums, bass, electric guitar, piano, and microphones will be provided.  Feel free to bring your own instruments.

Christian Devotional
Join Ed Crews for a weekly student-led Christian Devotional in the Burrow.

Spirited Away
Come watch the popular award-winning anime film Spirited Away.

Human Chess
Chess is a battlefield…Do not stand for miniaturized representatives any longer!  The ancient game of war will come to life in a titanic clash of champions using human chess pieces.  If you want to be a piece, sign up in the Sunporch.    The game will last one hour.

So You Think You Can Act
This is an event in American Idol form where contestants act out their favorite movie scenes (note: content must be PG-13 rated, and no violence is allowed).  You must sign up to participate.

AGS Gospel Choir Rehearsal
Members of the choir are asked to come every Saturday to rehearse.

Casino Night
Try your hand at some casino games, buy snacks with your winnings, and make some new friends at the AGS Casino.  AGS “playmoney” will be provided.

Magical History Tour
If you are on the Magical History Tour roster, you are required to go.

Superhero Sunday: X-Men
This Sunday, the last superhero summer blockbuster to be shown at  AGS is X-Men.  Don’t miss out.

Blood Drive
The American Red Cross will be hosting a blood drive which will last from 4:00-9:00 pm.  Students 17 years of age or older, who weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health are encouraged to donate blood.  Participants will receive a NASCAR lanyard, and refreshments will be provided.

Racquetball Tournament
You must have signed up to participate in this tournament.    Once signups are done, the brackets with play times will be listed in the Sunporch.  The tournament will be single elimination singles to 15.  Seeding will be random.

Worship Service
Come to a brief service of worship including hymns, scriptures, and prayers.

AGS Idol Finale
Who will be the next AGS Idol?  You will decide.  Don’t miss the grand finale!

Week 6: Monday, July 21 - Saturday, July 26