In the summer of 2003, we packed up our 17-year-old daughter, Molly, and drove her to Valdosta. She was to spend the next six weeks participating in the Governor's Honors Program.
We didn't really know what to expect, just that it was a summer program for 700 of the state's most talented high school juniors and seniors. They would choose a major and minor, just like in college, and then spend their time on the campus of Valdosta State University doing research and study. It would culminate in a presentation or performance at program's end.
One remarkable aspect of the program was that it was free. Unlike the Duke University TIP program or summer gifted programs at Emory and Princeton universities or even Brenau's Firespark, there were no fees for the students. Participants were admitted based solely on their abilities. Daddy's wallet never factored into the equation.
A level playing field. What a concept.
Molly had been through several rounds of grueling elimination auditions and interviews. Ultimately she was selected to attend GHP as a theater major. And this wasn't just a program for kids who were interested in Fine Arts. There were students majoring in agricultural science (biotechnology or environmental science), foreign languages (French, German, Latin, or Spanish), mathematics, science (biology, chemistry or physics), social studies, technology, executive management, computers and physical fitness.
Molly spent every waking moment in classes and workshops. The students were provided with a poem called "Two Suitcases of Children's Drawings from Terezin, 1942-1944" by Edward Hirsch. It begins: "Two suitcases sat on a forgotten shelf/collecting dust/and waited to be remembered./But when the locks were unfastened/the drawings spilled over/like a waterfall/ and everyone was drenched."
It's the story of the children in the concentration camp of Terezin. During World War II, 15,000 children were interred in this "model" camp, the one the Nazis publicized for its rich cultural life. Of these children, only 132 are known to have survived.
Artist and teacher Friedl Dicker-Brandeis held drawing classes for the camp's children. They produced more than 4,500 drawings, which Dicker-Brandeis hid in two suitcases before being sent to her death at Birkenau.
The suitcases were discovered 10 years later. The drawings gave graphic, heartbreaking testimony to the horrors of the Holocaust through the unblinking eyes of children.
Given this background information, the GHP students produced a gripping play. A pivotal moment came when Molly strode through the darkened "camp" singing the "Shema" in Hebrew: ("Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad" which means "Hear O' Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is One.")
Now a young adult, Molly ranks her summer with the Governor's Honors Program as one of the defining moments in her life.
Her sister Rachel, 15, was nominated for this summer's GHP in Spanish. She had already committed to another summerlong activity and so she declined the opportunity to apply for consideration. After all, there was always next summer, right?
Wrong.
During this year's round of state budget cuts, the House of Representatives tried to salvage the program while reducing it from six weeks to four. Then the Senate cut this $1.3 million program from next year's budget entirely.
What's still in the budget? A $10 million College Football Hall of Fame. It sounds so stupid and short-sighted. It would be funny if it weren't also true.
This is not just a program, it's an investment. When my husband and I attended the parent's meeting at that long-ago GHP in Valdosta, we were impressed with how many of the parents there had also attended the program when they were in high school. This 46-year-old program is the oldest of its kind in the country. "L'dor v'dor" — from generation to generation. Until now.
This is the one aspect of education in which the state of Georgia is ahead of the curve, that other states attempt to emulate when setting up their own programs. You'd think a program with such a proven track record would be treated like the treasure it is. You'd think.
The fate of the Governor's Honors Program will have been decided by the time this column appears Friday morning. It doesn't look good. Not for GHP and not for Georgia's best and brightest.
But I bet you'll be able to pick up some mighty awesome T-shirts at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Teressa Glazer is a Gainesville businesswoman. Her column appears every other Friday and on gainesvilletimes.com.