Five students from Effingham County have been selected as state finalists and will participate in the 2009 Georgia Governor’s Honors Program this summer at Valdosta State University.  

Effingham County High School juniors Mathew Barry, Emily Holton and Emily Rodgers, and South Effingham High School juniors Audrey Hyde and John Rodriguez will participate in the all-expense paid summer instructional program designed to provide intellectually gifted and artistically talented high school students challenging and enriching educational opportunities that are not usually available during the regular school year.

Barry is the son of Patrick and Delores Barry of Springfield; Holton is the daughter of Kevin and Cindi Holton of Guyton; Rodgers is the daughter of Michael and Cheryl LaFlamme of Clyo; Hyde is the daughter of Edwin and Helen Hyde of Guyton; and Rodriguez is the son of Raymond and Liliana Williams of Rincon.

Activities are designed to provide each participant with opportunities to acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to become independent, life-long learners.

Students are nominated and selected for the program based on their performance in their selected subject area followed by a locally-conducted interview.  Holton, Hyde and Rodriguez were nominated for their outstanding performance in communicative arts. Barry was nominated as an outstanding physics student and Rodgers was nominated for her performance in agriscience and environmental science.

Twenty-one students from Effingham County were nominated for this year’s Governor’s Honors Program.  The written evidence and data gathered in the student interview/ audition are used to evaluate nominees and select finalists. The number of students selected in each instructional area is determined by the ratio of applicants in that area to the total number of applications received. The Georgia Governor’s Honors Program is fully-funded by the Georgia General Assembly, and operates at no cost to the participant.