MINT HILL, NC – Queen’s Grant High School is proud to announce that two students have been accepted into the North Carolina Governor’s School, a multi-week summer residential program for gifted and talented high school students integrating academic disciplines, the arts, and unique courses on two different campuses.
Junior Sam Turner will be attending Governor’s School for English. “It’s always been one of my strong suits,” says Turner. “It’s always been something that I’ve been interested in, a passion of mine.”
“I have people in my family who are writers,” continues Turner, “so I probably derived a lot of my interests from them. I know my writing style comes from my uncle,” he adds, noting that although his uncle currently works in insurance, he’s been a longtime writer who publishes some of his shorter works online. “I will sometimes see some of that work, and it inspires me to kind of follow suit. He’s the person who’s primarily inspired me to pursue the field further.”
Although he’s nervous about keeping up with what’s sure to be a significant workload, Turner looks forward to spending a chunk of his summer honing his craft at Meredith College. “I know people who have gone into the program have gotten a lot of value out of it,” says Turner. “They say it’s one of the best experiences that a student can get, so that makes me very excited for it.”
Sophomore Nathan Verret will be attending Governor’s School for Instrumental Music. A bass clarinet player since the seventh grade, Verret has been chosen for several honor bands and clinics in his first two years of high school. Verret was nominated for Governor’s School by Queen’s Grant Director of Music Ensembles Chad Turner.
Verret was also encouraged to apply by Senior Trombone Player Micah Burkheimer, who attended Governor’s School for Instrumental Music last summer. “Micah has been to Governor’s School, and he told me his experience was really good, so that encouraged me to do it,” says Verret.
Verret is excited to spend four weeks of his summer at Meredith College. “I think that it’ll actually be kind of cool, because it’ll be like a college experience almost,” says Verret.
A rising junior, Verret isn’t sure yet where the future will take him. While he sees music in his life, he doesn’t necessarily foresee becoming a professional musician and thinks about keeping the clarinet as a hobby while he works in the business world. “Honestly, I’m still figuring it all out!” he says.
Congratulations to Sam Turner and Nathan Verret on their accomplishment!