Apart Together: COVID-19 and the Governor's School, Spring 2020

Posted by SCGSAH PR Staff
Collage of eLearning Photos

A young dancer stands before a mirror, lean arms stretched away from his body, long legs settled lightly into third position. His chest is out, his neck straight, his chin tilted up just a touch. He holds the position a moment longer, checks and rechecks his posture, focuses his mind on his body’s next movement, until he hears his instructor call for him to rest. 

Were this a normal rehearsal, he might drop his hand against the barre or share a smile with his fellow dancers, but these were not normal times. The mirror he looks into is not the wall of mirrors in a dance studio, but an oval mirror above his dresser with photos and ticket stubs tucked into its frame. He has no dance barre, so he rests on a chair back. And he has no fellow dancers with him in this small space carved out of his bedroom. They, like his instructor, are just faces on his laptop’s screen.

Elsewhere, a young painter arranges fruit in a bowl. Early peaches, a dark purple plum, the bumpy green skin of an avocado. She’s scrolled through virtual galleries to study the works of old masters, and she’s filled her sketchbook with preliminary drawings and color studies. For this painting, she’s commandeered the kitchen table.  In the next room, her mom and dad make plans to eat dinner out on the porch. Through her cell phone, her teacher watches on, reminding her and her classmates of the principles of composition, the importance of balance and form.

Throughout the spring, all across the state, Govies continued to practice their artistic craft and meet high academic standards despite the dictates of the COVID-19 virus. Writers gathered online to read and revise new work, actors rehearsed monologues in their bedrooms, dancers practiced ballet technique in their makeshift studios, visual artists used the materials they had on hand to produce new work, and musicians and vocalists created virtual ensembles. They learned from renowned guest artists via Zoom. They were engaged in their arts, academics, and humanities curriculum while collaborating and connecting with each other and our faculty and staff for instructional and moral support as much as they could via digital means. We were truly apart together.

Over twenty years ago, the Governor’s School’s founder, Virginia Uldrick, envisioned an extraordinary high school that could offer South Carolina’s young artists a place to live, learn, and create. And in the two decades that followed, our school, nestled in the leafy heart of downtown Greenville, has become a nationally recognized arts institution and a model for public education. 

This past semester, as winter faded and spring began to emerge, plans were underway for a public celebration of the twentieth anniversary, complete with live performances and exhibitions. But the virus’s outbreak forced us to go home, and faculty had to adapt their in-class teaching methods to online formats. Over the course of a weekend in March, the Governor’s School went from a boarding school to an online school. 

What emerged was a different kind of celebration, not one that relies on a stage, an audience, or a gallery space. It was instead a celebration of the creative spirit, and it occurred in bedrooms and backyards across the state. Says Creative Writing faculty Scott Gould, "We had the rare opportunity to teach our students one of the most important lessons they can learn: that good art examines the world in which it is created. Artists are supposed to observe what goes on around them and synthesize it through their creativity and craft." 

As we all grieved the loss of the traditional Governor’s School end-of-year events and senior milestones, we still collectively celebrated our Class of 2020 and closed the year in an incredibly memorable way. Instead of watching our seniors walk across the commencement stage on May 22, we sat with our friends and family in our living rooms as we watched them appear on our screens. We were apart together. We all shared in the joy of their outstanding accomplishments and the mixed emotions that came with the official end to this unprecedented school year. 

While we eagerly await a time when we can return to campus in the fall, what’s become clear is that the essence of Uldrick’s vision is larger and more encompassing than any one classroom or building or place. The power of the arts to offer community, shelter, refuge, and joy sustains us through these difficult days and prepares us to meet the wonders of the days to come.