Nine students from John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School have been accepted into the summer 2025 Georgia Governor’s Honors Program.
These nine students are Karina Bacon, Chloe Burdyck, Christian Varnado, Alana Allen, Ansley Daniels, Asia Bing, Jeremy Miller, Colette Kriegel and Liliana Meliezer.
This program is a residential educational experience that gives sophomore and junior high school students a chance to engage in specific areas of study from mid-June to mid-July.
Opportunities for growth
At Davidson, the focus is on the arts, and many of their participating students will be focused on areas like dance, music and theatre.
“I’m excited for the opportunities for growth, because I know in the community of a bunch of singers, I’ll be able to get a lot better and they’ll be able to learn from me too,” said Varnado, who is participating with a focus on music. “I know I’m going to go to college for music. And so that’s just like, a really good opportunity for me to learn.”
Varnado is particularly interested in jazz and neo-soul music.
Getting prepared
Bacon said that the dance routine that landed her a spot in the program is one she’s been choreographing and tweaking over time for several years.
“I had what I wanted to do kind of prepared…When I got nominated this year…I just started revising what I had from years ago. Just seeing the growth of where it was about three years ago to now and the different mindset I have, it’s nice,” she said.
Bacon enjoys modern and hip hop dance.
The audition process included in-person and video auditions along with interviews. Nearly 100 Richmond County School System students were nominated by their schools for a chance to participate.
“It was really, really enjoyable because everyone was there for the exact same reason,” said Daniels about the in-person dance audition she participated in. “So it was really, really fun. But, of course, it was stressful…it was exciting, but it was nerve wracking, I would say.
Daniels, who’s favorite dance style is modern and contemporary, said she thinks the program will build her self-assurance.
“I know everyone’s there to grow and so it’ll just be a good bonding [experience] and it’ll just help uplift me and show my confidence,” she said.
