Kennedy Henton sees herself and the world around her from a new perspective after completing the 46th Arkansas Governor’s School.
“I definitely have felt the most confident I’ve ever been in myself here at AGS,” said Henton, who will be a senior at Bryant High School in 2025-26. “It helped expand my open-mindedness and my knowledge in general. None of us want to leave. We love it here so much. It made me feel more solidified in who I am as a person. I do belong here, and I belong among the best of the best in Arkansas.”
Henton is one of more than 350 rising high school seniors from Arkansas who completed the 46th Arkansas Governor’s School, which took place July 6-Aug. 2 at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
Arkansas Governor’s School serves selected students from around the state during the summer before their senior year in high school. The Arkansas Department of Education Gifted and Talented Programs administrator supervises Arkansas Governor’s School with assistance from an advisory council appointed by the governor.
The daily class schedule at AGS is based, in part, upon each student’s demonstrated aptitude in one of nine areas of specialization: choral music, instrumental music, drama, English/language arts, mathematics, natural science, social science, visual arts or a special track dedicated to the economy, natural resources and people of Arkansas.
Those nine disciplines constitute what is defined as AGS Area I. AGS Area II is a study of the nature of knowledge, while AGS Area III is focused on the personal and social development of students.
Jayden Branch, a rising senior at LISA Academy North in Pulaski County, said the social activities at AGS with new friends and old friends will be his favorite memories of the experience.
“I’m really outgoing, so I like meeting new people,” said Branch. “I made it my mission to talk to a lot of people. I have learned a lot of names and made a lot of friends I’ll cherish later in life. I expected AGS to be somewhat new to me, but I didn’t expect it to be this new. I’ve never been that far away from my family for that long. I didn’t expect to miss them so much, so that was a shift I had to go through.”
Branch’s AGS Area I studies were in the natural science track.
“I discovered a lot of new topics that are really interesting to me,” said Branch. “We did our genetic sequencing, and that sparked an interest in molecular biology. I had an interest in biology because I want to go into the medical field, and AGS certified my interest.”
Henton focused her AGS Area I studies on the visual arts, and those studies were supplemented by the afternoon and evening activities on campus.
“The AGS talks were absolutely phenomenal,” said Henton. “I went to every one every single day, and sometimes two times per day. They were so informative and helped expand my mind. The freedom we experience at AGS is fantastic. You can choose to go play pickleball one day, or volleyball one day or just chill with your friends and play a card game. It made the college experience more exciting to look forward to. The classes were fantastic, the professors made us excited to come to every single class and I met some of the best people I ever have at AGS.”
The 47th Arkansas Governor’s School will take place at ATU in Russellville during summer 2026.
Arkansas residents in the high school graduating class of 2027 interested in applying for admission to the 47th Arkansas Governor’s School may learn more at www.atu.edu/ags.
