Mentor offers a unique perspective

The S.C. Governor's School for Science and Mathematics has 1,100 alumni, but this is the first time in the school's 20-year history that an alumni is mentoring a student during mandatory summer research.

Governor's School students are required to spend six weeks during the summer between their junior and senior years performing hands-on scientific and mathematical research more closely associated with the work of a graduate student than a high schooler.

Summer studies cover anything from cancer research, veterinary science and nanotechnology to robotics.

Students work closely with a mentor who is knowledgeable in their subject area while interning at locations including MUSC, USC and Clemson facilities.

Mary-Kate Spillane, 17, of Summerville is spending her summer exploring biotechnology and genetically improved plant life at ArborGen's Summerville-based research facility.

Kevin Short, a research associate with the company, is her mentor.

"We have some mentors that have been mentoring our students for 17 years. Kevin's a brand new mentor and this is a brand new relationship with ArborGen," Kim Bowman, the Governor's School's executive director, said.

Short has a unique perspective on how to relate to Spillane as a mentor because he graduated from the school in 1993.

"Hopefully that has made me better prepared as a mentor because I know some of the requirements and the demands. I know what she's been going through and probably will go through," Short said.

Short has been with ArborGen since the facility was formed in 2000.

"We work on improving the genetics of tree species that are common here in the southeast so that people that are growing trees, whether it's a paper company or just private land, will have improved value of that land," Short said.

The genetic improvement of trees leads to a better product and, therefore, allows individuals to make more money.

"If your trees are growing taller than your neighbor's trees which are not ArborGen trees, then your trees are worth more money," Short said.

Spillane will have to turn in an 8-12 page research paper and give an oral presentation on what she is doing at ArborGen, something she says she's already been working on.

"I've already started mine. I don't have my results yet, so I can't add those in, but I've been working pretty hard so far because I know that I'm going to be very busy in the fall. I want to get as much done as I can," she said.

In the fall, on top of classes and preparing for college, Spillane will be the president of the National Honor Society, co-president of the National Spanish Honor Society, co-president of the Spanish Club, a student ambassador and a member of student council.

Spillane said that she first discovered the Governor's School while attending a summer research program that the school offers to middle schoolers.

"I got a little preview of what life at the Governor's School would be like and I really liked it. I liked the school, the campus and the people that I was around when I was at that camp," she said.

She applied and was accepted to the school during her sophomore year at Fort Dorchester High School.

Governor's School students spend their junior and senior years of high school at the school's campus in Hartsville, dorm rooms included.

The experience is much like a college one because the courses are more advanced than those found at the typical high school. Students can get college credit at University of South Carolina and Clemson for the work they do.

"Without taking AP or IB exams you can go into those schools with credit," Spillane said.

Spillane, however, wants to attend College of Charleston where she plans to major in early childhood education with a minor in Spanish. She supports the Governor's School having such agreements with more colleges.

Bowman said the Governor's School is working on just that.

"We have articulation agreements with Carolina and Clemson, which means they basically looked at our curriculum and said what counts," Bowman said. "We're working on getting it with other schools."

Spillane said that her leaving home to attend the school was difficult for her parents, Michael and Karen.

"It came as a big shock to them. They weren't ready to lose me two years early," Spillane said. "But I've always been the person who wanted to go and get away. I never thought that I would want to go in-state for college, but now that I've been away I feel like I can go to the College of Charleston and still feel far enough away from home."

There are 128 students enrolled in the S.C. Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. Half are juniors, half are seniors, half are boys, and half are girls.

Students' average SAT score is 1,383 out of 1,600, and 2,067 out of 2,400.

Last year's graduating class of 61 students were offered $10.9 million in scholarship money from the various schools to which they applied.

For more information on the Governor's School, visit the school's Web site at www.scgssm.org. For more information on ArborGen, visit www.arborgen.com

Reach Christina Elmore at 937-5521 or celmore@postandcourier.com.