GSGIS Annual Alumni Party: You're Invited!

Richmond has been grandly illuminated for the holidays, so we're ready to welcome home all of our MLWGSGIS Alumni!

 

The Richmond Alumni Chapter invites you, your family, and friends to the Annual Alumni Holiday Party on Monday, December 26, 2011, starting at 7pm at BlackFinn Restaurant, which is located in downtown Richmond at 1001 Haxall Point (http://blackfinnrichmond.com). Barring another snow-pocalypse, the event promises to be a great evening of holiday cheer among familiar friends and our Governor's School family! ALL Governor's School Alumni are welcome to attend, so we hope to see a great mix of folks from all class years!

 

We'll have lots of appetizers for everyone to enjoy. Please bring $2 cash to park in the parking deck, accessible from Haxall Point. 

This year, the Chapter is starting a new initiative to collect canned food for our local food bank. We're asking everyone to bring a canned good, which will be donated to FeedMore, the umbrella organization of the Central Virginia Food Bank, Meals on Wheels serving Central Virginia, and the Community Kitchen. We thank you in advance for your generous holiday spirit!

 

Please feel free to RSVP by visiting our GSGIS Alumni facebook group page, and we'll see you there!

 

Fourth Place Finish!

A BIG THANKS to all the Spirit Booth volunteers at this year's Richmond Marathon! We had a great time on a beautiful day showing the runners our support. And the zeal everyone brought to brighten up the race paid off! We're happy to announce that our booth won Fourth Place and $200 in the Community Spirit Challenge! This is a GREAT honor and will help us come back bigger and better next year! The cool part is that we had at least a few runners tell us that we were the BEST booth of the day! So just think, if everyone who came invites one other friend, we'll make an even bigger impact and clinch the top spot in 2012. Go Dragons and Vikings!  

Most importantly, we've had alumni contact us to share their thanks for our spirit booth because "seeing you guys at Mile 24 made all the difference!" --Caroline Morris, Class of 1999

Congratulations to all the runners. You inspired us to keep on cheering!

Enjoy the video from the event below! We had an awesome DJ who played the hits that keep you movin'.

And check out our pics below. We even got a great pic in the Richmond Times Dispatch!

A mini-tribute to the TJ/GS Vikings!

Thanks for everyone who joined the Spirit Booth. 

See you at the marathon next year!

Show Your MLWGS Spirit!

Governor's School's Community Spirit Group at the Richmond Marathon

The Richmond Alumni Chapter is showing its continued commitment to community service for the second year in a row by manning the cheer group in front of Maggie Walker for the SunTrust Richmond Marathon/McDonald's Half Marathon....and we want you! Both alumni and current Governor's School family are welcome.

Come cheer on fellow Governor's School runners as well as Richmond racers the morning of Saturday, November 12, 2011. Put on your green MLWGS gear, mingle with students and staff, past and present, and get ready to have an all-around good time.

To volunteer for the spirit group and for full details, please register by clicking here. Just click on the green "Register +" button.

Questions? Please contact Khiem Tran '06, the Richmond Chapter's Community Outreach Chair. See you there!

Reminder: An Evening with John Wilkes

Remember those early, exhausting, but enticing Saturday Schools? Remember those delicious donuts? Well, now's your chance to relive the memories with an awesome lecture from Mr. Wilkes. 


THIS Thursday, October 20, 2011, 7:00 pm @ MLWGS


Come "back to school" to hear the Governor's School's very own John Wilkes lecture on "The Negro Exposition at the Jamestown Tercentennial of 1907." Join us for this engaging program crafted exclusively for our alumni community. Explore our history with one of our favorite faculty members. And YES, come enjoy a donut! (Thanks Bryce!)


Thanks also to the nearly 30 of you who have RSVP'd "Yes!" Do the same by e-mailing Kristina or posting on the event's facebook wall. See you there! 

Alumni Focus Group

The Acting Director and Administrative Team of the school have reached out to ask local alumni to lend their voices to the direction of the school.


They would like a handful of alumni representing a diverse cross-section of our community to join them in a Focus Group session next Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 6:00pm at Selba.


There is very limited space, so please respond to the e-mail soon if this interests you. Particularly, they would like our thoughtful feedback on the successes of the program and ideas for improving the program.

Fall Festival & Alumni Reception

Join the entire school community in kicking off the year right at the annual Fall Festival held on Maggie Walker Grounds. Next Friday, September 30, 4:00pm. Swing by the alumni table and say "hello."


Then head down to Bottom's Up Pizza at 9:00pm to finish the evening with your fellow alumni. All alumni are invited to join the Classes of '06, '01, and '96 in kicking off their Reunion Weekend. Come on out and join us!

An Evening With John Wilkes

Thursday, October 20, 2011- 7:00pm @ MLWGS


Go "back to school" to hear the Governor's School's own John Wilkes lecture on the topic of the "Negro Exposition at the Jamestown Tercentennial of 1907."
Join us for this engaging program crafted exclusively for the alumni community. Explore our history with one of our favorite faculty. And don't worry, this one wasn't covered in AP!

Fall Lineup

Saturday, November 12, 2011
Volunteer Opportunity - Richmond Marathon
We had fun last year cheering on the runners in "America's Friendliest Marathon." Join us again this year!


Monday, December 26, 2011
Alumni Holiday Party
Always a popular event!

get involved!

Class Reps


Our Recruitment Chair, Ian Millikan '01, is still looking for a few good people to help reach out to even more local alumni. 
Thanks to Sam Ulmschneider '02 and Bryce Lyle '99 for being the first to volunteer!
Please help us meet our goal of having one representative per graduating year. Simply reply to the e-mail to get more information.

August Outing

This month we are riding the coattails of an already popular Richmond event.
We will be planning a reception for alumni and their friends attending the Watermelon Festival Sunday, August 7, 2011. Swing by alumna-owned Nimbus Massage at 3026-A West Cary Street (in the block East of Belmont) from 1:00pm-2:00pm and we will have an alumni open house.
Step in from the heat and enjoy some alumni fellowship!
Hope to see you there!

We Want YOU!

Recruiting-
In order to help get the word out and be able to connect more area alumni with each other and the school, our Recruitment Chair, Ian Millikan, would like some additional volunteers. Ideally, we would like someone outgoing from each graduating class to get involved and help reach out to your fellow classmates.

Communications-
Our Communications Chair, Leo Rohr, has accepted a new position as Vice Chair. We need someone to walk in his illustrious footsteps to keep us informed and entertained. Basic responsibilities would include attending meetings and events, sending out the newsletter, and updating Facebook posts.

Fall Line Up

Here's what we're planning for the rest of the year!

September- Fall Festival + Alumni Reception
October- Educational Series with John Wilkes
November- Volunteer at Richmond Marathon
December- Alumni Holiday Reception

A more comprehensive listing of details with dates, times, etc... coming soon!

Join the Richmond Chapter at Riverrock!

Come volunteer at Dominion Riverrock with the Richmond Chapter. We will be working at the Start/Finish line for the 5k on Friday, May 13,  from 5:30 to 7:30. There is so much going on at Riverrock! Kayak jumping, big air dogs, and bands galore. Stick around after the 5k for concerts from Big Gigantic and Perpetual Groove! And don't forget, this is a Sportsbackers event, so that means it will be well run, and they always take good care of their volunteers. Email us if you are interested in helping out.

1st ever Alumni Showcase a huge success!

On April 1st, over 30 alumni came back to the Governor's School to share their experiences with the current students. Groups focusing on topics like law, international studies, medicine, education, and non-profit work took turns in the various halls of the school.

Mr. Waller recently said "The feedback I have received from both teachers and students has been tremendous, and it was a wonderful testament to our school and our alumni." Thank you to all of the alumni who participated, to the school for taking a whole day out of the schedule to make this happen, and to the organizers from your Richmond Alumni Chapter who brought it all together (Sana Khalid, Caroline Morris, David Holland, and Sid Dante).

Service project at CARITAS Furniture Bank

On March 26, the Richmond Chapter volunteered at the CARITAS Furniture Bank on Richmond's southside. We assembled furniture and did some light landscaping. You've never seen such handsome chairs and bookshelves! Thanks to Karen Stanley, Executive Director of Caritas and current G-School parent, for having us there!

See Bosnia's "Indiana Jones" at Maggie Walker on March 29th!

While this isn't an official Richmond Alumni event, we wanted to let you know about this lecture happening at Maggie Walker on Tuesday, March 29 at 7pm. Check out the Smoke and Scales blog entry with all the info.

GS Alumni service event at CARITAS Furniture Bank

Dear Richmond Alumni Chapter Members:

Help us assemble tables and dressers for CARITAS Furniture Bank! No previous carpentry skills needed!


Location: Caritas Furniture Bank (1125 E. Commerce Rd, Richmond VA 23224).
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2011
When: 10:00am-1:00pm

We hope that you are able to support this service project.  Please RSVP no later than Tuesday, March 15th to Khiem Tran at SodaCan852@gmail.com  email to confirm that you can attend.  Please feel free to invite spouses, friends, or anyone else to join in the fun.  The more, the merrier.

Caritas Furniture Bank supports community members on the road to a permanent housing solution, acquire gently used or refurbished essential household needs at low or no cost.  Sana Khalid ’98, works closely with this organization and considers Caritas Furniture Bank to be one of the most important and critical partnerships of the American Red Cross. A majority of disaster victims that the ARC works with throughout the disaster recovery period are referred to Caritas.


Warm regards,
Khiem Tran ‘06, GS Alumni Community Outreach Chair

Mentors Needed for 2011-12

Governor's School Juniors have a need for a number of mentorships in law and business management/marketing. If you are aware of any professionals who would be willing to serve as a mentor for one of our students starting in August, please contact Sharon Parker by email at sparker@gsgis.k12.va.us or by phone at 354.6800, ext. 3260. Your support is greatly appreciated!

 

This post was copied from Smoke and Scales, the Governor's School blog. 

Social Event- Romeo and Juliet at Centerstage

What says love like stabbing yourself with your husband's dagger after he decides that it would be better to drink poison than live without you? Celebrate Valentine's Day a little early as the Richmond Alumni Chapter takes to the stage (CenterStage that is) for Richmond Shakespeare's production of Romeo and Juliet. February 12 at 8:00pm.

If you are interested in coming along, email us at richmondalumni@governorsschoolfoundation.org as soon as possible so we can make sure we have enough people for the group ticket rate. 

Governor's School 20th Anniversary Alumni Showcase

Dear Richmond Alums,

Our alma mater is turning 20 this year (can you believe it?), and the Richmond Alumni Chapter has been asked to stage a full-day Alumni Showcase on Friday, April 1, 2011, from 9:00AM-2:00PM, to help celebrate this milestone.   

In conversation with the school, we have decided that the best way to share our experiences and connect with students would be to have two 40-minute small-group sessions in the morning followed by a large presentation in the afternoon, with plenty of refreshments to keep us going.  The schedule will look something like this:

9:00: Alumni arrive at school and convene in the conference room.  Breakfast nosh and guided tours of the school will be available.
10:00-10:40: Alumni break off into groups of 3-5ish people for small panel discussions with students at various locations throughout the school. 
10:50-11:30: Same panels, same location, new group of students.
11:30-12:45: Lunch
1:00-2:00: All alumni invited to participate in large presentation on stage in auditorium.

We plan on putting the panels together based on common experiences and/or careers, so students will get some idea of the opportunities that exist in a given field.  In the afternoon, we envision a large-scale presentation in which we reflect on our experience at the Governor’s School and answer any questions the students might have for us.  Anticipate at least one question about Ms. McKay’s ties to the CIA.

What do you think?  Got something you’d like to say to current G-schoolers?  If you think you might be interested in participating, and want a good reason to take off work on April Fool’s Day, please let us know by Friday, Feb. 4. 

Happy New Year!

Caroline Morris ‘99
Sid Dante ‘01
Sana Khalid '98

Social Event- Maggie Walker Home Basketball Game

Come out February 1st and support the Green Dragons as they take on Hermitage in a Colonial District showdown. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. and tickets are $5.00.

This is a great opportunity for many alumni who have never attended a Maggie Walker sporting event. We hope to make games/meets regular outings for the Richmond Chapter in the future.