GSSV Gazette

We are happy to be moving foward with branding for GSSV by getting a mascot and school colors. After a few rounds of voting, I am happy to announce that GSSV has a mascot. We will now be known as the GSSV GRIFFINS!

The next round of voting will be for how our Griffin will look and our school colors.

Joint Site Event

The first joint site event of the year was a huge success. All Governor's School students came together on the Alberta campus to participate in a challenge. Our students were tasked with inventing a product that used a random item (hat, cereal box, medicine dropper, remote control to name a few) provided to them to solve a weird problem they drew from a basket. They had to build a prototype of their invention and create and perform a skit to sell their item in a fun, creative way -- Shark Tank style! This activity was all about creativity, teamwork and laughter -- while working with new friends.

Virginia Fine Arts Museum

The Keysville seniors spent a day at the Virginia Fine Arts Museum in Richmond. While there, they participated in a scavenger hunt to locate certain types of art they have been studying in their Art Appreciation class.

Edgar Allan Poe Museum

Despite the rainy weather, the juniors had their annual trip to the Poe Museum in Richmond. The students enjoyed learning more about Poe's life and works. Seeing some of his original manuscripts and learning about his writing journey was truly fascinating.

"On Halloween, you get to be anyone you want to be." - Ava Dellaria

We are never too old to dress up and enjoy some Halloween traditions. We scheduled a 1:1:1 for Friday's annual Halloween parade and contest. Our students rose to the challenge with some amazing costumes and brought some delicious food for our mini-potluck. The categories and winner are listed below.

Best Duo:

Jayda Johnson and Jorden Ross as Corporate Zombies (Alberta)

Strawberry Shortcake Makenzie Milbrath and Lemon Meringue Piper Scialdo (Keysville)

Best Group:

Troy Hawkins as Alvin, Slate George as Simon, and Gage Jones as Theodore from Alvin and the Chipmucks & Taylor Davidson as Brittany, Aliza Hatcher as Jeanette, and Kensley Neal as Eleanor from the Chippettes (Alberta)

Draculara Grace Martin, Frankie Stein Faith Shippee, and Clawdeen Wolf Kayla Watson from Monster High (Keysville)

Creepiest:

Drea Hardy as Pennywise (Alberta)

Plague Doctor William Epperson (Keysville)

Most Creative:

Emme Carney as Wrench from Starlight Express (Alberta)

Kazu Dinmore as a mouth and Kenny Halliday as a taco (Keysville)

Funniest:

Renee Saleeby as Ted, Jillian Howerton as The Lorax, and Brayden Slagle as the Once-ler from The Lorax (Alberta)

Rusty Hooten as Scuba Steve (Keysville)

Best Overall:

The Alberta Staff from The Price as Right (Alberta)

Riley Grove as a scarecrow (Keysville)

Senior Trip

The Washington, D.C., senior trip has been approved for April 20-21, 2026. Seniors received information earlier this month that outlined the itinerary as well as the payment plans. This trip is optional for all seniors, but it is a great time for an end-of-program experience. We will spend two days touring the National Mall and visiting museums and enjoy a group activity and dinner Monday evening. The first payment (cash or check made out to GSSV) of $125 is due the week of November 10-14.

Requesting Transcripts

GSSV does not issue transcripts as all of our classes are through SVCC. Our classes are listed on your SVCC transcript. You always have access to your unofficial transcript from your Parchment account on your MySVCC page. Please visit SVCC's transcript page for more information regarding transcripts.

Parent Email Listserv

If you have not already and would like to be added to Mrs. Swain's parent email list to receive announcements and information not appropriate for social media, please complete the GoogleForm by scanning the QR code to the right. If you cannot access this form, please email Mrs. Swain (wesley.swain@southside.edu) with your email address and child's name to be manually added.

Parent Advisory Committee

We will hold our first Parent Advisory Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 18, at 5:30. This meeting will be an overview of our group and we will set some norms and expectations for the group for the year. This meeting will be virtual on Zoom. Those of you who signed up to be on the committee will be emailed a Zoom link soon. I understand that this date and time may not suit everyone, but please join if you can.

November 4 -- VIRTUAL DAY due to SVCC being closed

November 13 -- Senior trip to Blackfriars Playhouse to see Romeo and Juliet

November 17 -- Alberta Shadowing (Alberta juniors work virtually)

November 18 -- Keysville Shadowing (Keysville juniors work virtually)

November 18 -- Parent Advisory Zoom Meeting 5:30

November 24 - 28 -- Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL)

Mrs. Tara Beck -- tara.beck@southside.edu

Mrs. Kristen Beekwilder -- kristen.beekwilder@southside.edu

Mrs. Katherine Clatterbuck -- katherine.clatterbuck@southside.edu

Mrs. Sarah Fenwick -- sarah.fenwick@southside.edu

Mrs. Ann Moore -- ann.moore@southside.edu

Mrs. Lori Moore -- lori.moore@southside.edu

Mrs. Tracey Nash -- tracey.nash@southside.edu

Mrs. Leslie Poling -- leslie.poling@southside.edu

Mrs. Chelsea Thorpe -- chelsea.taylor@southside.edu

Ms. Connie Tucker -- connie.tucker@southside.edu (Administrative Assistant)

Mrs. Wesley Swain -- wesley.swain@southside.edu (Director)