Aerie InternationaL - Missoula County Public Schools

AI: Before attending South Carolina Governor’s school, what did you want to be
when you grew up?
JR: We had to answer this question in kindergarten, and on my slip
of paper I wrote “ventriloquist.” It would probably take a psychiatrist
to figure out why. Other than that, I thought seriously about being a
marine biologist. Then a lawyer. Then anything but a lawyer.
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. My ideal:
someone walks up to me and says, “Hey there, kid, we would like to pay
you money to travel around and write about the environment, and maybe
some other stuff, too, if you get the urge.”
If you know anyone like that, call me.
AI: In Montana, we have no schools that are dedicated specifically to the arts. What
is it like to go to an art school? What is the atmosphere like? How are your classes
structured? Do you prefer going to an art school, if so, why?
JR: As conservative as South Carolina once was, it’s a miracle that any
old philanthropist thought to give money to the arts as opposed to, say,
the Governor’s School for Hunting Woodland Creatures, or the Governor’s
School for Absolutely No Gay People. Luckily, by some freaking miracle,
Greenville wound up with a few really great art schools. I’m not really a
self-made writer; I’ve been in creative writing classes, in some form or
another, since seventh grade. Each consecutive program has been more
intense than the last. I don’t take the opportunity for granted.
The South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities is
a state-supported school. Kids from all over the state audition, and they
take the best ones for each department. You live on campus. Unlike most
residential art schools, there is no tuition; we have a whole team of people
who are always trying to get money to keep the school alive. A student has
academic classes until lunch, followed by arts classes (dance, drama, music,
visual art, writing – whatever you auditioned for) until four thirty.
Yes, I prefer my school to a normal high school, because it serves as
an example of what every school should be like. My school is both a
prototype and an endangered species.
AI: Your bio states that you enjoy “wearing sweaters designed for old
men.” Is this a new fashion for you? Is a fluke or will old man sweaters
continue to be must haves in your wardrobe for years to come?
JR: Just today, I was sitting across from one of my friends at dinner
when I realized something. “If I go to college in California,” I yelled, “I
can’t wear sweaters anymore! It’s too hot there!” It was a devastating
moment. There will, I believe, come a time when I have to choose
between my sweaters and my future. Who knows what will happen?
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