Bonnie Kesner was preparing for her senior year at Fort Smith Southside High School when a new opportunity presented itself.
She didn’t know exactly what she was pursuing when she applied for the inaugural Arkansas Governor’s School in 1980. She just knew she would get the opportunity to sing.
“Anything that was choir, I wanted to go do that,” said Bonnie, who later became Bonnie Curlin after marrying her husband, Jay. “All of my friends I made and met at Arkansas Governor’s School were from North Little Rock, and I ended up working my last job before retirement, 13 years, in North Little Rock.”
More than four decades later, Bonnie found herself back at Arkansas Governor’s School on Sunday, July 7. This time she and Jay were dropping off their son, Benjamin Curlin, at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville as one of 383 students beginning the 45th Arkansas Governor’s School.
“I am very, very excited for all the new friends he’s going to make and his experiences,” said Bonnie. “He’s going to find a lot of friends he can talk philosophy with and they can have some very interesting conversations. He’s had some of that in high school, but I think he’ll have deeper conversations here.”
Like Bonnie, Benjamin is a choir student. Participating in the AGS vocal music program was a life-shaping experience for Benjamin’s mom.
“The choir program was so unique for me,” said Bonnie. “I came through a traditional high school program, and what they did (at AGS) that first year was very experimental. We did a lot of modern things. We did some classic things. It was a wide range of music that I was exposed to that I had not been exposed to in high school.”
That exposure helped direct Bonnie to her career as an educator, first as a choir director and later as a gifted coordinator.
Bonnie recalls she gained additional benefit from AGS through the study of psychology and philosophy.
“We read ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ for one of our classes,” said Bonnie. “That was so unique and fun for me.”
Benjamin is a rising senior at North Little Rock High School. As he begins his Arkansas Governor’s School experience, he is proud to carry on the family tradition.
“I have some senior friends who went here last year, and they convinced me to apply (for AGS),” said Benjamin. “I’m excited and nervous about being the only bass in the choir. I’m glad to be walking in my mom’s footsteps.”
Learn more about Arkansas Governor’s School at www.atu.edu/ags.
