Summer in Petersburg brings a special tradition – one that has often received applicants from as far away as Amelia and Charles City counties. That tradition is the three-day Summer Challenges program for Gifted and Talented Students, sponsored by the Petersburg City Public Schools (PCPS) and hosted at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (ARGS).

Although the PCPS sponsors the program, participants can – and do - enroll from any school district in the areas surrounding Petersburg.

Forget the image of drowsy students nodding off over their desks. The Summer Challenges program puts these kids to work studying everything from archaeology to doll-making, and from robotics to music and literary arts. This year’s event will wrap up with a demonstration of all the skills that the students have learned, at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 10, in the ARGS auditorium.