About acGATEWAY

acGATEWAY stands for “Aiken County’s Gifted and Talented Education with Artistic Youth”.  Our program was established in 1992 and aims to provide visual and performing arts students with an experience beyond what is possible in a regular classroom setting.  Small class sizes, individual instruction, access to specialized materials, and highly knowledgeable instructors are only some of the ways students benefit from being part of this collaborative arts community.  Gateway is an intensive arts education opportunity – not a “camp”.

Last summer, we spent some time with our Elementary, Middle and High School acGATEWAY students who shared what they love about the program. Students interested will get a behind the scenes look at what Gateway is all about by clicking on the Middle and High School acGATEWAY or Elementary acGATEWAY student videos.

This year’s 2025 acGATEWAY Summer Arts Program is open to current Aiken County Public School students in grades 3-12.  To participate, students must first apply, submit teacher references, go through the audition process, be accepted, and submit permission-to-attend paperwork.  acGATEWAY is designed to serve students who excel in a visual or performing arts discipline including theater, creative writing, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, or visual arts.

Students accepted into the program will spend 12 days (elementary) or 15 days (middle/high) completely immersed in their arts area.  All Middle/High performing arts students may also have the opportunity to participate in a collaborative musical theater “Production” as well.  At the end of the program, performing arts students will present their work in a showcase on stage, and visual arts students will have a gallery display of their artwork for all to see.

All students will receive a grade for their work in the program and must maintain at least a C average in to continue attending in the future. Students in 9th-12th grade have the opportunity to receive one honors fine arts credit for their work in acGateway. This credit can only be awarded once. 

acGATEWAY is a high-paced program, where students accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Classes are intense and require focus and dedication. In order to preserve the integrity of the program, the rules and policies laid out in this document have been established and are expected to be upheld by students and guardians alike. Please read this entire document carefully before completing an application to participate in the program.  

All students who were accepted into program in past years will be eligible to participate this year and will not be required to re-audition.

All students, returning or new, are required to submit an application. 

If a former student desires to change disciplines, re-auditioning for their new discipline is a requirement.

For more information including attendance, discipline, and audition policies, please open the PDF version of this years Gateway application provided on this webpage.

Monday, November 11th – Application Available via District Website and School-Based Coordinators 

Monday, December 9th – Applications Due Virtually via District Website or In-Person to School-Based Coordinators

Monday, January 7th – Audition Times Sent Via Mail

Saturday, January 25th – Auditions @ Aiken High School

Wednesday, February 12th – Audition Results Released via Mail

Friday, March 7th – Permission to Attend Paperwork Due

Monday, June 2nd – Move-In/Planning Day for Staff @ Aiken High School

Monday, June 9th – First Day for Students @ Aiken High School 

Tuesday, June 24th – Elementary Showcase – 7PM – Last Day for Elementary Students 

Thursday, June 26th – Middle/High Showcase – 7PM

Friday, June 27th – Middle/High Program Ends – Staff Move-Out Day

The window for submitting applications has ended. For reference to the forms and information, please see the Electronically Fillable Form and Print Only Form.

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