The Bridge 2018
Welcome to the Spring/Summer 2018 edition of The Bridge. This is an exciting time at the Center for Gifted Education. In this issue, we have a variety of exciting events and information to share. You can read more about each by clicking the link to the article.
Thre has been quite a bit going on in the precollegiate area of the Center, headed by Dr. Mihyeon Kim. Camp Launch, our residential program celebrated its sixth year of camp this past summer. We also are pleased to share that Camp Launch was recognized by Norfolk Public School Board. In addition, Dr. Kim hosted a group of teachers from Korea for a professional development program last August. Another group will be attending in August 2018. The Center hosts a Governor's School each summer. Last summer, astronaut Buzz Aldrin highlighted the Governor’s School experience for area students.
Dr. Jennifer Riedl Cross, Dr. Mihyeon Kim, Dr. Tracy L. Cross and alumnus Dr. Sakhavat Mammadov were awarded for research on intelligence from the Mensa Foundation. Their study was entitled “Social Coping and Self-Concept Among Young Gifted Students in Ireland and the United States: A Cross-Cultural Study.”
Dr. Tracy L. Cross has founded the Institute for Research on the Suicide of Gifted Students. With the support of Dr. Jennifer Riedl Cross, the Institute will ensure more work is done to determine what factors related to giftedness might lead gifted children and young adults to suicidal thoughts and behavior and what can be done to intervene before it’s too late. Campus Connect, a program originally developed at Syracuse University, will train up to 25 W&M faculty and staff with some background in psychology or mental health to offer training to other faculty, staff and students at W&M who are in a position to come in contact with students in distress. The three-hour class, which will launch in the 2017-18 academic year, will be open to anyone at W&M who would like to participate.
In December, the Center was recognized for its outstanding curriculum with an award from the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. Dr. Jennifer Robins, along with representatives from the publisher, Kendall Hunt, were on hand to accept the award.
This spring, Dr. Tracy L. Cross and Dr. Jennifer R. Cross participated in the first Greek conference on gifted education. Tracy delivered the keynote speech, "What is Gifted Education and (Why) Do We Need It?”
This summer, we have multiple PD offerings, including Summer Institute and the Advanced Placement Summer Institute. Summer Institute will be held June 25–26, and the following courses are available:
- Inclusive Grouping and Collaboration Methods: Implementation, Practice, and Evaluation (Dina Brulles, Ph.D.)
- Increase Student Engagement With Engineering Design Pedagogy (Debbie Dailey, Ed.D.)
- Beyond the Main Idea: Using Constructivist Approaches to Engage Gifted Students With Challenging Texts (Magdalena Fitzsimmons)
- What Are Primary Resources and Why Use Them With Gifted Students? (Jennifer L. Jolly, Ph.D.)
- Grit: How We Can Cultivate Passion and Perseverance in our Students to Lead Them to Success (Laila Y. Sanguras, Ph.D.)
- Center for Gifted Education English Language Arts Curriculum (Mary Ann Yedinak)
APSI has continued to grow, and we are offering 24 classes over 3 weeks in July and August. The course offerings and registration information are available for anyone still wanting to register.
Thank you for your continued support of the Center and continued readership of The Bridge.
