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VOX ATL taking applications for summer multimedia program and youth poet laureate
VOX ATL, a non-profit organization that calls itself “Atlanta’s home for uncensored teen publishing and self-expression” and has a mission to uplift the voices of young people, has two opportunities for area teens.
This summer, VOX will host two sessions of its long-running Media Cafe. a two-week program that introduces teens to multimedia production, journalism and public speaking. Media Cafe includes hands-on experience with writing, video editing, podcasting, graphic design and more, as well as field trips and the chance to meet creative professionals who work in Atlanta. The program is open to ages 13-19. The application deadline is April 15, but spaces will be filled on a rolling basis, and each session has a limit of 12 participants, so it’s best to apply as soon as possible. To learn more, visit the Media Cafe page.
VOX ATL also has joined forces with Urban Word NYC to select an Atlanta Youth Poet Laureate. Teens ages 13-18 are invited to apply for the honor. The Youth Poet Laureate will have their writing published, be eligible to compete in regional and national Youth Poet Laureate competitions, and receive their choice of either $500 or the resources needed to publish their own poetry chapbook. Deadline to submit the online application is April 15.
A scholarship that pays high-school tuition
Applications are now open for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, a merit-based, need-blind scholarship that pays high-school tuition for outstanding students.
Students apply when they are in seventh grade, which means the application is now open for students in the high school graduating class of 2028.
Selections are announced when the students begin eighth grade. During the eighth-grade year, the selected scholars will research and apply to schools that will best suit them, with support from the scholarship team.
Established in 2002, the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship can be used for private schools, boarding schools, parochial schools, homeschool hybrids, early college, and other types of schools. Students who currently attend a private school that continues beyond eighth grade may apply; however, the scholarship administrators will ask that they research and consider other high-school options.
You can learn more about the scholarship and the application process by attending an online webinar on February 6 or March 13. See the scholarship’s How to Apply page for details.
Applications are due on April 17, 2023. The application requires letters of recommendation and essays, so it’s best to get an early start.
Georgia Tech invites high-school students to enter statistics competition
Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial and Systems Engineering is holding a probability and statistics competition for high-school students. Prizes will include formal recognition and scholarships to Georgia Tech’s Mission Possible Camp.
To qualify, students must have completed AP Statistics.
The first round of the competition will be held online on December 9, 2022. The registration deadline is December 1.
For those who advance, the second round will be March 17, 2023, at Georgia Tech.
For students interested generally in industrial engineering, the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering has other outreach programs for K-12 students, including the opportunity to attend a class, tour the campus, and meet current students. Like the competition, the campus visit program is open to students who have completed AP Statistics.
New talent identification programs offer above-grade testing
When Duke University shut down its Duke TIP program in 2020, it left a worrisome hole in the available resources for gifted children and their parents. Fortunately, leaders in gifted education immediately began working on new programs to fill this gap, and two talent identification programs are now up and operating.
Baylor University
Baylor University, in Texas, recently launched Baylor TIP, which has begun offering above-grade testing for students in grades 4 through 8 who meet certain academic qualifications. Students in grades 7 or 8 can take a college-readiness exam that is designed for high-school juniors and seniors. Students in grades 4, 5 and 6 can take a different version of that exam, which has been modified for students in grades 8 and 9.
The exam can be taken online at any time. A paper version is also available. Parents can sign their children up individually, or schools can arrange to administer a test to multiple students. An informational session for school administrators will be held via Zoom this Friday, April 29.
Participating TIP students will receive a score report with educational recommendations. Those who participate will automatically qualify for enrichment programs offered through the Baylor Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Baylor TIP also will host an awards program for those with exceptionally high scores.
Western Kentucky University
The TIP-KY program is currently focused on testing students within the state of Kentucky, but the program director said they will try to assist students in other states who don’t have another option.
Why take an above-grade test?
Above-grade testing is valuable for gifted students, who often peg the meter on the standardized tests they’re administered in school. Taking a standardized test that was designed for an older student can help a student’s parents understand just how far ahead their child is, which can be useful in advocating for advanced learning in school.
In the now shuttered Duke TIP Talent Search, 7th-grade students took the SAT or ACT right alongside high-school juniors and seniors. That option seems to be off the table for now, as both the ACT and College Board now limit test registration to students who are 13 or older.
Statistics competition for high-school students
Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial and Systems Engineering is holding a probability and statistics competition for high-school students. Prizes will include cash awards, scholarships to Georgia Tech’s Mission Possible Camp, and formal recognition.
To qualify, students must have completed AP Statistics.
The first round of the competition will be held online on February 18. The second round will be April 4 at Georgia Tech. Registration closes February 15.
Thank you to Cindy D. for the heads up about this event!
Apply now for Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program offers funds — up to $40,000 a year, for up to four years — to support the college ambitions of high-achieving students who have financial need.
The scholarship is available to high-school seniors who have GPAs of 3.5 or higher and have high SAT or ACT scores. (See the JKCF web site for complete eligibility information.)
The foundation will consider applications from students whose families make up to $95,000 a year, but most of the recipients will have family income low enough to qualify for a Pell Grant. The average family income of recipients is $35,000 per year.
Application for the scholarship will be done using the Common App. (Again, see the JKCF site for details.) There is no cost to apply. You must complete the application by November 13, 2019. You’ll need to provide financial information, school records, essays and teacher recommendations, so allow yourself time to compile and complete the needed paperwork.
National YoungArts Foundation offers life-long support for teens gifted in visual, performing, or literary arts
Being admitted to the National YoungArts program is more than an honor. It’s a passport to a lifetime of mentoring and support in the arts.
The National Arts Competition is open to artists ages 15 to 18, or in grades 10 to 12, in these artistic disciplines:
- classical music
- dance
- design arts
- film
- jazz
- photography
- theater
- visual arts
- voice
- writing
Winners will receive cash awards, take classes with accomplished artists, and benefit from a lifetime of mentoring, performance opportunities, and professional support.
The application deadline is Oct. 11, 2019. Find out more at the YoungArts competition web site and in this recent article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Can you design a better way to grow plants in space? Enter this contest.
The International Space Station isn’t the easiest place for agriculture. There’s simply not much room for a garden. Today, plants aboard the spaceship are grown in small cubes. It’s workable, but it doesn’t maximize the available space.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is working with NASA to improve gardening systems for the ISS and has opened the Growing Beyond Earth Maker Contest. The contest challenges students in high school and college, as well as professionals, to design and build better systems.
Entries will be judged by a panel of NASA scientists. Five winners will be selected from each level (high school, college, professional). Those winners will go on to have their designs tested to determine the final three winners.
Register now to start getting information and briefings. An initial webinar with information about current gardening systems aboard the ISS will be tomorrow, July 10. The final deadline for finished designs is Feb. 3, 2020.
Scholarships for 7th graders with high achievement and financial need
The application period for the Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program, a scholarship for high-performing students with financial need, is open through March 14, 2019.
The Young Scholars program awards scholarships that can be used for enrichment — from music lessons to summer programs — or for private-school tuition. Students apply when they are in 7th grade, and scholarship winners receive financial support for five years, beginning in 8th grade.
Award winners also receive academic guidance from advisers with the program, and participate in summer programs.
To apply, a student must come from a family with an adjusted annual gross income of $95,000 or less. The median annual family income of students selected in 2018 was less than $40,000.
The application has lots of parts to complete, including personal and teacher recommendations, so it’s wise to get an early start.
Digital game design workshop this Saturday
The Games for Change Student Challenge is a game design competition that challenges students to learn simple game design while also learning about community issues.
In the challenge, middle-school and high-school students use simple game engine software such as Scratch, Unity 3D, Snap!, Gamesalad and others to create digital games. They then use these game platforms to build interactive games that incorporate a community issue, such as aging or the environment.
This Saturday, Dec. 1, students are invited to Georgia Tech for a Game Jam, a workshop that will introduce beginning concepts in game design and civic engagement. The workshop is free, but advance registration is required.
The Game Jam can help students gets started in the Games for Change competition, which will accept student submissions from February 1 to April 1, 2019. For the competition, students can work individually or in teams of up to four people.
Established in New York in 2015, the Games for Change Student Challenge will operate this year in four U.S. cities: New York, Atlanta, Detroit, and Los Angeles.
Gifted Atlanta 