Archive
Open house for gifted summer camp at Emory
Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG) is hosting an open house on Saturday, Feb. 5 for families that want to learn more about this summer’s programs at Emory University.
SIG has two camp programs at Emory this summer:
- A day camp for ages 6 to 9
- A residential camp for ages 11 to 17 (a commuter option is available for those who either want to cut costs or aren’t quite ready to live on campus)
In addition, the National Society for the Gifted and Talented will run a program for ages 15 to 18 called University Prep. This three-week course helps prepare students for the college application process and includes an SAT prep course from Princeton Review.
You must pre-register for the open house by calling Michelle at (866) 303-4744, ext. 5159, or by e-mailing sig.info@giftedstudy.com.
Summer research program at Winship Cancer Institute
Current high-school juniors with a passion for science can apply now for the Winship Summer Scholars Research Program at Emory University.
Students selected for the program will work in a biomedical research lab, paired with a mentor who is actively engaged in cancer research at the Emory University School of Medicine.
Deadline to apply is Feb. 11.
Wetland ecology class for high-school credit
High-school students looking for a hands-on science experience can still apply for the wetland ecology class at Fernbank’s Advanced Studies program. Unfortunately, coordinator Denise Savage said that’s the only class with spaces for spring semester.
Denise said that the ornithology class on the schedule won’t be taught because there wasn’t enough student interest. If you have a child interested in birds — and maybe they have a few friends with a similar interest — you could contact her to see if they might reconsider that decision and open the class.
Advanced Studies classes are open to high-school students who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The classes, which are held after regular school hours, earn school credit. Students who attend DeKalb County schools can take the classes for no charge; there is a fee for those outside the county system.
Early bird registration for UGA-TIP scholar weekend
How would your child like to spend a weekend learning about robotics, bacteriology, or arguing a case before the Supreme Court?
These are three of the courses available at February’s UGA-TIP Scholar Weekend at the University of Georgia. The program is open to students in 8th-11th grades who have taken part in a talent search through the Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP). Classes will be held on Feb. 12 and 13, with students having the option to stay on campus overnight. TIP Scholar Weekends are designed to expose gifted students to subject matter beyond the standard curriculum and provide a taste of the collegiate atmosphere.
The early registration deadline is Jan. 7, 2011. Regular registration ends Jan. 28. But if history holds, those dates are meaningless — the most popular classes will fill up well before the deadline.
Juried art competition for high-school students
High-school students (grades 9-12) are invited to submit exceptional artwork to the Atlanta High-School Art Exhibition. Winning artists will receive cash prizes and their works will be displayed at the Dogwood Festival in April 2011.
Acceptable types of work are painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, photography, collage, sculpture, pottery, computer graphics, architectural design, and 2D or 3D animation.
Students must have their work submitted by a teacher, and the artwork must be a school project, either done in an art class or created as part of the regular curriculum. (Governor’s Honors projects are not accepted.) Home schooled students can submit their work independently.
The entry deadline is Feb. 18, 2011.
Did you know kids as young as 7 can go to Space Camp?
Having family from Huntsville, Ala., I’ve long known about the U.S. Space and Rocket Center there and its prestigious Space Camp. But not until I went to the recent NAGC conference here in Atlanta did I know that Space Camp offers programs for kids as young as 7.
Youngsters can attend Parent/Child Space Camp, a 3-day program held on weekends starting in February and continuing through summer. As you can tell by the name of the program, a parent must attend with the child. The parent/child camp is open to kids as old as 12.
For kids 9 and up, there are other Space Camp programs to choose from as well, and registration for all programs is open now.
The camps aren’t cheap, and the drive isn’t a short one — about 4 hours from Atlanta — but for some kids, there’s just nothing like it.
Science and math enrichment at Morehouse
Registration is now open for the spring session of the Ben Carson Academy at the Morehouse School of Medicine.
The program is open to students in 4th to 8th grades. Classes will meet on Saturdays mornings from Feb. 5 to March 12, 2011. Ben Carson Academy offers enrichment in math and science, with an emphasis on health science.
As I’ve written before about this program, it is not restricted to minority children, but the curriculum does place an emphasis on African-American culture and history. The program requires teacher recommendations and a decent grade average, but gifted identification is not a requirement.
By participating in Ben Carson Academy, your child can improve his or her chances of earning a spot in Morehouse’s Vivien Thomas Summer Program, a research program that allows high-school students to work as apprentices in biomedical research labs.
Registration for Ben Carson Academy is open until Dec. 31.
Creative writing contest for grades 4-12
The long, winter break could be the perfect time to have your little writer start working on a piece of poetry or fiction to enter in the 2011 Torrance Legacy Creative Writing Awards competition. Contest winners will have their work published in a collection.
Short stories (limited to 1,250 words) and poems will be accepted from Jan. 15, 2011 until August 15, 2011. All works must focus on one of the following themes:
- Magic of adventure
- Serendipity
- Beyond the horizon
- Unexpected answers
- Nothing set in stone
- Creating solutions
The contest is sponsored by the National Association for Gifted Children, among others; however, children do not need to be enrolled in a gifted program to enter.
The Web site I linked to above doesn’t have much posted for the 2011 contest yet, but I assume they will once they are officially receiving entries.
GSU Saturday School spring session
Saturday School for Scholars and Leaders has posted its class list for its first spring session. This program at Georgia State University is open to children in kindergarten through 8th grade, with classes in math, science, social studies and the arts.
The “Spring A” session will begin on Jan. 22 and continue each Saturday through Feb. 19. Classes are offered from 9-12 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. During the morning sessions, parents can attend seminars about raising gifted children.
The registration deadline for this session is Jan. 7.
Fernbank planetarium holiday shows start tomorrow
Starting Dec. 4 and continuing just past Christmas, the Fernbank Planetarium will offer two holiday programs.
For little kids, they’ll be showing “Holiday Hunt,” the story of a search for Santa through the starry night.
For older children and adults, “’tis the Season” looks at the constellations in the winter sky and offers some scientific explanations of what the star over Bethlehem might have been.
Show times are available on weekday evenings and weekends, as well as a few extra daytime showings during the school break.
Gifted Atlanta 