Art, film, and LEGO Robotics camps in Newnan and Carrollton
The University of West Georgia is hosting a number of week-long camps for children, starting with kindergarten and going through high school.
Topics for younger kids include dinosaurs, the Olympics, space, and the ocean, while older kids can dabble in art, film making, LEGO Robotics, or handmade games.
The camps will be held either at UWG’s main campus in Carrollton, or at the Newnan Center in Newnan.
Biotechnology camp for rising middle-schoolers
BioIgnite will host a one-week biotechnology camp, July 18-22, 2016, at Fulton Science Academy. The camp is led by graduate students from Georgia Tech. Topics covered will include regenerative medicine, neuroengineering, medical device design, and biomedical imaging.
The camp is for students rising to 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.
Casting call: Bright kids ages 8-12
I have been contacted by a casting producer for “Genius Jr.,” a new, prime-time kids’ game show to be aired on NBC. The show will film in California. More details and the link to apply are shown in the image below.
If you apply to have your child be a contestant, be sure to include in your notes that you were referred by Tracy Sinclair.
Disclaimer: I have not vetted this opportunity and know no more details than provided here. I am simply passing along the information. If you need additional details, you can e-mail Tracy with questions: tsinclair – at – shedmedia – dot – com.
When academic awards season means hurt feelings for the gifted
For the metro Atlanta area, May brings the end of the school year, and with that comes academic awards season. It can be a surprisingly difficult and disappointing time for gifted children.
Gifted kids will receive their Principal’s List awards for earning all A’s, but when it comes to those big awards — the special awards that are accompanied by a teacher’s speech about how wonderful the child is — gifted kids often are passed over in favor of students who have struggled through school.
I am all in favor of rewarding hard work in the face of adversity. I am often moved to tears when the teachers describe a child who, for example, started the school year not speaking English and now is reading independently. That child absolutely deserves praise for what they have achieved.
But how do I look into the saddened eyes of my child and explain that although she is at the top of her class academically, is helpful, respectful, responsible and well-behaved, she is never chosen for this standout award?
I try. I compare these awards to what on my sports teams were called the “Coach’s Award” or “Hustle Award,” an award the coach gave to a player who worked hard but who didn’t have the skills to be the best scorer, defender, or all-around athlete. The problem is, at least in my child’s school, there is only one special recognition award per class. So if the award goes to a kid who has struggled to get from the bottom to the middle, it will never go to a child who has consistently been at the top.
The “Crushing Tall Poppies” blog addressed this dilemma in a recent post, “Not the Underdog, Yet, the Underdog.” The author, Celi Trépanier, is a former teacher and a SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) facilitator. She argues that it’s human nature to give additional support and encouragement to children who are struggling, but points out that this can translate to neglect of well-adjusted, high-performing kids in school. She writes:
Cutting down the tall poppies does not level the playing field; it promotes an unfair and inequitable situation. What many seem to forget is gifted children are human and they are children—children who have feelings, who have flaws, and who can also have physical and learning disabilities. Gifted children, like all children, need positive feedback, encouragement, and they need to be nurtured and supported like every other child. When support, encouragement and positive feedback is denied to a gifted child based on the assumption he or she probably does not need anything more, they grow up feeling left out and shunned.
And so we go into awards season, my child hopeful, me filled with the dread of another disappointment, of trying to explain once again why her success isn’t enough to earn her the recognition she craves.
Two new STEM summer camp options
I’ve recently been contacted about two new camps in the metro area.
First is a completely new camp, STREM HQ, founded by Aditya Suri, a Walton High School graduate who was on the school’s highly acclaimed robotics team. Last year, Suri won a scholarship from Samsung for a mobile app he created. He established STREM HQ to expand STEM learning opportunities for kids. The “R” in STREM HQ is for robotics, an important component in the program. The camps are open to kids ages 8 and up.
Also new is an expansion of the Smart Girls Summer Camp at Atlanta Girls’ School. The camp has added a program for younger children, and now serves rising first through ninth graders. All of the Smart Girls camps center on STEAM themes.
Short story contest for kids ages 11-13
Writers ages 11 to 13 are invited to submit short stories to The Bertie writing contest.
Stories should be 1,500 words or less and must include an inter-generational aspect — at least two characters from different generations.
The contest is organized by local author Lisa Lewis Tyre, author of the acclaimed middle-grade novel Last in a Long Line of Rebels. Entries will be judged by a group of Atlanta-area children’s authors. Cash prizes will be awarded.
The submission deadline is April 1.
Summer math program for rising 6th-8th graders
Georgia Gwinnett College has opened registration for its 2016 Mathematics in Action summer enrichment program, open to rising 6th, 7th and 8th graders.
Students in the program will solve real-world math problems, play math games, and explore other math topics.
The program is held on the GGC campus in Lawrenceville and runs for four days — Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The college is offering two sessions: June 6-9 and June 13-16.
Free computer science summer program for 10th and 11th grade girls
There are only four days left to submit applications for the Girls Who Code seven-week summer immersion program, which will be offered at three locations around metro Atlanta during summer 2016.
Current 10th and 11th grade girls will receive instruction in coding and meet members of the business community, learning about the role computer science plays in a variety of industries. The program is designed for beginners — no coding experience is necessary.
The program will be held on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from June 6 to July 22. Locations are:
- Accenture, 100 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, 30303
- AT&T, 725 West Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, 30308
- GE, 2018 Powers Ferry Rd. SE, Atlanta, 30339
The summer immersion program is free to all participants. Students who have to pay for transportation to the program location may be eligible for a stipend to cover those costs. And for girls who qualify, cash scholarships of $400 to $1,400 may be available. This money is intended to offset the loss of wages for girls who would ordinarily need to work a summer job.
Girls Who Code is a national non-profit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology.
Applications are due March 8.
Seeking feedback on Duke TIP summer programs
Someone wrote to me and asked what I knew about the Duke TIP summer programs. She is trying to select a location (Davidson, Trinity, or Wake Forest) for her child.
I have no personal experience with these programs, so I’m putting this one out to you, readers. If you have a child who has participated in a Duke TIP summer program, would you take a minute to comment about where they attended and how it was?
Thanks!
Scholarships for high ability, low-income 7th graders
High-achieving, seventh-grade students whose families have limited incomes are encouraged to apply for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Young Scholars program. Applications are being accepted through April 14, 2016.
The Young Scholars program offers advisement and financial support from eighth grade through the end of high school. The scholarship pays for enrichment activities — such as summer camps, music lessons, and distance learning classes — for students who are academically solid and financially challenged. (Wondering what “financially challenged” means? Applicants must have adjusted family income of $95,000 or less, and the Foundation reports that the average family income of its scholars is $30,000 a year.)
Students must apply during their seventh-grade year. Those selected enter the program in eighth grade and continue as Young Scholars through high school. The Young Scholars program also is a pathway to the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship program, which provides $40,000 per year for college.
The application package requires tax forms and teacher recommendations, so give yourself time to get everything together.
Gifted Atlanta 