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Show Program for gifted to start at Middle School A new program will be initiated at the Middle School this year by Grand County School District. It is for the gifted and talented child and will be called Spark. As the name suggests, the aim of the program will be to keep alive the spark of enthusiasm for learning in those children gifted with superior abilitiesespecially academic and special talents. Just as the child with learning disabilities needs special education to realize : , s potential, so docs the gifted child. c, until now, no such program has been available. To make a program available, the Curriculum Committee- of the Grand Fducation Association started last winter to sift through the mounds of literature and guidelines on such programs in other places. This summer a proposal was put together that would fit the needs of our district in as far as available funds would allow. It will be a pilot program this year. If it works, it will be expanded Into the elementary and high schools, funds allowing. For this year, the program will be a 1 -hour class taught by Vivian Arthur. The first quarter of the school year will be devoted to identifying qualified students, acquainting the staff at the Middle School with the program and organizing the actual class. Second quarter, the students will start. They will spend the time leirnai improved thinking, organizing. ttf' ; and studv skills. After this preparatioa. j the students will spend the third aNj fourth quarter working on an m'i( project of their own choosing. project could involve field trips to kv businesses, working with experts mentors) from the community. tcart! from any of the schools, and the bi coordinator. Such a project increase the students' motivation, i prove their thinking skills, resfar skills, decision-making ability a P ; vide community involvement and P1 tical experience. Qualified students are to , identified in a number of ways: 11 so11 ! i:0 or above on an individual 10 having a grade point average of . above. .1) being nominated by f principals, former teachers. P01 parents. -I) placing in the Vth P on a group achievement test, orJ1 P high on a test for creativity. Student qualify in any J of these areas " eligible for the program. Next spring, the entire prolan be evaluated by the Curriculum lw toe. the teachers involved, the ity mentors, parents and the atvi themselves. Any problems rm,y this year can then be corrected K pivgrnm is implemented on a scale. |