It’s hard to believe – but summer break is already upon us. Schools are letting out, vacations are being booked, and myriad summer activities are being mulled over. With that in mind, you may be asking yourself, “Why should I choose over other programs, camps and enrichment activities?” Admittedly, L.A. County is flooded with programs that span STEM topics, the arts, sports and nature, but here are 10 things ������Ƶ’s Summer Academy program provides that makes it stand out from the rest:

• New themes for 2018!: Each of our three two-week sessions have a unique theme this summer. Is your child someone who enjoys learning about different worlds – worlds under the sea, the World Wide Web, galaxies and the solar systems or the world of food science? Then our Session I Globetrotters is the perfect choice! In Session II, our Systems Sleuths untangle and understand human body systems, the food chain, circuits, and the periodic table, and discover ways in which even seemingly chaotic entities are part of a larger system. And for the tinkerers and visionaries, Session III allows our students to become Inventioneers, taking deep-dives into the worlds of creativity, fantasy, design and the creation of realms and technology. For a full list of classes and schedules, .
• A dedicated home away from home: In 2017, ������Ƶ acquired our Learning Center on Marengo Avenue, which hosts Academy courses, workshops and family-friendly events. Parents, siblings, friends and babysitters are welcome to sit in our library or on our front porch while classes are taking place. We’ve also got an impressive collection of books, puzzles, Legos and other toys to tinker with – along with wifi if you need to get work done. If you’ve got errands to run, you’re in luck: we’re within walking distance of Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Starbucks and much more!
• Explosions, dissections and contraptions – oh, my!: At Academy, we make, create, design, build, test, mold, sketch – and sometimes get our hands dirty. We’re not content to just sit and listen; we’d rather be launching rockets, making ice cream in a bag, discovering life through a microscope or developing hilarious comedy sketches with our friends. There are no tests here, but you’ll be surprised to discover just how much you’ve learned when class is over.

• Our teachers don’t just show up – they dress up!: If you enroll in Ellen Brown’s King George class, odds are she’ll show up at least once in her Revolutionary War hat. Grayson Kent will be bringing animal bones, fossils and teeth to his Cenozoic Life and Ultimate Guide to Predators You can expect robot races in Chris Bradfield’s Intro to Robotics with Arduino class, and who knows what else! We’re so proud of the dedication and energy our Instructors put into making Academy classes fun, engaging, stimulating and a one-of-a-kind experience for students.
• It’s cool to be smart: Everyone at Academy – students, instructors, staff and families – loves to learn and encourages it in everything they do. In fact, we’re all about getting each other to see things from new perspectives, challenging what we’ve always thought to be true and understanding how different disciplines complement each other to span multiple scholarly fields. Interested in the intersection of art and math? Check out Alessandra Santucci’s class Mosaic Elements: An Artistic Application of Euclidian Geometry. Do you enjoy studying international relations, medicine, and technology? Sign up for Tristan Murphy’s class How to Save the World: Problem Solving on a Global Scale.
• Flexibility: Whether your summer calendar is currently carte blanche or you’re juggling soccer, sailing, scouting and swimming, Academy can meet your needs and fit your schedule. Our two-week sessions provide the ideal amount of time for in-depth discovery, but don’t take time away from other important summer adventures. Classes meet once a day for 90 minutes and students can sign up for 1-4 classes per session. to see which session best fits your child’s availability.
• Discounts: Speaking of multiple classes, did you know we offer several types of discounts for Academy families? We offer sibling, referral and multiple-class discounts. The more courses you enroll in, the bigger the savings! We also offer scholarships for qualified families in need. for tuition and discount information.
• Choose Your Own Adventure!: Learning is most fun when you have a say in what you’re learning and how you’re learning it. To that end, Academy has created the perfect safe space for students to take control of their learning and help shape their scholarly pursuits. Are you a budding Dungeon Master? Find out just how far your skills and inner strengths will take you in Grayson Kent’s Dungeons and Dragons Do you enjoy coding and creating your own websites that let you show off your interests and talents? Sign up for Alessandra Santucci’s Intro to Web Design class. Have you always wanted to design and build an intricate, multi-layered marble run, the likes of which you’ve seen in impressive YouTube videos? Then Rube Goldberg: Machines and Mazes is the course for you!
• Friends, Families and Fun: Academy is not just an academic enrichment program. In recent years, Academy has truly become a community of invested, caring and passionate students, families and educators – all dedicated to the support and advocacy of gifted and talented youth. When you’re here, you’ll always find someone with whom to chat, discuss gifted programming , and even just get caught up on current events and goings-on around town. Students quickly make connections and friends with peers who are just as passionate about robots, creative writing, ancient history, the Pythagorean Theorem and galaxies as they are. We get gifted students and we’ve created a community in which your child can thrive, be themselves and soar.

• Just the Beginning: At Academy, you’ll be introduced to exciting, challenging courses taught by outstanding Instructors from CalTech, JPL, the Mirman School, Bridges Academy – to name a few institutions. Our Instructors also host workshops, mini-lectures and Genius Days throughout the year, extending the benefits of Academy courses well beyond the summer. Additionally, our community board features exciting offerings from other ������Ƶ programs, gifted organizations, families and gifted professionals. ������Ƶ is dedicated to providing and making families aware of services and events within all aspects of gifted. You’ll be surprised by how much information we have to share when you drop off and pick up your child each day!

!

Still not convinced, or perhaps want to get a further look at the type of classes we’re offering? at 5:30pm, where our Academy instructors will be conducting interactive demonstrations of their coursework.

Thank you to all the parents and volunteers who devote their time and resources to help ������Ƶ run smoothly. From organizing files in the office to speaking at a meeting to assisting with one of , our volunteers are essential and their contributions are immeasurable. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity.

Thank you to everyone who has this year. Your support is essential to ensuring every gifted child has the chance to reach their full potential.�� Financial gifts, both big and small, allow us to provide programming, materials and services to gifted students, parents and teachers. A special thank you to those who sponsored our Let’s Connect Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction:

����

������

�� ��SCG Publishing

Thank you to everyone who has shared information about our work, passed on a blog post and/or helped us advocate for gifted children. You are helping us build a brighter future for gifted students across the country.

Finally, thank you to all the gifted children who inspire us with their creativity, perseverance, ingenuity and passion for learning. We hope we have enriched your lives as much as you have ours.

Thank you to everyone who has supported ������Ƶ this year!

Like this post? to receive more stories, information, and resources about gifted youth straight to your inbox.

Twinkling lights and delicious Mediterranean cuisine set the stage for an evening of fun and inspiring conversation among the ������Ƶ community at our benefit dinner and silent auction hosted at Eden Garden Bar & Grill in Pasadena. Enthusiastic student volunteers from ������Ƶ’s Academy, EXPLORE, CDB and Yunasa programs greeted guests and invited them to pick up a wacky prop or two to pose for our photo booth (you can check out more photos on or our #ISupportGifted) before walking through the restaurant’s gorgeous covered patio to connect with old friends and greet new members of the ������Ƶ family.

Cocktails and generous servings of hors d’oeuvres kept spirits high as guests perused ������Ƶ’s silent auction table, which included popular items like Disney Park Hopper tickets, behind-the-scenes tours of L.A. movie studios and museums, Lakers tickets and a highly-coveted Uber gift card. A half case of Bordeaux wine, generously donated by an ������Ƶ family, was offered as a special drawing prize for guest donations; ������Ƶ’s own and her husband, Mikel, who captured our evening through his beautiful photography, were the winners.

The evening’s emcee was Jason Roberts, an entrepreneur noted for his work as one of the first developers at Uber and the gifted parent of a gifted child. Jason provided insight and humor in his anecdotes as he discussed the impact that a high school mentor had on shaping his path and fueling his passion for mathematics and computer programming. ��He strives to inspire the same passion in his students through the accelerated math curriculum that he and his wife, Sandy, developed for their son’s PUSD school. Jason recalls his mentor pushing him not just to do better, but to do his best by setting the bar high (encouraging Jason to teach himself Calculus, for instance). Jason attributes this spirit of perseverance instilled by his mentor as a value that nourished him academically, strengthened him during difficult times, and fed his ambition as an entrepreneur.

Alumni speakers Sophie Romans and Teagan Lende echoed the importance of building a community to nurture gifted learners. As former Caroline D. Bradley Scholars, both received full scholarships to attend an optimally-matched high school that suited their unique learning needs, but in retrospect, it wasn’t the money that stood out to them as the most life-changing aspect of their time with ������Ƶ: “Growing up in North Dakota, I didn’t have access to any kind of gifted community,” Teagan admitted, “but ������Ƶ gave me a support network of adults and peers that I never thought I would have.”�� Sophie added, “This community is the most incredible group of people. I want to make sure that I stay close to support them in any way I can as a small thank you for the way they supported me.”

The program ended with a lively “paddle raise” conducted by Jason Roberts, who brought his infectious enthusiasm to the role of auctioneer. Guests eagerly pledged to donate, raising funds that will go directly towards supporting the children and families served by ������Ƶ’s customized programs.

������Ƶ is sincerely grateful to all of our guests, especially our event’s Supporter-level patrons, Kimberly & Juan Balbuena and Seong Sik Jeon & Joo Eun Bae, for coming to the event. The evening would not have been possible without the generous support of our friends, including Art Center College of Design; Bridges Academy; Dugan & Dugan, P.C.; Gunn Psychological Services, Inc.; Jim Manoledes, Realtor; Mercer Educational Consulting; and Online G3. We would also like to thank our emcee, Jason Roberts, and Alumni speakers, Teagan Lende and Sophie Romans, for sharing their stories and providing a voice for gifted students, as well as our student volunteers Aditya Athota, Aveline Chen, Chloe Jiang, Ian Macklin Sims, Nico Symons Galassi and Ellie Surman. Thank you all for helping us create a magical evening and for being champions for gifted education!

As our guests departed, each was encouraged to participate in a tradition that ������Ƶ practices during our . By “setting intentions” we create a clear idea of what we hope for, releasing our desires into the universe with trust and gratitude and ending our intention with the phrase, “and so it is.”�� At ������Ƶ, we intend that the adult members of our ������Ƶ family advocate for the extraordinary children in their lives, seeking the best possible learning environments, programs, and social opportunities for each child. We intend for the young gifted individuals in our community to receive the attentiveness, guidance, support, and acceptance they deserve.

And so it is.

Thank you to our business sponsors:

�������� �� ���� ������ �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ���� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ������ �� �� �� ��
Jim Manoledes, Realtor, Broker Associate

Like this post? to receive more stories, information, and resources about gifted youth straight to your inbox.