The theme of this year’s conference was Earth Science, with a special focus on equipping children with the tools necessary to problem-solve, innovate, and create change in a world with endless solutions.

It’s no coincidence that just days before the conference, Pasadena experienced a near record-breaking heatwave followed by plunging temperatures that brought on a flash hailstorm with pea-size ice pellets and gusty winds. At Academy, students in the Kitchen Chemistry 2 class excitedly put their gummy bear experiment on pause to step out onto the front porch and take in the wintery scene.

Students take a break to  investigate ice falling from the sky during Kitchen Chemistry 2.

The ECSTEM conference offered similar opportunities to learn from nature’s wonders, including keynote speakers and children’s book authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple, who read from their book, I Am The Storm.

“A tornado, a blizzard, a forest fire, and a hurricane are met, in turn, with resilience and awe in this depiction of nature’s power and our own. In the face of our shifting climate, young children everywhere are finding themselves subject to unfamiliar and often frightening extreme weather (Yolen, 2019).”

This richly illustrated book told from the perspective of four children who find themselves adapting to extreme weather events thoughtfully depicts the call to shelter, swirl of emotions, and eventual passing of danger that leaves each child feeling as strong as nature itself.

If you haven’t read the book for yourself or in the company of a child, I recommend it. The final pages will have you chanting,

“I am loud like the tornado.

I am wild like the blizzard.

I am hot like the fire.

I am fierce like the hurricane.

I am the storm.

And when the storm passes,

as it always does,

I am the calm, too.”

Below you will find a list of resources from ECSTEM and other STEM-field experts that provide our young people of today with developmentally appropriate, culturally inclusive, real-world learning opportunities that are on the cutting edge of tomorrow.

ECSTEM

JPL/NASA

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Board on Science Education.

•  (free downloadable pdf available)

And if you happened to miss Pasadena’s recent ice shower, here is how you can make your own !

Are you looking for inspiration on how to get involved in ������Ƶ’s upcoming peer-to-peer STEAM-A-THON fundraiser? Look no further than Academy students! 

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math are infused in the work of Academy students, who show that learning can be both challenging and fun. Students in classes such as Math for Future Architects, Space Academy, Jurassic Life and smARTy Science turn problem-solving opportunities into innovative solutions and expressions of self. Thinking critically, trying new skills, and taking risks when collaborating with peers are lessons learned that go far beyond the classroom. What future professions do the talents seen in these projects by young bright students bring to mind? 

This fall, ������Ƶ is excited to invite Academy students and other bright minds of all ages to participate in our STEAM-A-THON fundraising event by submitting a response to one of 3 challenges designed to promote innovation, community and play. Contestants will have the opportunity to win prizes determined by a panel of uniquely qualified judges. For more information on how to participate, including details on challenges,

What elements of STEAM would showcase YOUR interests and talents? 

If you would like to join us as a fundraiser without entering a submission for the STEAM-A-THON Challenge, .

������Ƶ’s STEAM-A-THON 2021 is a four-week virtual event set to kick-off on Saturday, September 18 and will feature engaging opening and closing presentations, an innovator STEAM Challenge with judges panel, multiple prize opportunities, and special Keynote Speaker, Mike Brown, Professor of Planetary Astronomy at Caltech. Join us for this wonderful opportunity to inspire our young STEAM critical thinkers while raising vital funds to support ������Ƶ’s gifted programs, services and financial aid for students in need. With your help, we can reach our overall fundraising goal of $40,000!

The current best-selling book, , chronicles the thrilling story of a group of groundbreaking scientists whose string of discoveries launched a scientific revolution that will make possible medical miracles including the ability to fight off viruses, cure diseases and have healthier babies.  We are grateful for one of those miracles as we receive our COVID-19 vaccine shots and see hope for an end to the pandemic.  It is not surprising that the importance of gifted and talented education is noted in the book. 

Feng Shang, who immigrated from China to America with his mother at the age of 10, began his path to biology in the 1990s with his Des Moines, Iowa middle school’s Gifted and Talented Program.  He recalls that initially through his regular school science classes he thought biology was uninteresting.  He found activities such as dissecting a frog on a tray to identify its heart unchallenging and the curriculum was focused on memorization.  In contrast, his gifted and talented program featured a regular Saturday enrichment class in molecular biology that focused on DNA and how RNA carried out its instructions with an emphasis on the important role of enzymes in the process. He was able to do many hands-on experiments including one that transformed bacteria to make them resistant to antibiotics.  This class inspired his eagerness to learn and discover in the field of biology.  For high schoolers, Des Moines had a gifted and talented program called STING (Science/Technology Investigations: The Next Generation), which allowed talented students to work at local hospitals and research institutions.  Zhang’s Saturday teacher helped him get selected to work at the gene therapy lab of Methodist Hospital.  He had the opportunity to work with a molecular biologist who assigned Zhang progressively sophisticated experiments.  One of these experiments deconstructed the HIV virus and examined how each of the components worked.  Part of the goal of the Des Moines Gifted and Talented Program was to help students compete in the Intel Science Talent Search, a national competition.  Zhang’s virus experiment won him third place and $50,000 which he used to help pay tuition for the next step of his education journey at Harvard University.  Today, at only 39 years old, he is considered one of the most transformative biologists of his generation.

Feng Zhang is a prime example of the impact that gifted and talented programs can have on turning American students into world-class scientists.  Gifted children need a much more challenging education than can be offered in the regular classroom.  Gifted and talented programs such as those offered at the Institute for Educational Advancement, provide advanced enrichment classes and workshops that fill a critical gap in our public education curriculum. These challenging and creative programs focus on a wide variety of STEM and other topics taught by experts from such institutions and organizations as Caltech, NASA, Harvard University, Art Center College of Design and Walt Disney Animation. Our high potential youth are the scientists, innovators, engineers and leaders of our nation’s future and the educational opportunities they receive make a difference in their ability to reach for their full academic and personal potential.  Gifted and talented education programs provide the support and inspiration our brightest students need to thrive and reach for the stars.

This summer, I had the chance to intern at the Institute for Educational Advancement. The eight-week internship went beyond my expectations. I learned so much more than I could have asked for, whether that was figuring out how to entertain Academy students or learning how to juggle different tasks. In the past, I usually had one mentor to guide me throughout my internship. It was different when I entered ������Ƶ. I worked with multiple staff members, learning something new from them each day. I felt like everyone was a mentor to me in some way or another. However, Niña was my main mentor. She not only trained me to be an intern, but also to be a role model for other students. Her kindness, patience and selflessness really spoke volumes to me during this entire process, and I look up to her for that.

My role as an intern included helping both , an academic program tailored towards gifted elementary and middle school students, and , an externship program that immersed high school students into a professional field of their choice. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I would be based at the Academy site, where I would take pictures, watch over the students during their breaks, attend to their needs, assist the other staff members and work on any additional tasks. Interacting with the younger students made me realize that a person should never be judged by his or her age. The brightness and intelligence these students exuded really shone in the classroom and in the relationships they formed with their peers.

Once I finished with Academy tasks, I would then work on EXPLORE, which included recording any budget-related expenses, updating the databases and prepping for the workshops. I also checked, processed and formatted the students’ assignments before compiling them into their very own E-portfolios. Overall, I’m proud of these students for all their hard work. Their E-portfolios reflected the progress they had made over their weeks with the program.

On Fridays, I would switch gears. Instead of being at Academy, I would go on various excursions with Niña and EXPLORE students. Some of the places we visited included Cal Tech, USC and the Arts District. On the first week of EXPLORE, we took a “Green Muffin” tour, exploring the heart of Downtown LA. I even went through my very first escape room experience that left me feeling stumped yet exhilarated. My group was so close to escaping! In the weeks following, I sat in on the EXPLORE workshops, where I learned about public speaking, networking, resume-building and the college application process.

Knowing that my time was limited with these students, I tried to make the most out of the workshops we had by getting to know each one of them. I found that the students were not only vocal about their opinions but were also creative in their own little ways. During lunch, the students would separate into their own tight-knit groups, with one group socializing and the other group playing cards. Although both groups had two very different dynamics, they came together quite nicely. The students were very accepting of each other and tried to include everyone in the group discussions and activities. These moments of collaboration made me think of myself as an EXPLORE extern once again.

It’s strange to think that I went from being an EXPLORE extern to an ������Ƶ intern. Instead of going through the program, I was now helping to prepare for it. I’ll never forget ������Ƶ and the impact it has had on my life. ������Ƶ has given me the tools and confidence I’ll need to succeed in life and in the future. I know that if I ever need advice, support, encouragement, or just someone to talk to, I can always rely on any of the ������Ƶ staff members. Although my internship is over, the journey isn’t over for me just yet. I’m planning on volunteering with ������Ƶ throughout the school year. Who knows where the organization will lead me next? I’m excited to find out!

You can view many of Kaitlyn’s photo from this Summer on ������Ƶ’s . Check out the and photo albums to see photos of her experience this Summer.

1. Where else can you find amazing classes such as Hacker Calculus, Zoo Design, Geochemistry and Create and Rule Your Own Country? Our schedule is packed with inspiring, creative and one-of-a-kind offerings for bright students that you won’t find anywhere else. Click for the full list.
2. We also have three curricula! This summer, we’ll be offering Black Death, It’s Electrifying: Fueling the Future and The Penguin Predicament. These curricula are NAGC award-winning and her past offerings are always popular. They utilize problem-based learning (PBL) approach and allow students to take on roles, help solve problems and navigate real-world situations.
3. Our are top-notch! Not only do they provide outstanding enrichment, guided inquiry, and incredible content, but they also bring with them impressive backgrounds and experience: JPL, CalTech, USC, The Natural History Museum, The Huntington Library, UCLA, MIT and much more.
4. At Academy students love to learn! This isn’t summer school – it’s summer enrichment, packed with peers that value learning for all the challenge, new perspectives and flat-out fun it provides. Interested in meeting like-minded peers? Join us this summer!
5. Rockets, explosions and dissections – oh, my! Academy classes are hands-on and designed to promote building, construction, tinkering, art, experiments, role-playing and debate. As the saying goes, we’re not afraid to get our hands dirty – and neither should you! 
6. More than just classes: we offer free community events throughout the summer, such as student-led workshops, movie nights and an open house – and who knows what else might pop up? Our Learning Center is the perfect place not only for classes, but for meeting new peers and parents through fun and engaging events and activities that allow for socialization, games, free play and conversation.
7. New science lab! Have you heard? The Learning Center now has a science wet lab, complete with science equipment and technology, sinks, workstations and lab tables and stools. We’ll be utilizing this space for the first time this summer and couldn’t be more excited to engage in scientific inquiry in an authentic environment.  
8. Two words: 3D printer! Our Hacker Calculus course, running for the first time this summer, will include use of the printer and building visual models of calculus concepts and equations.There are still spots available in sessions II and III!
9. Here, There Be Dragons! Our Dungeons and Dragons course is running in sessions I and III and spots are still available. Historically one of our most popular courses, this class engages students in fantasy, decision making, leadership, social skills and strategy. Don’t miss out on your chance to embark on the many exciting journeys of this class!
10. Flexible schedule: We offer four classes per session for each of three age groups – and the choice is up to you! From just one class to a full-day option, you can customize your schedule to best meet your interests and learning needs. The Academy Team would be happy to answer any questions and discuss the different course options with you, so please don’t hesitate to give us a call: (626) 403-8900.

We look forward to seeing you at Academy this summer!

The Summer Academy application deadline is May 29. to learn more and to submit your application today. 

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already well into the new year: 2019. Despite heavy rains – much-needed and welcomed throughout Los Angeles County – in ������Ƶ’s home city of Pasadena, CA, the future looks bright! With the rainfall comes the opportunity to recalibrate, reflect, and reenergize for an exciting year ahead. We have some incredible new initiatives and programs on the horizon and are looking forward to continuing to serve and support our amazing students, families, educators, and community partners.

We hope you’re as excited about this list as we are!

1. Celebrating Heart, Fostering Hope: On February 9, ������Ƶ will formally celebrate its 20^th anniversary with a gala fundraiser at the Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena. We’re so excited to share this incredible occasion with those that have helped shape ������Ƶ for two decades. If you’re unable to join in person, please consider donating, sponsoring, or providing us with a silent auction item. All money raised will go towards continuing to help serve the nation’s brightest and most deserving students, who drive our mission on a daily basis. For more information, please click .
2. 18 years of Yunasa! Since 2002, and across 22 sessions, has been providing gifted youth with award-winning programming, embracing them for who they are and helping them understand and work with the unique joys and challenges they face. This summer, Camp Shady Brook in Colorado and Camp Copneconic in Michigan will host campers, counselors, Fellows, and ������Ƶ staff for a unique, week-long experience like no other. Interested in applying? There’s still time!
3. Academy Additions: We’re introducing two new NAGC-award-winning Shelagh Gallagher curricula to our Academy offerings: Black Death and It’s Electrifying! – and that’s just in the spring session! Stay tuned for more additions in the summer and beyond, including a course for our youngest students, ages 6-9: The Penguin Predicament: A Problem about Animal Habitat and Survival.
4. Ready, set, make! On June 22, ������Ƶ will host its first-ever Maker Faire. Details about this one-of-a-kind event with makers, tinkerers, and creative minds coming soon!
5. Community: Now entering its second year of providing an academic and social home for the gifted community, ������Ƶ’s Learning Center at 540 S. Marengo is excited to welcome – and welcome back – families, educators, Externs, Bradley scholars, and community partners through programming, free events, open houses, workshops, trainings, and tours. Check out our page to see what’s on the horizon!
6. Our third content guide: In June, ������Ƶ will release its third content guide, which will focus on high schools throughout the United States that serve gifted students. We look forward to being able to provide our families with a well-researched, informative guide for their rising high schoolers. To view our two content guides released in 2018, please visit our .
7. Calling all volunteers! ������Ƶ is launching its first-ever program! Volunteers are an integral part of ������Ƶ. We rely on our volunteers to help support a variety of services for our community. Whether you’re working with students, engaging with guests at events, or performing administrative tasks, our volunteers help our programs thrive! Join ������Ƶ’s mission to ensure that each gifted child’s specific needs are met so that they can reach their full potential.
8. Brilliant scientists, brilliant students: (Learning Among Brilliant Scientists) is in its second program year! Since its initial launch in March 2018, LABS has continued to build momentum with a great line-up of STEM professionals from Caltech, Cal State Los Angeles, and USC. They’ve shared their innovative work and research on such topics as astrophysics, molecular biology, computer science, ecology and evolution, biology and mathematics! The new year kicks off with an exciting LABS on Cancer Cells in the Blood! There are still spots available for the February 16 LABS Series:
9. Streaming live, coast to coast! meetings have gone digital! ������Ƶ is now livestreaming our meetings on Facebook and YouTube. We’re excited to be able to expand our outreach to non-local families and share gifted professionals’ amazing insight with our community. The next meeting, on January 31, will focus on social emotional imagination in gifted education.
10. EXPLORE-ing a new location: is launching a program in Northern California! The program continues to garner great interest from applicants in NorCal, so this summer we’re hoping to make the leap up north to host students at 1 or 2 mentor sites. We’ll be able to expand our reach and serve more talented high schoolers!
11. Hot off the presses: ������Ƶ now has a 3D printer! Thanks to a generous grant from the Ahmanson Foundation, which is providing us with funds to transform our Learning Center, our programs are now equipped to provide students with 3D printing technology, design, and coding. Check out our first test print from Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Coordinator, Mallory Aldrich:
12. Speaking of hearts: Academy is hosting it’s first-ever Valentine’s Day card-making event the week of February 4. Stop by during business hours to make cards for family, friends, teachers, and other special people in your life. Free of charge! Details located .
13. Beakers and Bunsen burners and bacteria, oh my! Within a few weeks, construction will be complete on ������Ƶ Learning Center’s new wet lab! With three working stations, sinks, and a flat screen monitor, Academy and LABS programs will be able to provide an authentic science lab experience for students and educators. We look forward to seeing this amazing space transform into a space of hands-on inquiry that has been years in the making.
14. Student-led workshops: 2018 was a fantastic year for student-led workshops and there are already two planned for February: the third workshop in CDB Scholar Luke Gialanella’s Votes and Voices series – A Presidential History of the U.S. Two-Party System – and The Wonderful World of Poems with Cassidy Kao. We’re so grateful that our students love sharing their knowledge and experiences with each other!
15. Family and fun: When not working with and serving our incredible students, ������Ƶ staff enjoys cultivating their hobbies and pursuing their interests. Marketing and Communications Coordinator Nicole LaChance is looking forward to joining her family for some rock and roll excitement this summer: “I am going to see Aerosmith in June at their residency in Las Vegas with my family. Aerosmith is a special band for us and I have probably seen them at least 8 times already. It will be awesome to spend time with my family and see a great show we are all super excited about. Maybe I’ll even get lucky at the casino!”

What ������Ƶ programs or events are you most looking forward to in 2019

Since I started working at ������Ƶ three years ago, I’ve witnessed the remarkable evolution of our program offerings and have had the opportunity to spearhead , a summer externship program that was piloted in 2016 for high school students. What started as an initiative to cultivate local high school talent, continued to build positive momentum and increase in the total number of gifted students served each year, both locally and internationally.  After a successful pilot-year of EXPLORE, we found there was a niche for opportunities focused on mentorship and real-world, professional experience. Most high schoolers who are ready for advanced research work were competing with a pool of college and graduate level students who already possessed the educational, and sometimes professional, qualifications. It was often difficult for them to convince organizations or university-level labs to take them on as interns. Despite this, students who participated in EXPLORE continue to prove that the next generation have so much to offer and are highly capable of working along-side professionals and college-level researchers. EXPLORE, as with other ������Ƶ initiatives, developed as a result of our community’s need for access to optimally challenging learning opportunities, and ������Ƶ’s strong effort to find a way to serve these learners.

This year, I was entrusted once again to pilot a program, this time for 7^th through 12^th grade, called (LABS). The creation of the LABS Series was a direct result of numerous requests from students and parents who wanted a program that would engage learners in the ‘in-between’—they were too young to participate in advanced programs focused on college and career development and too old to avail of other enrichment opportunities. Additionally, for many of these students, there was a desire to not only become immersed in challenging and unique learning experiences, but to be surrounded by like-minded peers their age. In evaluating the need for such a program, ������Ƶ also evaluated our current initiatives and noticed there were students aging out of that were not being served. We wanted to find a way to keep them engaged and involved with additional programming. As with other students who were ‘in-between’, these students want opportunities that foster their curiosity and passion for STEM and are content-rich, research-based and hands-on.

LABS Series emerged as a way for ������Ƶ to nurture the needs of these bright, inquisitive learners and further serve them through Academy and beyond. We hoped to give students access to new knowledge and introduce them to the skills needed to be a successful scientific researcher through workshops facilitated by passionate professionals in the STEM field. We received an overwhelmingly great response from our community when we launched the first LABS Series in March 2018. With only 15 spots available for the first workshop, there was a waiting list after two weeks of opening the program. The first workshop was facilitated by Ivanna Escala, an NSF/Ford Graduate Research Fellow at the Caltech Department of Astronomy, who discussed the Chemical Evolution of Galaxies. Ivanna shared her research about galactic chemical evolution and guided students through a hands-on activity to investigate the basic properties of the visible light spectrum using various lamps and spectroscopes.

The proceeding line-up of LABS featured more incredible scientists and innovative research topics, including:

• Ecology and Water in Desert Biological Soil Crust Ecosystems with Dr. Kirsten Fisher, Associate Professor, Graduate Advisor Biological Sciences at Cal State Los Angeles
• Plant Ecology with Dr. Alexandra Wright, Assistant Professor of Ecology at Cal State Los Angeles
• Circadian Rhythms in Genetics with Dr. Susan E. Cohen, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Cal State Los Angeles
• The Neuromechanics of Sensory Systems with Bradley Dickerson, Ph.D., NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow and California Alliance AGEP Fellow at Caltech

In reflecting on the successful implementation of pilot programs, like LABS Series and EXPLORE, I can’t help but feel elated to see the growth of programs that were built from the ground up and organically formed as a result of a need from our community. It makes every bit of progress more meaningful and further inspires me to do the work I do with this population of learners. I am then reminded that whenever there is a need, ������Ƶ finds a way! ������Ƶ continually strives to meet gifted learners where they are in their educational journey and always has an open door to families in need of something more.

To learn more about LABS Series or to register for our September 22^nd workshop on “Simple Math Problems No One Knows How To Solve. Yet.” with Professor Mike Krebs, visit the !

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.

On Friday, November 17^th, the Institute for Educational Advancement (������Ƶ) will honor three tremendous individuals who have worked to address the needs of gifted education in our community. Here’s a little bit more about them.

Raising the Bar for Gifted Students: Jason and Sandy Roberts

Jason and Sandy Roberts, recipients of this year’s Community Advocate Award from ������Ƶ, have worked diligently to ensure that the needs of highly able learners are met in Pasadena Unified schools. Initially coaching elementary and middle school students in mathematics, Jason and Sandy launched to provide mathematically gifted middle school and high school students with the skills and insight needed to excel in honors math and science programs at the most elite universities in the world.

Math Academy partners with Pasadena Unified School District in reaching students starting in the 6^th grade, and offering them sequenced mathematics coursework that culminates in completing Calculus in the 8^th grade. But while the Roberts remain dedicated to serving students in Pasadena, they envision being able to expand Math Academy to other districts. “Our belief is that once enough parents become aware of what’s being achieved at a struggling, under-resourced district, they’ll have no choice but to pressure their respective school boards to follow suit, which will mark the beginning of a sea change in mathematics education across America,” Jason told Pasadena Now this past summer.

And enabling large-scale change is nothing new to the Roberts family. Jason designed and developed much of Uber’s original real-time and global “air traffic control” technologies. With a mathematics degree from the University of Chicago, Jason has also launched technology startups and built high-frequency trading systems. Sandy is no stranger to effecting change, either. With a degree in economics from University of Chicago, she also shares her love of math by teaching at the Math Academy and raising funds to support the new organization. Sandy has spent the last ten years on nonprofit boards, holding leadership positions with the Junior League of Pasadena, Young & Healthy and the Pasadena Educational Foundation.

Parents to three children, the oldest of whom is a student in Math Academy, Jason and Sandy exemplify the values that ������Ƶ holds dear, namely helping every child reach their potential and providing them with the skills and tools to flourish intellectually, creatively, socially and emotionally.

Photo courtesy of Sandy and Jason Roberts

Inspiring Joy in Gifted Youth for Science and Math:  Tony Travouillon

Physics. Electrical Circuitry. Astronomy. These are not typical topics covered in elementary and middle school. But thanks to Tony Travouillon, Ph.D., our fortunate ������Ƶ student community gets to explore the universe and learn how to build electrical circuits through our Academy program. Beloved by ������Ƶ students and parents, Tony will receive this year’s Educator Award at our Awards Dinner & Celebration next month.

Since 2011, Tony has been delighting gifted young minds through his ������Ƶ Academy classes, held in the Pasadena area. According to one parent of a student in Tony’s Astronomy class, “Mr. Tony inspired my child with his passion and knowledge of science and made learning fun.”

An astrophysicist, he is a System Scientist at Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory, where he conducts experimental research on atmospheric turbulence and its repercussions for astronomy, image degradation, adaptive optics and interferometry. Since receiving his Ph.D. in astrophysics and undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy at the University of New South Wales, Tony has remained devoted to sharing his knowledge and experience with others. In addition to teaching at ������Ƶ, he holds a Visiting Associate position at Caltech and is an Adjunct Professor at College of the Canyons.

Tony’s passion for teaching is evident in the classroom, and on the inquiring, curious faces in his classes. “In ������Ƶ I found the perfect place to teach the way I want to teach,” said Tony. “I can take full advantage of the small classes to really cater for each individual, adapting to the need of every student and offer an experience that is tailored to my audience.”

Photo credit: Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News/News/SCNG

Join the Celebration!

Join us on November 17^th at our Awards Dinner & Celebration, to be held at The University Club of Pasadena, and show your support of these and other exceptional advocates for gifted education.

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March Madness in almost here, making college basketball top-of-mind. And so I perked up at last week’s California Association for the Gifted Conference when Dr. Sandra Kaplan mentioned that UCLA’s basketball team takes ballet classes. This caused me to sit up and think. Any young woman or man playing on a Division I basketball team is a gifted athlete. But ballet?

Well, yes, ballet. There is a lot of fancy footwork going on down below while basketball players are busy dribbling, passing, shooting and dunking.  Watching the Lehigh versus Bucknell Patriot League Conference Tournament Championship game, and looking only below the knees, I saw dance. Pirouettes, jetés, leaps, and the occasional third and fourth position were all there. Lehigh’s Tim Kempton (6’10”, 245 pounds, 20.4 PPG) would make a wonderful Rat King in The Nutcracker.

This all begs a few questions. Can an art inform a sport? Can sport inform an art? Can students advance in one field because they explored another? By combining unrelated fields, will our gifted scholar-athletes create a greater exceptionality? And what does this mean for us?

I am an independent college counselor, often working with gifted students as they apply for college. (I am also an ������Ƶ mother and consultant.) Some families consult with me when their students are just entering high school, so I see exciteabilities develop over the course of four years. Before taking on Dr. Kaplan’s question, I knew, but I didn’t comprehend, how ballet made for better basketball. My happiest students have been telling me for years that they like it when they mix things up, when obvious skills and interests become companion to less obvious skills and interests. Reflecting back, I see that those students who intellectualize their giftedness were among my most joyful.  Here are some first hand examples.

My first inkling this was happening came fifteen years ago, from a Mentor supervising five high-school-aged ������Ƶ Apprentices in a material science research lab. (������Ƶ’s Apprenticeship Program has evolved into the , both outstanding.) These Apprentices were similar in lab skills and science understanding. One stood out, however, because of his English skills. Specifically, he could more quickly tease out ideas shared in conversation, read manuals and reports in and out of context, and clearly stated questions that moved ideas forward. Early on, he became the student leader because everyone in the lab understood him. He is now a very successful computer scientist. (And an aside: research labs are often home to scientists from around the world and of many languages, so clarity of communication makes for better science.)

I’ve had many students with exceptional mathematical abilities, and their stories speak directly to drawing energy from unusual sources. Four of them were quite upfront that their love of math was fueled outside of math classes. One, a Berkeley graduate, said that creative writing relaxed her into a feeling of bliss, and then, without any notes, she would imagine the answers to her problem sets. Another, now a math major at Reed, described how her remarkable sophomore year English teacher inspired her, through close textual reading, to consider multiple approaches to any problem. A UC San Diego math major told me he feels strongly that poetry and math are the same subject–economy of ideas—and so he approaches them in tandem. And another student, bound for college in 2018, craves playing golf every day because it is so much fun to watch parabolas on the fairway.

And it’s not just my mathematicians. One student, a Harvard graduate, became a better Russian language student when she started playing the piano every day. A current Berkeley undergraduate understands literature more deeply on days when she sees poor immigrants walk into traffic to sell flowers. One of my favorite students this year keeps finding ideas for prosthetic designs watching movies that are not about prosthetics. One young man, Cal Tech bound, described how ideas come while he paints. If he didn’t paint, would he have these ideas?

Lastly, and saluting March Madness, I have worked with both a semi-professional dancer, and a winning basketball player. My dancer, on History: “Yep, the world has always been all about ebb and flow.” And my basketball player thinks his internship in a research university’s chemistry lab is less akin to science classes and more like passing just outside the paint: “The graduate students throw ideas around faster than a good offense, so I’m still hustling to keep my eye on the ball.”

Our students give us their giftedness; our efforts should include enabling their intellectualism. The UCLA coach who first enrolled the basketball team in ballet is now a personal role model. Dr. Kaplan’s workshop, “Giftedness versus Intellectualism,” has prompted me to think of ways to help my students identify and encourage the productive combinations in their lives.

For me, as an independent college counselor, that means more time listening and waiting for the student to share enough so that I can ask more direct questions. For a gifted student, who feels his or her exciteabilities more strongly, working at this intersection is key. Within my niche in their lives, answers to those questions make for powerful application essays.

Sometimes we talk about nurturing a gifted student’s spirituality. For me, the mere though was daunting, so I stayed away. It is easy to get tripped up here because many of us equate “spirituality” with “religion.” But that was never gifted educators’ intention—instead, it is something wholly interior, unseen, and a powerful animator. Perhaps a mathematician’s spirituality lies in poetry.

Kate Duey is a private college counselor serving gifted students. She has worked with students who are age-mates with their graduating high school class, home schooled students, community college students, and students seeking accelerated or early college entrance. Kate is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. She has a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA. She also has three incredible daughters.

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