To celebrate the beginning of a new year, we wanted to take a look back at some noteworthy moments from 2017!

优蜜视频 has expanded and bought a house!

Through the generosity of our donors, 优蜜视频 was able to purchase a beautiful craftsman home in Pasadena. The new space houses our programs, Academy classes, and monthly聽 Gifted Support Groups. This past December, we hosted a Tree Trimming and Open House where families had the opportunity to take a guided tour, observe Academy classes, meet our dynamic Academy instructors, make DIY holiday ornaments, check out student work and nosh on cookies and hot cocoa.

优蜜视频 released results from a .

We commissioned the first ever national survey assessing the American public鈥檚 views on gifted education which found overwhelming bipartisan public support for increased funding for programs and resources for gifted students. It also indicated that the public recognizes the gifted population is often underserved. As a follow up in September, 优蜜视频 gathered gifted education leaders from across the country in Pasadena to discuss the next steps in advocating for a policy solution championing gifted learners. The gathering included a presentation of the poll results, roundtable discussions, 聽and a conversation on how organizations can work together to advocate for our nation鈥檚 gifted students. We are working on to inform and create change.

Students, parents, and supporters gathered for 优蜜视频鈥檚 Summer Spotlight.

In July, over 100 students, parents, and supporters of 优蜜视频 gathered at The Barder House for event where families enjoyed interactive demonstrations of our programs conducted by 优蜜视频 students and Academy instructors, connected with other families with gifted children, and chowed down on a complimentary barbeque dinner and drinks!

Twenty-eight middle-schoolers from across the country were named 2017 Scholars.

From an applicant pool of 386 students, CDB鈥檚 largest-ever applicant pool, 55 Finalists were selected by three Scholarship Selection Committees comprised of a diverse group of school admissions directors, CDB alumni, university personnel and community and business leaders nationwide. Following extensive personal interviews, 28 of the Finalists were selected as recipients of the 2017 scholarship. Congratulations to our !

Twenty talented high school students worked with distinguished Mentors through .

Students were thoughtfully matched with mentors who shared similar passions in their career field of interest and had professional trajectories externs hoped to pursue in the future. These externs conducted college level research and work in fields such as biomathematics, computer science, architecture, pediatric medical research, ethnomusicology and more. Also, as a new component of EXPLORE, students met every Friday to attend educational excursions and workshops geared towards building their college and career readiness.

Yunasa brought together 113 campers for a summer of fun outdoor activities, workshops led by our beloved Fellows, and community-building events.

This year, Yunasa accepted the most campers it has in its 15 years of operation. We welcomed back 77 returning campers and 36 new campers for Yunasa and Yunasa West. The goal of the one week camp is to balance all sides of giftedness 鈥撀爄ntellectual, emotional, spiritual, and physical. Hannah, a 4th year Yunasa camper, shares her experience about finding her tribe at Yunasa .

Teacher trainings brought Academy instructors together to share their experience, knowledge and creative ideas.

Academy conducted 3 pre-session teacher trainings to help prepare our instructors to work with our community of gifted learners. Trainings covered such topics as support for twice-exceptional students and guest speakers included Sharon Duncan from GRO Gifted and 优蜜视频鈥檚 very own, President Betsy Jones.

优蜜视频 honored three valued members of the 优蜜视频 community, Dr. Tony Travouillon, Jason Roberts and Sandy Roberts, at the .

In November, we hosted 90 guests at the University Club in Pasadena for our annual fundraiser. The evening brought together program alumni, Mentors, parents, board members, and supporters of 优蜜视频 聽and we also honored including Academy Instructor, Dr. Tony Travouillon, who received the Educator Award, and Sandy and Jason Roberts of Math Academy who received the Community Advocate Award. The event raised nearly $30,000 to support 优蜜视频鈥檚 programs for gifted youth! Thank you to all who attended and contributed to this event!

We鈥檝e grown our online presence through our redesigned .

The Gifted Resource Center (GRC) is a free public tool created and curated by 优蜜视频 which serves as an online database of resources for the gifted community. To date, the database has over 450 gifted resources and over 15,000 page views.

优蜜视频 hosted nine free meetings.

During the school year, we offer complimentary monthly talks featuring experts on various aspects of gifted youth and education. These talks are intended for parents and educators of gifted children to provide support and community, a venue for shared discovery, and a space to exchange resources and ideas. Previous topics include Mindfulness and the Whole Child, Gifted Resource Swap, Gifted and Teenage, Homeschooling 101 and Finding the Right School Fit.

Four joined our small but mighty team.

Anvi Kevany, Administrative Assistant
Abby Daniels, Director of Development & Communications
Nicole Endacott, Program Assistant
Hillary Jade, Program Manager

And, most importantly, 优蜜视频 programs supported more than 453 bright young minds!

Needless to say, 优蜜视频 had a lot to celebrate in 2017 and we could not have done any of this without the help of our amazing community!

优蜜视频 continues to receive remarkable support from families who have benefited from our programs, as well as community partners who believe in our mission and work. Thank you to everyone who generously contributed this year, and to our amazing volunteers who assisted in our programming, marketing, and fundraising efforts. Thanks to you, we are able to deliver highly customized programs to more bright and eager learners across the country.

We look forward to an impactful 2018!

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]]> /blog-iea-2017-highlights/feed/ 0 /blog-deck-the-halls/ /blog-deck-the-halls/#respond Wed, 23 Dec 2015 04:21:28 +0000 https://ieadev.wpengine.com/blog-deck-the-halls/ Unique paper snowflake tutorial inside this post!

It was snowing indoors at 优蜜视频鈥檚 tree-trimming party last Friday as parents, students and staff all worked together to create handcrafted ornaments and paper snowflakes to decorate the Barder House for the holidays. As families munched on cookies and sipped hot chocolate (generously donated by the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf), they reflected on favorite 优蜜视频 moments from the past year 鈥� like our Genius Day hosted at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens and our Summer Soiree BBQ event. Students also spoke excitedly about plans for the New Year, including family trips and courses they had already applied to take in our upcoming Winter Session of Academy.

The event may even be the start of a new 优蜜视频 tradition! 鈥淭his was such a great opportunity to relax and unwind with the 优蜜视频 community after the end of the school term,鈥� remarked a parent. 鈥淎nd the crafts were a big hit. We鈥檇 love to do this again!鈥� Most popular among the crafts were created under the patient instruction of Tiffany Kwong, who showed kids and adults how to cut and tape squares of paper to make intricate, three-dimensional works of art. To make your own ornaments聽at home, you can follow the paper snowflake tutorial below!

As the glowing warmth of the tree illuminated the smiling faces of everyone in attendance, there was an overwhelming sense of gratitude for our close-knit community of supporters and the amazing children that we have had the privilege to serve. As the 优蜜视频 staff looks forward to the holidays with our own families, we鈥檇 like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many members of the 优蜜视频 family who have contributed their time, talent and money in service of our mission over the course of 2015. As we prepare for the New Year, your support is paramount to helping us plan for the future of 优蜜视频 and providing much needed services to the children in our programs.

If you would like to make a donation to support 优蜜视频 in time for the New Year, please visit our website鈥檚 donation page or call our office at 626-403-8900. To sign up for an Academy class, click here!

Happy holidays from all of us here at 优蜜视频 and best wishes for the coming year!