“Attention is the doorway to gratitude, to wonder, to reciprocity.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer

The annual Bradley Seminar is a place where you can’t help but pay attention. In the blink of an eye, it has come and gone. The Seminar is significant because it brings together some of the most interested and accomplished national merit-based high school scholars; it provides a venue for Caroline D. Bradley Scholars, parents, educators and professionals to connect, discuss issues of intellectual, personal, and global interest; and it strengthens a community that they will continue to influence and rely upon in perpetuity. I love it precisely for its strength of attentiveness – a weekend filled to capacity with such extraordinary individuals, challenging conversations, and genuine connectedness demands we lay distractions aside and keep our eyes open. Wide open.

The 2016 Bradley Seminar commenced in Pasadena, California from March 18 – 20, hosting over 180 participants from across the country. The weekend events kicked off on Friday afternoon, welcoming the Class of 2014 Scholars to The Barder House, a space rife with symbolism for the CDB community. Dedicated and named after the Scholarship’s generous benefactor, Sarah D. Barder, it was donated to the Institute for Educational Advancement in 2011 by Ms. Barder to serve as the home base for ������Ƶ, as well as a meeting place and touchstone for the ������Ƶ and the CDB community.

Following a welcome dinner and introductions, parents attended a session led by Dr. Jim Delisle, while Scholars and Alumni participated in ice-breakers and a hotel-wide scavenger hunt. Among the various tasks that teams were instructed to complete were items like, “find something at least 100 years older than anyone on your team” and “record a video of everyone on your team doing 20 jumping jacks in unison”.

Each year, the Seminar is guided by a different overarching theme intended to serve as the focal point for thought and conversation throughout the weekend. The 2016 theme was Finding & Cultivating Your Voice, which pursued questions like: What am I passionate about and what matters? What does it mean to have a voice and how do I share these passions with a community, local or global, in meaningful ways?

KR Sridhar, Founder, President, and CEO of , explored this theme on Saturday morning through a keynote presentation on the relationship between voice, passion, and resilience.  Betsy Jones, ������Ƶ President, guided intergenerational conversations between students, parents, visiting educators, and guests to examine the Seminar theme in smaller intentional groups.  These discussions channel incredible value for their ability to bring a diverse group of individuals together as equals to discuss issues of common interest. One Scholar noted, “The table talks helped facilitate open and serious conversations… The topics addressed were relevant to my life, especially the topics in the intentional conversations.”

Saturday night featured workshops and panels led by CDB Alumni and parents, educators, clinical psychologists, and consultants covering a range of topics: American Misconceptions of Giftedness, Career Paths, College Counseling, Finding Your Voice Through Depression, Intensities and Sensitivities, and Mindfulness.

While the day was bookended with content-heavy sessions, Scholars and parents were able to relax through various outings on Saturday afternoon to the Griffith Observatory, Huntington Library & Gardens, and EscapeRoom LA.

As the Seminar concluded on Sunday morning and good-byes became imminent, I reflected on the wonder of the weekend. I recalled Kimmerer’s words on attention, gratitude, and reciprocity as I watched the generosity of the CDB community extend outward in the form of financial support and volunteerism to the ������Ƶ community.  This only confirmed my feeling that when we come together and pay attention – when we put down our phone, participate in our environment, engage in what it means to be present – something happens. As Thich Nhat Hanh writes, “The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.” I can’t help but agree.

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Summer days at ������Ƶ continue to be filled with time spent with our amazing community members across the country! Take a look at some of the highlights from the month of July:

Students jumped in to fill more than 40 spots in Academy Summer Session II, where they explored everything from Algebra to Jane Austen and were taught by content area specialists.

68 campers gathered in Michigan for Yunasa. Stay tuned for more updates and photos at the conclusion of camp!
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������Ƶ Apprenticeship Mentor and Caltech researcher Ashish Mahabal gave a mini-lecture on transients – astronomical objects that change in brightness on short time-scales.

CDB Finalists were interviewed in Houston, Boise, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Boston, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Orlando, and Washington, D.C.

Adventures in the Planetary Science Academy students examined meteorites from the Moon, Vesta, and other celestial bodies.

Brianna, ������Ƶ’s Resources Coordinator, joined our friends from The Gifted Development Center at the 2015 SENG Conference in Denver.

We filmed interviews at The Barder House and Academy for our new ������Ƶ video, coming soon!

Students in the Adventures in the Planetary Science Academy class took a field trip to explore the light and optics exhibit at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

A new staff member, Niña, joined the ������Ƶ team as a Program Coordinator.

Academy students taking Astronomy went on a field trip to the Griffith Observatory for more hands-on learning.

Have news to share? Please send the community member’s name and affiliation with ������Ƶ along with a photo or video to ������Ƶgifted@educationaladvancement.org. We’d love to showcase your milestones, accomplishments, and interests with the rest of the ������Ƶ community!

Want to see more highlights from this summer?

Summer is a busy time at ������Ƶ – all of our programs are in full swing, and many of our community members use the time off school to work on projects and participate in competitions. Take a look at what took place within the ������Ƶ community in June!

33 campers gathered in Colorado for Yunasa West, a week of balance, community, and fun. Campers participated in yoga, guided meditation, small group sessions with ������Ƶ Fellows, and traditional camp activities such as kayaking, swimming, ropes courses, horseback riding, and campfires.

22 students took classes like Chemistry Lab, Exploring French Culture, and Geology and the World around Us in Summer Academy Session I.

2011 CDB Scholar Anirudh was one of the at-large winners for the for his research into a genetic technique for autoimmune diseases; he also participated in the national competition in Philadelphia. Great work, Anirudh!

Academy students who enrolled in Astronomy took a fun field trip to the Griffith Observatory.

Three Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Selection Committees met to determine 2015 CDB Finalists. Then ������Ƶ staff members set out to begin interviewing Finalists, a process which will span two months and include travel to 14 cities across the country!

Yunasa camper and Academy student Xander starred as Lord Farquaad in his school’s production of Shrek.

2011 CDB Scholar Shiloh was a national winner in the . Congratulations, Shiloh!

Several Academy classes ended the session with field trips to the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Caroline D. Bradley Scholars across the country graduated from middle school, high school, and college!

Have news to share? Please send the community member’s name and affiliation with ������Ƶ along with a photo or video to ������Ƶgifted@educationaladvancement.org. We’d love to showcase your milestones, accomplishments, and interests with the rest of the ������Ƶ community!

Spring Academy classes ran for eight weeks from April 1 to May 25. Classes included two new offerings: Explorations in Literature and Chemistry Lab. Some Academy classics were also held: Organic Chemistry, Primary Advanced Math, Neuro-Energy I and II, Molecular Biology, and Astronomy. Our student attendance was the fullest it’s been and included ten new students from local public and private schools.

Chemistry Lab, taught by Dr. Rosemary Rohde and Ronnie Bryan, was a hit with its hands-on curriculum. Dr. Rose took concepts from Chemistry I and II and expanded on them by conducting correlating experiments for each of the eight weeks. Some lab topics were rates of reaction, electrochemistry and chemical equilibrium. Proper safety precautions were taught with the use of chemicals—information most students don’t usually cover until they take a high school chemistry course.

Susana de la Peña, adjunct professor at UCLA, taught a humanities class called “Explorations in Literature and Meaning Making.” The students read three novels and a variety of short stories and wrote poems for their culminating activity. Literary analysis was emphasized as the class dug deep into gothic themes. The class came up with challenging questions and conjectures about some of the more obscure aspects of life but also had fun putting themselves in the shoes of the main characters.

Astronomy students took a field trip to the Griffith Observatory with Tony Travoullion, astronomer at work on the thirty-meter telescope through California Institute of Technology. Tony walked through each exhibit with his class and related museum information to concepts studied in Academy class. The field trip was also an opportunity for astronomy students to demonstrate mastery by explaining the exhibits to their fellow classmates and family members in attendance.

Just as spring term was brought to a close, Genius Day, a day of deep exploration into the life of genius Charles Darwin, commenced. The inaugural Genius Day was held at the Huntington Library last Saturday. Chief curator, Dr. Daniel Lewis, led students through a dynamic portrayal of Charles Darwin and a few of his contemporaries. The objective of the day was to gather evidence, showcase mastery and, in the end, define genius. Students fully immersed themselves in the scope of Darwin’s many contributions while having access to Dr. Lewis, an expert on the subject. Uninhibited by barriers of time or content, it was a joy to watch Academy kids thrive during an unforgettable day of deep learning.

Summer Academy sessions begin June 17! Sign up today!