Each person on the Academy team misses our extraordinary students! I, for one, am looking forward to being back in person to check progress on Rubik鈥檚 Cube solving times, see pictures of growing puppies and kittens, and hear everyone鈥檚 latest research interests and favorite jokes.

But even though we miss seeing each other in person, we have been more thankful than ever for technology! It was great to be able to finish out the spring session of Academy virtually and to see ingenious work submissions rolling in. Seeing how adaptable our students and teachers have been to the new format has made us excited to see what masterpieces emerge from our online summer session!

Here are three especially impressive student creations that were submitted during the virtual portion of the spring session:

1. A creative story set within the Harry Potter universe. For their final project for 鈥淗arry Potter: Behind the Words,鈥� which will also be offered this summer, students wrote multi-chapter stories that take place in the same world of the Harry Potter series. In addition to a delightful story, one student also created images by collaging pictures of Lego figures with online graphics. Here is one example, which finds Voldemort swimming in Hawaii:

听听

2. An excerpt of a poem from the perspective of an object. This was written for 鈥淗ow to Eat a Poem,鈥� a class about sensory poetry for 6 to 9-year-olds. Lucy Blagg, who taught this delightfully creative class, will be teaching 鈥淢ythology of Many Lands鈥� this summer.

I start as a flower.
I鈥檓 tart but not sour.
My favorite season is fall,
That鈥檚 when I grow tall.听

I鈥檒l tell you who I am,
I鈥檓 part of a fruit.
I鈥檓 tasty when you squeeze me,
I鈥檓 small and I鈥檓 cute.听

Believe it or not,
I鈥檓 from this planet.
Let me introduce myself,
I鈥檓 the seed of a pomegranate!

3. An invented species for a virtual 优蜜视频 Aquarium. For their final project in 鈥淢arine Biodiversity,鈥� students designed their own ecosystems, filled them with made-up species, and wrote about the ecological and evolutionary history of the community. Grayson Kent, who taught this and other animal courses, will be teaching Myths & Monsters, Ultimate Guide to Predators, Cenozoic Life and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

It was so difficult to choose just a few projects to showcase our students鈥� creativity, adaptability, and love of learning. To learn more about Summer Academy Online, visit our website and sign up to join us for our . We can鈥檛 wait to see familiar and new faces in a few weeks when the session begins!

Since 2014, the Caroline D. Bradley Seminar has been the event I most anticipate each year. Months and months of planning precede this exciting community gathering of students, alumni, parents, educators and supporters from across the U.S. For most of the year, CDB Scholars are separated by geography, schools, and busy schedules. But once a year, every spring, we welcome our entire community to convene in southern California for a three-day seminar where they can discuss and share ideas with like-minded peers in an inclusive and energetic environment. (If you aren鈥檛 familiar with the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, you can read more about this unique and life-changing opportunity on our .)

Since 2002, the program has identified over 230 highly motivated, gifted students across the country, providing merit-based four-year tuition to the high school program that best meets their personal and academic needs 鈥� private, public, charter, boarding, early college, online and homeschool hybrid. The seminar provides a meeting place annually for these students and focuses on personal growth through themes and topics which encourage conversation, connection and authenticity. It鈥檚 an important time because it allows each class of CDB Scholars to get to know other students within their cohort as well as the entire network of scholars from years past and present. The Bradley Seminar is generously funded by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.

The 15^th annual Bradley Seminar took place March 9 鈥� 11 at The Westin near LAX and was our largest event to date with over 240 attendees representing 30 states spanning from Hawaii to Nebraska to Florida. Through cross-generational formats, small group workshops and conversation, we delved into this year鈥檚 theme, Intersections. Our keynote speaker, Jim Davis, Co-Founder of 优蜜视频, kicked off the weekend with an interactive exploration using personality theory as a framework for better understanding ourselves and others. Using for inspiration, we discussed life at the intersection of giftedness and multipotentiality, and what it looks like to pursue life with many passions and interests. Always a highlight of the weekend, our CDB senior class shared parting words of personal experience, advice and insight to their fellow CDB community, rife with photos, tears and hugs.

On Saturday afternoon, CDB scholars and alumni visited the 优蜜视频 headquarters in Pasadena to participate in a legacy project celebrating 优蜜视频鈥檚 20^th anniversary. Students collaborated with their CDB classes to design and create a flag using meaningful symbolism to represent their CDB class, as well as commemorate 优蜜视频鈥檚 milestone year. What resulted from their collective creative vision and work was inspirational. One even made me cry (admittedly not that difficult to achieve) with its underlying story and layers of symbolism. Their designs can be viewed below and will be displayed at 优蜜视频 offices at The Barder House in perpetuity.

(A note: Aside from that one summer back in 2008 when I became mildly obsessed with learning all the flags of the world thanks to Sporcle.com, I didn鈥檛 know much about the specifics of flag design or vexillology. After putting in a few hours of basic research on the subject in preparation for this project, I was hooked. Two resources in particular made a fascinating case for why good design matters. First, the definitive guide 鈥溾�� compiled by Ted Kaye of the North American Vexillological Association.听 Second, the delightfully amusing and thought-provoking Ted Talk by podcast host, Roman Mars, 鈥溾��. I recommend both to anyone interested in learning more on the topic. I also strongly recommend checking out the proposal by Calder Hansen, 2014 CDB Scholar.)

It鈥檚 hard to believe this year鈥檚 event has already come and gone. Months of pouring over spreadsheets, emails, flight details, schedules, etc. lead you to that sudden moment when everyone is saying goodbye again until next year. There鈥檚 nothing quite like the energy that fills the room that first Friday night at the seminar. It鈥檚 a feeling that follows you home and sticks with you for weeks after.

One CDB scholar said it best: 鈥淚 am sure I speak for all of the scholars when I say that the opportunity to meet friends, engage in intellectual conversations, and just spend time in a like-minded community was one of the highlights of my school year so far. I personally enjoyed getting to meet the freshman class, and was so inspired by their generous spirits, open-mindedness, and excitement about what the future holds. I spent time with different parents this year as well and had many discussions about topics ranging from accents to culture to the intersection of spirituality and science. I was so sad to leave – I felt like Sunday came even more quickly than it did last year! But even a short weekend was enough to make me feel so lucky and grateful to be a CDB scholar.鈥�

I speak for myself and the rest of the 优蜜视频 staff when I say how humbled and grateful we all are to work with such a lovely community of scholars, alumni, parents and educators. We can鈥檛 wait to see you again next year!

For more photos of the event, check out 优蜜视频鈥檚 !