State official praises gifted, talented program
Posted on Thursday, October 2, 2008
A gifted and talented program coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Education gave the Fayetteville School District high praise for its gifted and talented program during a visit to the district Wednesday.
Program coordinator Bob Nichols met with four school board members, school administrators and parents at the District Administration Annex to discuss his evaluation of the program. The department conducts site visits of the program every three years.
“ This program brings recognition to the district, ” Nichols said. “ You are a leader in so many ways.
Nichols said there are “ 52 indicators” he looks at when he evaluates a program, and the district meets, and in many cases exceeds, the requirements.
District gifted and talented coordinator Barbara Prichard said about 900 students in the district are participants in the program, which runs from elementary to high school.
Students participate in a variety of activities designed to enrich their education. The junior high students are known for taking an annual educational-recreational trip to Disney World.
Prichard said she has always tried to set goals by asking, “ Are we doing things that are exemplary ?”
“ That support is there, or else it wouldn’t be as exemplary, ” Nichols said.
The board members who attended the meeting — President Steve Percival, Susan Heil, Tim Hudson and Becky Purcell — had children who participated in the program and said it had been beneficial for them.
Purcell said she appreciates the gifted and talented program because it is “ an area where kids can be recognized for academics. ”
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