Super Saturdays Held in Alexander Hall

The College of Education’s Center for Gifted Studies held its Super Saturdays program in Alexander Hall on Saturday mornings in February. Super Saturdays are designed to provide enrichment activities for gifted and talented youth in grades K - 5. Students in attendance must meet the qualifications for the talent pool or gifted program as documented by the principal and gifted and talented coordinator. Super Saturdays brings together the region’s best students, top quality instructors, and intellectually stimulating study topics, with the best physical resources available. College of Education faculty member Jacqueline Hansen is the director of Super Saturdays. Hansen works closely with Janeen Winters and Dan Lavitt in the Office of Non-Credit and Youth Programs.

Students attending the program in February were able to choose the workshop in which they wanted to participate. This year’s workshops covered a wide range of topics, including sign language, computers, science, fine arts, health, math, history, and art. The Parent Institute, co-sponsored by The Center for Gifted Studies and the Kentucky Advisory Council on Gifted and Talented Education, was held on February 12 for the parents of the students attending. The goal of the Parent Institute was to show parents how to meet the needs of their gifted and talented children. The parents were invited back on February 26 to visit their children’s classrooms to celebrate what they had learned during their four Saturday sessions.

The Super Saturdays program has seen recent growth, with attendance increasing over the last few years. This year, new school districts participated in the program. According to Hansen, the program has received very positive feedback from parents. “Super Saturdays is fulfilling an emotional and intellectual need for the students,” Hansen commented. Many students come back for Super Saturdays each year; many families have more than one child participate.

The Center for Gifted Studies holds two Super Saturdays programs each year. The program in February is held in Alexander Hall, while the program in the fall semester is at the Crisp Center in Paducah. Super Saturdays is a non-profit event, with tuition charged to cover costs of the program. Scholarships are available to assist with tuition. Contact Jacqueline Hansen, jacqueline.hansen@coe.murraystate.edu, for more information on Super Saturdays.

Super Saturdays is just one of many programs sponsored by the Center for Gifted Studies. The Center also has the Summer Challenge for rising 8th through 10th graders and the Summer Challenge Exchange with the Center for Gifted Studies, Centro Huerta del Rey, in Valladolid, Spain. For more information on the Center for Gifted Studies, contact Center director Joy Navan, joy.navan@coe.murraystate.edu, or visit http://www.murraystate.edu/coe/centers/gifted/default.htm.