Time Travel Expo Offers Gifted Students Venue for Creativity

CAPE MAY – The Cape May City Elementary School presented “The Time Travel Expo,” a unique and dynamic public event Feb. 26. A night of creativity, festivities and fun flourished as the Time Travel Expo provided an educationally entertaining and creatively stimulating display of imagination and cultural insight.
The visually rich, family friendly event included such presentations as “Dance Through The Decades,” “Presenting the Beatles,” and a presentation of the medieval story, “Sir Gawain and The Green Night.”
Under the guidance of gifted education teacher, Sandy Sandymeyer-Bryan, the gifted- education students conceived the idea for the imaginative, fun-filled festival.
“Last year, we came up with the idea of a Time Travel Festival,” said Sandymeyer-Bryan. “The gifted education students meet three times a week for 45 minutes. We discussed what we want to do, and we came up with our own ideas,” she explained.
The expo presented such exhibits and presentations as “Music through the Ages,” “Transportation through the Ages,” “Hairstyles through the Ages,” as well as the history and pop culture of the American decades – from the early 20th century to the present day.
The Time Travel Timeline included the decades from the 1920s through the present, exhibiting the history, styles, fads, and pop culture of each era. Sixth grade gifted-education student, Gabriella Hristov, dressed in multicolored hippie clothes, presented a trifold of photos and events that captured and celebrated the events of the 1960s.
“There were momentous events in the1960s – from the assassination of JFK to the hippie movement. I think a lot of important things happened in the 60s and it influenced today’s generation,” Gabriella said. “It was a decade like no other,” Hristov explained.
Superintendent Victoria Zelenak praised the expo, creativity of gifted education students, and the event’s many participants. “The Gifted program is based on several different philosophies, including the Howard Gardner-model of multiple intelligences,” Zelenak explained. “We’re an excellent school for gifted and talented.”
Prior to her position as superintendent, Zelenak held a variety of educational positions including principal, vice principal and teacher. Zelenak’s varied educational background has served her well as superintendent and educational leader of the school. “Our gifted program is based on a lot of different resources,” Zelenak explained.
Sandmeyer-Bryan explained the objectives and focus of the school’s gifted and talented program. “Our program is called PACE (Program for Academic and Creative Enrichment), and includes several components: PACE PALS (Primary Accelerated Learners), GATEWAY (Gifted and Talented Education with Accelerated Youth), Focus Art, Focus Math, and school-wide enrichment.
Cape May City Elementary School is committed to achieving excellence in partnership with family and community. With this goal in mind, the Program for Academic and Creative Enrichment has been designed for total school improvement. PACE provides opportunities for students to have both interesting and individually challenging learning experiences beyond the regular classroom. PACE includes school wide enrichment, pull-out programs for academically and creatively talented students, and special art classes for artistically and creatively talented students,” Sandmeyer-Bryan said.
Clarifying the process by which students enter the program, Sandmeyer- Bryan disclosed, “Students are nominated by parents and/or teachers. We use multiple measures, scored on a matrix to determine eligibility. We gather information through students (test scores, report cards, and writing), parent input and teacher feedback. Although some of our program activities are based on Renzulli, our committee researched other models, school programs, etc. to design ours.”
As the expo slowly wound down, it was clear that the gifted students at Cape May City Elementary School exhibited their commitment to creativity and sparked the imagination of fellow students and parents.
Although there is no specific or universal definition for what is a gifted student, essential components of gifted behavior include: above average intelligence, creativity and task commitment.
One of the pioneers in the field of gifted education over the years has been Joseph Renzulli, an education professor at the University of Connecticut. Renzulli is renowned for his project-based gifted education model which includes the three ring concept of giftedness. Renzulli’s triad model of gifted education encourages students to create and develop a wide variety of projects which stimulate a student’s creative and critical thinking skills.
The Renzulli Gifted Education model celebrates creativity and has deeply influenced the realm of gifted education over the years.
To contact Terence Harris, email tharris@cmcherald.com.
For photos of the event, go to:
– PHOTOS: Time Travel Expo: http://goo.gl/9S7Cc0