8 Educators to be trained to identify high-potential
children in low-income settings

The sixth class of Javits-Frasier Teacher Scholarship recipients announced
for the November 3 – 6, 2011 training in New Orleans, LA.

Washington, D.C. - October 10, 2011: Today the National Association for Gifted Children
(NAGC) announced its 6th annual class of Javits-Frasier Teacher Scholars. Comprised of 8
educators from Title I schools, the group will attend a special strand of sessions at the NAGC
Annual Convention and receive a travel stipend through generous support made possible by
the Javits-Frasier Teacher Scholarship Fund for Diverse Talent Development.

The scholars are:

Misti Bustamante, Marquisha Flowers, Gohar Hamo and Paige Kendrix, all from California,
Ellen Saltzman from Texas, Lindsay Watson from Georgia, Lafina Willard from Arizona and
Dana Wiles from Maryland.

The teacher training program honors Mary Frasier, Ph.D., the late and beloved past president of
the association who led the way in identifying under-served gifted children. Dr. Frasier’s
pioneering work in the state of Georgia increased by three-fold the number of African American
and quadrupled the number of Hispanic children in gifted/talented programs. She later consulted
across the U.S. and became legendary in the field of gifted on the topic of under-served children.

In order to take expertise and tools back to their schools, these scholars will be trained using the
proven tools that Mary Frasier developed and inspired during her career. A rigorous four-day
program has been designed as part of NAGC’s 58th annual convention in New Orleans, LA,
where all of the experts in the field will gather November 3rd - 6th. The eight scholars were
selected from a nationwide pool of applicants across the country.

The national scholarships include a two-year membership to the National Association for Gifted
Children, convention registration, four days of training at convention, an assigned mentor, as well
as a travel stipend.

Donna Ford, Ph.D. of Vanderbilt University and former chair of the NAGC Diversity Committee
is confident of the purpose and success of this project. A lifelong friend and colleague of Frasier,
I cannot thank the donors enough for making this dream a reality. There is no more
fitting extension of Mary’s legacy than to dispatch 8 newfound voices for culturally and economically
diverse students who are struggling to be recognized for their potential. This is a program that I am certain
has a great future” 

For more than three decades, NAGC members have addressed the issue of under-representation
of culturally and economically diverse students. The Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students
Education Act was passed by Congress in 1988 in memory of the late senator. The program has
funded grants to focus on giftedness in disadvantaged youth. Much of the research contained in
the Frasier methodology has its origins in this research. So simultaneously, Senator Javits’
lifelong passion for civil rights is truly commemorated in this program.

“Until Now we’ve not had an organizing principle around which to coalesce and provide this
critical training. Thanks to the generosity of our members and other contributors, we can truly
advance the cause of leaving no talent behind, no matter what the economic circumstance of the
child,” says Nancy Green, Executive Director of NAGC.

The National Association for Gifted Children is the largest national organization dedicated to meeting
the needs of the more than three million gifted and talented students in the U.S. The association is fully
committed to national goals that advocate both excellence and equity for all students in public schools
and believes that the best way to achieve these goals is through differentiated educational opportunities,
resources, and encouragement.

For additional information, contact Jeff Danielian at jdanielian@nagc.org or call NAGC at (202) 785-4268.

Kindergarten at the Lancaster campus underwent a magical transformation early this October with a one-of-a-kind Nursery Rhyme dress up day.  After several days of studying various nursery rhymes, including favorites such as Humpty Dumpty and Little Miss Muffett, those very characters came alive in our hallways!  Our kinders proudly displayed their nursery rhyme stories as they paraded through the first grade hallway.  It was a thrill to identify rhyming pairs within their rhymes, and beyond this, our kinders looked especially fabulous in their character costumes!

It was an exciting time for our teachers and staff to witness our favorite childhood nursery rhymes embodied in our kindergarteners.  Our kinders still echo the words of their favorite rhyming verses and echo the phrase, “those words rhyme!” as they think back to our special day.