Gifted and Talented

November Gifted Gallery Newsletter

   The gifted and talented program at Charles M. Russell School of Performing Arts is a comprehensive middle school gifted and talented program.  We feel that we offer outstanding gifted and talented programming, and our numbers prove it.  For the 2007-08 school year, Russell's identified GT students consistently scored advanced in their area of strength on state assessments and rated their experience in Russell's advanced programs as outstanding.  Russell prides itself in serving all learning styles, but our non-verbally identified and creative GT students thrive like nowhere else.  Of course, we love our amazing kids, and we welcome twice exceptional students and the tools they share with us.  Everyone has a place at Russell. 

    Gifted and talented learners enjoy a wide variety of opportunities at Russell.  From the piano lab to the dance studio and from the technology labs to the advanced classroom, Russell students have many choices for both self-expression as well as in-depth, fast-paced learning. 

     RMS offers advanced courses of study in math, science, reading, and language arts.  Students identified gifted and talented in District 11 follow a three year course with the gifted and talented coordinator specifically designed to meet the needs of gifted learners.   The two fully equipped Gateway to Technology labs (see the GTT webpage under the "Academics" tab on the left) offer hands-on engineering opportunities, and last year’s technology summer institute drew enthusiastic participation.  MESA, Lego League, and Young Astronauts are three extra-curricular science opportunities many Russell students enjoy as well. 

     Russell has always been strong in the arts, and four years ago, the school became District Eleven’s performing arts middle school magnet.  Multi-grade classes allow students to participate at higher levels in show choir, orchestra, band, percussion ensembles, public speaking, and dance.  Last year, the Russell choir continued its tradition as one of the finest middle school choirs in Colorado with a host of superior, and even a superior plus plus, ratings at the CHSAA solo and ensemble competitions.  The forensics/speech team brought home 101 trophies from area competitions last season including 24 meet champion trophies--more than any other Pikes Peak Region school.  Every band and orchestra performer garnered superior or excellent ratings at the CHSAA solo and ensemble competition—with several performances earning perfect scores.  Russell art students were named best in show, 1st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place in the Air  Academy Credit Union regional art show and had artwork place in every out of school art show they entered.  Performing arts students also participated in the spring musical as well as in elite reparatory dance.

With such a variety of extra-curricular activities and electives (including all the “classic” choices such as computers and P.E.) and a comprehensive program for advanced learners, every student can find his or her place at Russell.

Visit the D-11 Gifted and Talented Website

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Differentiated Learners in Advanced Classes

(click for more information on our philosophy)

All children are unique.  All children are loveable.  All children are precious, and all children possess particular talents, but not all children are gifted learners.  Gifted learners are not part of an elite group.  They are kids like everyone else.

Gifted learners learn at a faster rate than other students and possess a capacity for learning that is matched by less than 5% of the general population.  Often, gifted learners exhibit several of these characteristics:  mastery of new material in one to two repetitions,  advanced vocabulary and verbal ability, outstanding memory, able to think abstractly, asks the questions, perceives subtle cause and effect relationships, inventor, improves on existing ideas, highly curious, vast storehouse of knowledge, prefers complex and challenging tasks, applies learning in new ways, keenly observant, intense, varied and sometimes unusual interests, sensitive to beauty and others' feelings, rebel against predictability, and a sophisticated sense of humor.