Deadline Is April 30 To Register For Maryland Summer Centers For Gifted And Talented Education

The registration deadline is looming for the 10 Maryland Summer Centers for Gifted and Talented Students that are coordinated through the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Applications must be postmarked by April 30th.

Information on the Maryland Summer Centers, and the application to attend, are posted at:

http://www.msde.maryland.gov/MSDE/programs/giftedtalented/centers.htm

For 44 years the Summer Centers program has offered unique instructional experiences for gifted and talented students entering grades 4 through 12. Students have the opportunity to work with like-minded peers in an area of ability and interest. The Centers offer one to three-week residential and non-residential programs with a focus on the arts, sciences, technology, and engineering. The activities are designed to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving while challenging students academically.

The 10 Summer Centers for 2011 are:

Science & Engineering:

Center for Historical Research at Pemberton Hall at Pemberton Historical Park, Pemberton Hall, Salisbury, Wicomico County (funding provided by Pemberton Historical Park)

Honeywell Maryland Summer Center for Ecosystems Education at Horn Point, University of Maryland, Horn Point Environmental Lab, Cambridge, Dorchester County (funding provided Honeywell Hometown Solutions)

Harford County Public Schools Center for Conservation Research, Harford Glen Environmental Center, Harford County (funding provided by Harford County Public Schools)

SAIC and NMTC (Science Applications International Corporation/Northeastern Maryland Technology Council Center for Space Science, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Howard County (funding provided by SAIC and NMTC)

SAIC Center for Computer Programming: ALICE in Programming Land, Meade Middle School, Anne Arundel County (funding provided by Science Applications International Corporation)

SAIC Center for Computer Science, Aberdeen High School, Harford County (funding provided by Science Applications International Corporation)

SAIC and NG (Northrop Grumman) Center for the Physics of Solar and Wind Power, Frostburg State University, Allegany County (funding provided by SAIC and NG)

Center for Future Engineers: Robot Design, Frostburg State University, Allegany County (funding provided by Northrop Grumman and the Maryland Space Business Roundtable)

Arts (audition required; audition dates have passed):

Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Salisbury University, Wicomico County (funding provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and Salisbury University)

Center for the Performing and Visual Arts at The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, Baltimore City (funding provided by the Eubie Blake Center Board of Directors and others)

The Maryland Summer Centers program, in partnership with public and nonpublic agencies, provides Maryland’s diverse gifted and talented students with advanced, rigorous, experiential learning opportunities that nurture these students’ talents and abilities within unique learning environments.

Tuition ranges from $100 to $950 and full and partial scholarships are available for those who need financial assistance. An online brochure and application forms are available from local gifted and talented education coordinators or on the Maryland State Department of Education website at www.MarylandPublicSchools.org/summercenters.

Applications must be postmarked by Saturday, April 30. Materials are available in Spanish upon request. For more information contact Stephanie F. Zenker at 410-767-0821.