Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Camp Appalachia: Place-Based Enrichment for Gifted Students and Those Who Teach Them
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Camp Appalachia was designed as a camp for elementary aged gifted students in a small mountain community in the Appalachian region of Northeast Georgia. Its mission was two-fold: to provide a hands-on field experience for K-12 teachers working toward initial gifted certification, and to provide an enrichment opportunity for gifted students in the local elementary schools who otherwise had little access to academically stimulating summer experiences. This dual focus was based on the most recent research into the current state of gifted education in schools throughout the country, and in rural schools in particular where a disproportionately high poverty rate leads to below-average funding for gifted programs. In Appalachian regions where the “brain drain” is well documented, the need is not just for summer enrichment opportunities for bright young people in economically and culturally isolated regions, but for knowledge that these communities offer opportunities for cultural and intellectual enrichment without leaving home. Thus, the content focus of a place-based curriculum offered opportunities for inquiry and for the neglected message that these bright Appalachian young people need not choose between devotion to home and pursuit of economic and intellectual enrichment. Spreading this message to both students and teachers is the first step in reversing the impact of dwindling populations in rural mountain communities thus stripping local school systems of the human and fiscal capital necessary for the development of thriving schools and communities. This presentation explores both the “why” and the “how” behind the development of Camp Appalachia at UNG.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Sarah Widincamp is a former high school social studies teacher and an Assistant Professor of Middle Grades and Secondary Education at the University of Georgia. In addition, she is the Director of Complete High School North Georgia, a grant initiative funded by the ARC with the goal of increasing the college-going rate of first generation Appalachian students in the north Georgia region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Kaity Brackett is a senior at the University of North Georgia who is studying middle grades education. Kaity is deeply involved in the Appalachian Studies Center at UNG where she works in the heirloom seed project; she has attended and presented at the Appalachian Studies Conference several times.
Camp Appalachia: Place-Based Enrichment for Gifted Students and Those Who Teach Them
Camp Appalachia was designed as a camp for elementary aged gifted students in a small mountain community in the Appalachian region of Northeast Georgia. Its mission was two-fold: to provide a hands-on field experience for K-12 teachers working toward initial gifted certification, and to provide an enrichment opportunity for gifted students in the local elementary schools who otherwise had little access to academically stimulating summer experiences. This dual focus was based on the most recent research into the current state of gifted education in schools throughout the country, and in rural schools in particular where a disproportionately high poverty rate leads to below-average funding for gifted programs. In Appalachian regions where the “brain drain” is well documented, the need is not just for summer enrichment opportunities for bright young people in economically and culturally isolated regions, but for knowledge that these communities offer opportunities for cultural and intellectual enrichment without leaving home. Thus, the content focus of a place-based curriculum offered opportunities for inquiry and for the neglected message that these bright Appalachian young people need not choose between devotion to home and pursuit of economic and intellectual enrichment. Spreading this message to both students and teachers is the first step in reversing the impact of dwindling populations in rural mountain communities thus stripping local school systems of the human and fiscal capital necessary for the development of thriving schools and communities. This presentation explores both the “why” and the “how” behind the development of Camp Appalachia at UNG.
