WELCOME TO SPRAYBERRY HIGH SCHOOL
AND
THE GIFTED PROGRAM
CONTACT
LARRY LYNCH
OFFICE 770-578-3209
HOME 770-435-0382
Beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year, the Sprayberry Gifted Program will once again offer advisement groups for our gifted freshmen. Those teachers who work with these students will
Members of the gifted department who have experience working with the colleges and universities our students attend conduct ninth and eleventh grade conferences with students and parents. The teaches in the department oversee the registration process for our students and monitor the grades of all of the students on a regular basis. In addition, an administrator is specially assigned to work with gifted students.
WHY DO WE HAVE GIFTED CLASSES IN CORE AREAS?
We think that this is the aspect of our program that helps the students the most in their adjustment to and successful career at Sprayberry. In the honors classes—and of course the gifted classes—students have teachers who were specially selected and then trained to understand the special academic and personal needs of the gifted student. Students learn in a community of similar students and this enables new friendships to grow while academic needs are being met. Just an aside—students often say that they will not get to see their non-gifted friends again if they take these classes. That is not really the way it works. First, the core classes are mixed with gifted and non-gifted honors students. Second, students are in electives with students from across the full school community. Third, students are in extracurricular activities with students from all parts of the community. We believe that there are adequate opportunities for interaction with friends so that the core classes are not a problem. There is one other important consideration—in the college application process, the first thing the admissions office evaluates is the level of curriculum the student followed in high school. Students in the most rigorous courses of study are at an advantage when they start to think about college.
WHAT CLASSES DO WE RECOMMEND FOR OUR FRESHMEN?
Now this really is a big consideration and one that causes confusion and many questions. We all think that it is important for students to keep all options open and not make decisions in the ninth grade which they might regret when they are seniors applying to college. The classes freshmen take determine to a large extent the classes they will be able to take as upperclassmen, so we encourage students and their families to make well-informed decisions. One persistent question is whether the honors and gifted classes are “harder” than average classes. We do not think “harder” is the right word. The honors and gifted classes are simply better suited to the needs and abilities of bright students. We also always have the worry that the students do not like to read and will not “like” honors English. Please do not let this be the decision making factor! We think that there are four major factors.
· Freshman honors English is the class where the students learn to write the essays required in the other classes.
· It is the class where they learn critical reading skills.
· It is the class where they learn to do research and document their work.
· It is the class where they learn essential skills which they will use in all of their other academic classes.
From experience we know that students who opt to take the average English class are the ones who have serious problems in social studies and science when they are required to write essays. The decision about classes should not be based on “liking” the course but on standardized test scores which indicate the level of ability.
RECOMMENDED COURSES
Honors English
Math as appropriate
Honors Biology
Pre-AP Social Studies
AP Human Geography
Foreign Language
Required elective (such as an art or technology class which satisfies the state graduation requirement)