Donald Easton-Brooks, dean of the University of South Dakota School of Education, told people attending the closing ceremony of the 33rd annual South Dakota Governor’s Camp that he knows the challenges of finding programs for talented and gifted children.
He, himself, is the father of kids who fit that description.
“I know the challenges that you face in finding those creative, and social, and intellectually stimulating types of events,” Easton-Brooks said. “So, for me, it has been great to see these groups of students walking around campus with each other, exploring different creative, intellectual, and social options, and enjoying themselves. Everyone has a smile on their face.”
The Governor’s Camp, July 25 through July 29 on the campus of the University of South Dakota, is a summer opportunity for gifted students designed to provide exploratory and enrichment experiences. Participants come from across South Dakota, and will be in the 7th, 8th and 9th grades in this fall.
The week’s events included team building activities, educational exploratory and enrichment sessions, an annual Ambassadors of Excellence performance, and closing ceremonies held Friday in Aalf’s Auditorium on the USD campus.
Easton-Brooks urged the camp’s participants and their parents and family members seated in the auditorium to celebrate all that they had experienced during the week. At his urging, they all stood, applauded, cheered, and hugged each other.
“Thanks to the staff and the faculty that helped make this possible,” he said. “Being a part of the school’s administration, I would like to say it is an honor to be able to be part of such a great opportunity for students. Often times, this is the 1 percent of the student population that we tend to forget about.
“We offer great programs for those who need a little extra help to get to that next level, but often times, we can’t find those great programs for this population of gifted students,” Easton-Brooks said. “I have lived in a number of different states, and never have had an opportunity to have my children involved in something like this.”
He said it is often hard for gifted students to find others who “understand the way you think, the way you interact, the way you engage, and some of those intellectual jokes you tell.”
The Governor’s Camp, Easton-Brooks said, is an opportunity for gifted South Dakota youth to find each other.
“I think that’s an amazing thing,” he said. “I’m glad that we’re able to honor you by providing you a space to get together and enjoy each other.”
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