Kirkwood School District is extending its gifted education program to KHS students in order to effectively continue helping kids learn at an accelerated pace.

“For awhile now, [gifted education teachers] have been wanting to put something in place for these advanced kids coming to the high school,” Bonnie Nicholas, gifted specialist and teacher at North

Kirkwood Middle School, said. “We are excited that the high school students now have this opportunity.”

Funded by the state of Missouri, the program that used to only assist students from the elementary and middle levels is now available to all high school level students deemed to have advanced knowledge and learning capability.

“It’s the first time something like this has happened at KHS, and we are very excited about our new ideas for the program’s future,” Lisa Grommet, gifted education specialist at KHS, Nipher and Tillman, said.

In the fall of each school year, screenings and evaluations take place in order to determine the students who are eligible for REACH, the elementary school program, or SOAR, the middle school program. Although taking the test is not mandatory for students, it is recommended if the child demonstrates advanced academic skills, so the child can be challenged in school. Those who take the test must pass three of four categories: an achievement test, a gifted rating scale, a cognitive assessment and a creativity/reasoning test.

Kendra Cross, sophomore, became involved with the gifted education program in elementary school.

“It showed us how much we know, how far we can stretch our minds, how to broaden our minds and prepare us for what’s coming next,” Cross said.

Although KHS is just beginning to develop its currently unnamed gifted program services, there are approximately 265 students at KHS who participate.

“We expect [the high school program] to grow and expand into many things, but for now we are just starting small,” Grommet said.

According to Nicholas and Grommet, the KHS gifted program provides academic progress monitoring, social/learning activities, study sessions, organizational skills, goal setting, time management and test taking strategies. It also assists students who struggle with social and emotional needs, perfectionism and who are at risk for underachievement.

Specialists who work with the students, parents and teachers provide resources, guidance and assistance. They help give students learning opportunities and challenging curriculum in order to reach their full potential.

“REACH made learning fun and now that there is something like it at the high school, it can once again inspire kids to really love learning,” Cross said.