University plays host to gifted kids
Young students get chance to meet intellectual peers
By Hasan Jafri
Emerald Contributor
The auditorium was packed with morn than
200 students, parents anti faculty As each group
of 10 to 1H students ret eivod their certifit alt's, the
auditorium boomed with t imers and claps As the
students were presented their certificates', some
shed tears of jov while others darn eti anti cele
brated
This sight is not uncommon around schools
this time of year, but what made this graduation
ceremony on the University campus different was
that the graduates were ISO sixth-to-ninth graders
from 1 Id Oregon communities and seven other
states
The t eremony marked the end of two weeks of
fun and studying for the students at the 1001
Summer Enrichment Program for Talented and
Gifted students
The TAG program was created by IJr George
Shepard 10 years ago for the top three percent of
Oregon's students The two week program costs
SS-tfi. which includes tuition, room and board
During the two weeks, the students follow a rigor
ous program. They attend six classes five days a
week and take part in a variety of physical and
mental activities like playing sports and creative
writing Along the wav the students are guided bv
teachers and counselors in the program
The most Important aspect of the program Is to
give freedom of choice and provide more of a
challenge to the students than public schools do
"These students have been subjected to public
schools that are based upon false chronological
age beliefs atxiut children," Shepard said "Every
thing is linked up K to 12 grades 1'hey never had
any freedom ol choice in educational programs "
Becuuse of die rigidity of the educational sys
tem, these bright students are vulnerable to many
problems, including becoming bored with school
"Boredom in school is number one," Shepard
said, "not having true peers around True peers
are people who think like you and are interested
in what you do."
The students in the program share Shepard's
opinion
“(Public: schools are) too structured You do the
same thing over and over and over, said Gariy
Smolak. .in 11-year-old from Lake Oswego "It
gets real boring alter a w hile "
During the two weeks, the students choose
their studies from the -14 courses offered The of
ferings range from foreign languages, i ultures and
animation, to "A Cloning Primer." a course that
deals with hands-on experience in basic genetics
and molec ular biology
After the classes, the students sign up for vari
ous activities Some practice their musical skills,
some write poetry and others choose to “buy
weird curds from Jubberwor kv
These are kids with self motivation, charming
creativity and a willingness to learn.' said Dan
Clark an -independent filmmaker who taught the
popular filmmaking, drama and animation
courses
Lesley Sario, an I 1 year-old sixth grader from
Klamath l ulls who aspires to i>e a stage direr tor.
was thrilled when the drama instructor gave her
books on stage direction terhnn|ues to impo se
her skills
Being in tfit- program also helps these students
make friends that they otherwise would not Mak
mg friends, said Steve Moore, u counselor and ed
ucatlon student at Lane Community College,
helps these kids realize that there .ire "other kids
like them and they actually meet those kids
"I made a lot of new friends." said Amber
Wampler, a 12 vear old from Florence "I have a
new best friend You get along (letter with kids
who think the same wav as you do
For admission in the program, students are
judged on intelligence. acudcmU performance,
above average - intellectual abilities creativity,
leadership skills and skills in visual and perfor
m a rice arts
liven though most of the students are straight A
students, some are not Brock Kailoy, a Id year
old Hth grader from Eugene, had a 2 7 GPA. hut
he scored above average in the mathematics sec
lion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test and was also
a leader of his group in the Invention Convention
As part of the program, the students also learn
to deal with peer pressure and being stereotyped
as book worms or "nerds "
"They are at the age now where peer pressure
Is the highest. Moore said "It's this age when
they have to make a const ious dot ision to either
really excel in their academics or follow their
peers "
"People think that 1 am u nerd ixic.mse 1 do my
homework on time,” said Scott lseri, a 12-year
old 7th grader from Ontario "1 do my own stufl 1
am a skateboarder. I play drums I don’t go borne
and do mv homework (immediately), play com
puter c hess and listen to classic al music I don't
do that
The experienc e of the two week program is.
perhaps, best expressed by Smolak
"We stayed here for two weeks and not for a
second was I homesick You get to know a lot of
people After two weeks, when it's time to go
home, 1 don't want logo I don't want logo home.
I love il here
MEDIA
Continued trom Page 1
Puhlir media networks
were just .is biased m favor of
tin: govurnmeni. Solomon
said He criticized National
Pul.)lie Radios donation re -
quests to defrav war-coverage
costs as "fundraisers for
cheerleading the war
On Public Broadi usling Ser
vii.e s \fi:NoiI■ Lt'hr iVi'ivs
Hour more than two thirds of
recent guests were present or
former government officials,
Solomon said
"We've been conditioned to
believe it’s a balanced news
source," Solomon said, when
in fact tfie show is leased to
ward the government's point
of view
Many of these same govern
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muni officials also have a re
volving door employment his
lory, working for (he J i cor
porations controlling most ol
the media, he said
This situation is the result
of an "incestuous" coopera
tion between huge corpora
lions and the government
since the start ol the ('.old War
111 the late l'l-Hls. evolving
into the military industrial
complex President Dwight hi
setihower warned the public
against, he said
A common language and set
of interests also evolved be
tween those controlling the
government and corporations,
thereby reducing visible dll
lerences between the two, Sol
omon said
"At the same time, the
problems .ire institutional mid
don't depend on conspiruc tes
of individuals," he said "Vou
could remove any 100 people
from power and solve noth
inn "
The complex is stronger
than ever, because of corpo
rate consolidation over media
ownership, Solomon said
Solomon blamed the Kea
gan administration in part lor
cutting funding to public pro
grammmg, making it int reas
ingly dependent on corporate
underwriters, and selling air
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