Teachers and parents, I know I’m not alone in noticing the amazing work of young Texans. We really do have some of the best and the brightest right here at home! The TEMPO board wants to see the fantastic things your gifted students are doing, too! Please submit your students’ outstanding work (and get creative—artwork, poems, stories, essays, or personal narratives are all welcome!) to me at lacy@cmptn.org. I’d love to help feature your students in a future issue of TEMPO!
The federal definition of gifted students includes many attributes—intelligence, creativity, artistry, and leadership. In thinking about how to spotlight gifted students across Texas, I wanted to make sure we didn’t leave the last one out—leadership. It isn’t easy to lead others, and it’s harder to work in a group to show those leadership skills.
When I saw that the National Junior Honor Society (an organization long-known for cultivating leadership skills) students at Coppell Middle School West had recently received national recognition in the 2014 NJHS Outstanding Service Project awards for a service project they completed at CMSW and further, when I heard that their service project was to raise money to help one of their peers, I wanted to give them a chance in the spotlight. Here’s their story, as written by student Riya Mayesh (and shared on behalf of her fellow officers, Sashank Kothamasu, Kritima Lamichhane, and Ashley Rivera).
The CMSW-NJHS held a talent showcase in November to raise money for a disabled student, Noelle. We raised $3,000 to help pay for a new van to accommodate her needs. The showcase required weeks of preparation put in by the planning committee, the officers, and the advisors. The showcase included food and a silent auction.
Noelle’s family also came to talk to the audience about their gratefulness and it really touched everyone’s hearts. NJHS members served desserts at tables, set up, and cleaned up for service hours. It was a successful night; it not only raised money for Noelle, but it brought the whole Coppell community together.
Lacy Compton is a member of the TEMPO Editorial Board. She has been an editor and promotions coordinator at Prufrock Press since 2005 and an instructor with Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth since 2009, where she teaches online literature courses to gifted fourth and fifth graders. Lacy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor University and a master’s degree in English from Texas State University.
