GB schools to offer academy for gifted

GREEN BAY - A new opportunity will soon be available for academically gifted students in the Green Bay School District.

Langlade Elementary School on Broadview Drive will house an academy for students in grades 3-6.

The opening of the School for Academically Gifted Learners is slated for this fall.

"Because of the need. Some of those students, we're looking at kids who are scoring in the 95 percentile on standardized tests. They learn at a faster rate. So we want to give them that opportunity to do so," said Langlade Elementary principal Tammy VanDyke.

VanDyke says Langlade is able to devote up to four classrooms for the program without displacing the school's 350 current students. Three to four new teaching positions will be added for the new academy, depending on enrollment. Each class will have about 25 students.

"Once we know the needs of the students, the teachers are going to work with all of the students. So we could maybe have a group of students who are third and fourth graders in a reading group, or we might have a group of fourth and fifth graders in a writing group," said VanDyke.

Students must meet multiple criteria to enroll in the school. They include the WKCE test, an IQ assessment, teacher recommendation and report cards. An admissions team will find the best matches for the program.

School officials say the academy will help the district gain a competitive edge and stem the tide of losing students to open enrollment.

"I think we would be one of the few that offers the full day program," said VanDyke.

"I think it's a wonderful opportunity," said Green Bay Education Association president Toni Lardinois.

Lardinois says while other opportunities for gifted students are available in the district, parents have been asking for a program like this.

"They want their kids challenged. They don't want them sitting in a classroom where they're bored or just trying to figure out things to have them do when they can already master the content that's there," Lardinois said.

Student enrollment is open until Monday, April 30th by visiting the school website.

For more information on the school, families may attend the following information sessions at Langlade school:

• Thursday, April 12 - 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday April 17 - 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.