Hello and welcome! Thank you for taking the time to visit the Adams 12 GT Parents Group website. This website was built and is maintained by parents of GT students in the Adams 12 school district to share information relevant to parents, students, administrators and others who are interested in GT resources in the Adams 12 school district. Please email us at info@a12gifted.org to let us know your thoughts.
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Viviane Del Pizzo
2022-2024 President, A12GTPG
Become involved in your student's education!
Super Saturday, February 26, 2022
Registration and Class Details
How to Register
To register one or more students for Super Saturday, select the link below for the desired track(s) and complete the registration form(s).
You must complete a separate form for each student attending, and each student
should only be registered for 1 track, either for AM or PM classes.
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We are not providing activities over lunch at this event, and we are unable to accommodate
students or families staying over the lunch break (except for volunteers).
GT Parents Group events will follow current Adams 12 guidance for COVID-19 protocols.
If your student's first choice track is sold out, there is a place in the form to enter your preferred track, and you will be notified if a spot becomes available. The cost for this event is $10 per student. Parents and other adults attend for FREE! Your donation of $10 per student helps the volunteer-run Adams 12 GT Parents Group provide your family with this full-day experience and also helps to fund other GT speakers and events throughout the year. Following registration, you will receive an email with instructions for how to pay through your district PayForIt account. ​
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The tracks available are listed below. To register a student, click on the Track Name and fill out the corresponding Google form. Click on the class name to read the class description and instructor information or scroll to the bottom of this webpage. Because space for this event is limited, we ask that registered students stay for the duration of their session. Please ensure that you are registering your student for a session that does not conflict with other activities you may have planned for that day.
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UPDATE: ALL STUDENT TRACKS ARE NOW FULL.
There was overwhelming demand for this event and it filled very quickly. You may add your name to the waitlist (linked below) and we will contact you if a spot becomes available. Parents of GT students of any age (with or without an attending student) are welcome to attend the parent presentations for FREE. See more details below!
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AM Sessions 8:30AM - 11:45AM
Grades K/1 Track A -- Money Matters: How Safe?, Beautiful Birds, Native Am. Weaving
Grades 2/3 Track A -- Ozobot Robots, Video Maker, Beautiful Birds
Grades 2/3 Track B -- Government, Ozobot Robots, Money Matters: Living Green, Saving Green
Grades 4/5 Track A -- Beautiful Birds, Money Matters: Secret Agent Savings, Video Maker
Grades 4/5 Track B -- Video Maker, Government, When Slide Rules Ruled
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PM Sessions 12:30PM - 3:45PM
Grades K/1 Track B -- Snakes, Coding: Bee Bot, Inside the Orchestra
Grades 2/3 Track C -- Native Am. Weaving, CO from the Skies, Snakes
Grades 2/3 Track D -- Coding: Sphero, Snakes, Inside the Orchestra
Grades 4/5 Track C -- CO from the Skies, Inside the Orchestra, Coding: Yak Attack
Grades 4/5 Track D -- When Slide Rules Ruled, Native Am. Weaving, Sustainability at DEN
Options If Your Desired Session Is Full
If your student's first choice track is full, we encourage you to register for another track for your student if available. We have found that sometimes the sessions that seem to be least exciting for a student turn out to be the student's favorite session of the day. If your student would like to be on the list for another track or if all tracks for the grade level are now full, please sign up for our event waitlist. We often have families cancel, and so are able to offer spaces to students on our waitlist.
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Click here to sign up for our waitlist. We will contact you if space becomes available in your desired track.​
Presentations for Parents
​Although the student sessions are only open for students in grades K-5, parent sessions are open for parents with GT students of any age, and parents are encouraged to attend the event with or without students. Please see the list below of topics to be covered. If you are a parent attending without a student, please register by clicking the form below. Parents attending with registered students do not need to complete a separate parent form.
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Individualized Social Supports for Gifted Students
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About the speakers: Dr. Vanessa Ewing has been in the field of gifted education for nearly 20 years in roles including classroom teacher, counselor, and principal. She also serves the adult community including parents, educators, and social/emotional service providers. Areas of emphasis and specialty include social/emotional topics, early childhood, creativity, and twice exceptionality (for those that are identified as having both a disability and being gifted). When not working, she loves hanging out with her 11 year old son, pup, and traveling near and far.
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Cecilia Quintanilla was born and raised in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In December of 2017, she moved to the United States to work for Denver Public Schools at Bryant Webster Dual Language to teach in a Spanish Immersion Early Childhood Classroom. Cecilia enjoys music and playing the piano, she is currently a board member of the Denver Children’s Choir. On the summer of 2020 she founded the nonprofit organization “Yachayniyuq” in her home country of Bolivia where she provides resources and consulting services to neurodivergent students and their families. As a member of GTLCA - Gifted and Talented Leaders of Color and Allies, she is a fierce advocate for gifted, underrepresented students.
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An Introduction to Giftedness
This session is geared towards parents and families of students that have been identified as gifted and/or advanced. Participants will have the opportunity to explore some of their own assumptions and myths around giftedness. They will learn about some of the unique traits and needs of gifted and advanced students and then have an opportunity to re-examine their original thinking around giftedness.
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About the speaker: Sally Wasinger is the Gifted and Talented Coordinator at Hulstrom K-8, a gifted and talented magnet school in Adams 12 Five Star Schools. Sally was the GT Instructional Coach at Hulstrom for two years and is now in her second year as the GT Coordinator. She’s been an educator for 25 years and has had many different roles (before and after school care provider, teacher assistant, classroom teacher, interventionist, GT cluster teacher, GT Coordinator, and GT Coach). She graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies (1998) and from the University of Colorado at Denver with a Master's of Arts Degree in Educational Psychology (2004). She received her Gifted and Talented Specialist Endorsement in November of 2016. She is a native Coloradoan and was born and raised in Pueblo. In her spare time she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and pets, and traveling to tropical locations.
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My Child's Gifted, Now What?
Your child is gifted, now what? Supporting our gifted child(ren) can be, well, not easy to say the least. We want to make sure they are nurtured, challenged and supported, but how do we do that? What do we do when they aren’t getting that in the classroom? How do we not only support their intellect, but also their social, emotional needs? In this session Heidi Huey will share with you her 20 plus years of experience as an educator of gifted students, as well as through the lens of a parent of gifted children and as a 2E child themselves. We will explore some of the ways that we can support and nurture our child(ren) as well as help them better understand who they are.
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About the speaker: Heidi Huey has been an educator in the gifted and talented field since 2002 where she started off as a 1st/2nd grade teacher at Stargate Charter School for the Gifted and Talented. During her time with Stargate, she pursued her masters in Gifted Education at the University of Northern Colorado. At UNC she got to study under Dr. George Betts, creator of the Autonomous Learner Model, as well as Dr. Stuart Omdal, who was a leader on the importance of creativity in education. As part of her Master’s Program with UNC, Heidi became involved with their Summer Enrichment Program for gifted students. During her 9 summers with SEP, she progressed from teaching classes to gifted students to an administrative role where she got to support the program teachers as well as help run the program behind the scenes. After working at Stargate for 8 years, Heidi worked with Jefferson County School System as their Gifted and Talented Program Coordinator at Wheat Ridge High School and then as a GT center school teacher at Steven’s Elementary.
Heidi is also a parent to two gifted children (including a 2E child). Her oldest attended Stargate K-8th grade and now is a senior at Legacy High School. Her youngest is a 7th grader at Prospect Ridge Academy (PRA). Currently Heidi is in her 5th year as the K-12 Gifted and Talented Program Coordinator at PRA where she supports the teachers and over 280 GT students. Heidi refills her bucket, enjoying yoga, being outdoors, sailing, traveling, cooking and making memories with her family as often as she can.
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Living 2e
Living 2e is the story of my family as we continue to navigate life while embracing our neurodiversity. Despite the increasing familiarity of 2e, actually living it is complicated, humorous, chaotic, and joyful. Throughout my discussion, I will share some research, resources, and recommendations that have been (and continue to be) valuable for my family. Please join me in a discussion about the realities of living 2e and how to survive, and, yes, even thrive.
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About the speaker: Born and raised in Cheboygan, MI, Connolly Sherwood began her experience with giftedness in elementary school. Initially, she was not selected for her district's gifted program despite her ability to learn quickly and very high standardized test scores. Likely she was overlooked due to her inability to demonstrate her academic skills in the classroom setting consistently. Throughout her K-12 and undergrad college experiences, the contradiction between aptitude and academic achievement was evident and is now understandable: Connolly is twice-exceptional.
Today, Connolly holds a Colorado Professional Teaching License with two endorsements (Gifted and Talented Specialist and Special Education Generalist), has earned an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction (Gifted), and has 25 years of experience in education (i.e., special educator, classroom cluster teacher, title one teacher, literacy coordinator, head of school). Currently, she serves as a gifted specialist for Sheridan School District No. 2. 2e is Connolly’s passion and her mission is to inspire everyone to celebrate and appreciate what it is to be 2e!
Connolly is the founder and president of SoMe CAGT (Colorado Association of Gifted and Talented). SoMe, a 501c3, is an affiliate of CAGT for the South Metro Denver community. She was appointed to and continues to serve on the Colorado Department of Education’s Gifted Education State Advisory Committee (GE-SAC) as an educator representative for Congressional District 6. She is a member of the Colorado Academy of Educators for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative. Finally, she owns AugmentED, a private consulting practice that specializes in supporting learners who have dyslexia and ADHD.
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Student Class Descriptions
Money Matters
K/1st grade - How Safe?
In this lesson, students will learn some places are safer to keep money than others. Students listen to a story about a boy who puts his money in silly places, only to find later that it is missing. The students arrange places to keep money in order from the least safe to safest.
2nd/3rd Grade – Living Green, Saving Green
In this lesson, students will learn how living “green” can save “green.” The students choose between options that are environmentally friendly and ones that aren’t. In each case, the environmentally friendly choice also saves money. Each time a money-saving choice is selected, coins are added to a reusable water bottle to show how the collective savings adds up
4th/5th Grade – Secret Agent Savings
In this lesson, students learn that one way to save their money is to protect it and the information needed to get at it. Students play the role of secret agents while listening to a story and identify times the main characters make savings mistakes.
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About the instructor: Michelle Garcia is the Consumer and Business Banking Senior Administration Manager at U.S. Bank in Denver. She joined U.S. Bank in 2010. Michelle has 24 years of experience in the Retail Banking industry. She is passionate about employee development, community involvement and ensuring all families have access to financial education.
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Beautiful Birds
Students explore the unique features and adaptations of birds through observation and art. Students will first draw a habitat of their choosing and then construct a bird out of modeling clay that could survive in their habitat. Then they will have the opportunity to report out to their peers about where their bird lives, what it eats, and what adaptations help it survive in its habitat. Creativity is encouraged!
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About the instructors: Kathleen Lich earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Sustainability Studies and Geography from Indiana University. During her time at IU, she worked for the Critical Food Studies Lab and spent her summers as an environmental educator in Alaska. After college, Kathleen continued her career in Environmental Education with several organizations. She is very passionate about helping people connect to nature, especially birds.
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Hannah Jakob is serving through Americorps at the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies as an Environmental Educator. Hannah grew up in Missoula, Montana, where she developed a passion for wildlife and environmental conservation. She graduated from the Soka University of America in 2021 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. She loves sharing her appreciation for art, birds and all things natural with the people around her and is looking forward to sharing and exploring with schools and families in the Denver area.
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Native American Weaving
Students will learn about the significance of weaving in Native American culture and will have a chance to use yarn and cardboard looms to weave their own creation.
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About the instructor: Lydia Ann Wallace-Chavez is from Long Island, NY, and is currently based in Denver, Colorado. Her prime focus is on handmade Wampum jewelry made from Quahog clamshell. At the same time, her other works include painting, beading, lapidary work, and traditional Native American craft. Chavez creates contemporary pieces using Wampum, a material with a history revered by Indigenous groups, non-Native shell artists, historians, and the like. The inspiration for these pieces has always been to represent Wampum respectfully while showcasing the natural, inherent beauty of the shell and focusing on the growth and development of modern Native culture.
Lydia acquired an AFA at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, NM (2000). She achieved a BA at Alfred University in Alfred, NY (2002). Lydia has lectured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and has works in several museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), The Field Museum in Chicago, the NYS Museum in Albany, the USFW Long Island Wertheim Center, The New-York Historical Society, The Queens Museum, and a private collection of several belts commissioned by the Seneca Nation. She also has made custom pieces for private art collectors, including one designated for the frontlines during the Standing Rock Dakota Access Pipeline protests.
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Learn to Code with Ozobot Robots
Ozobots are little toy robots that teach kids programming by training the robots to follow patterns on the surfaces that they roll over. Ozobots can identify lines, colors and codes on digital surfaces, such as an iPad, and physical surfaces, such as paper. It's like a tiny Star Wars droid that you can program on your own! In this session, students will learn Ozobot line coding to program robots to follow various commands to make the robots play, dance, move and interact with each other!
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About the instructors: Molly Gibney is the Assistant Principal at Hulstrom K-8, School for Gifted and Advanced Academics. She has 21 years of experience focused on gifted and talented education, school libraries, tech and digital literacy, instructional coaching, and school makerspaces. She developed a passion for working with gifted students while serving as the Gifted and Talented Coordinator at Mountain View Elementary for 8 years and advocating for her daughter who was identified as gifted in kindergarten. Molly has a masters degree in Educational Leadership from Regis University and a masters degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She enjoys hiking and camping with her family, walking her 90 pound Great Pyrenees dog, and reading any book she can get her hands on!
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Sally Wasinger is the Gifted and Talented Coordinator at Hulstrom K-8, a gifted and talented magnet school in Adams 12 Five Star Schools. Sally was the GT Instructional Coach at Hulstrom for two years and is now in her second year as the GT Coordinator. She’s been an educator for 25 years and has had many different roles (before and after school care provider, teacher assistant, classroom teacher, interventionist, GT cluster teacher, GT Coordinator, and GT Coach). She graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies (1998) and from the University of Colorado at Denver with a Master's of Arts Degree in Educational Psychology (2004). She received her Gifted and Talented Specialist Endorsement in November of 2016. She is a native Coloradoan and was born and raised in Pueblo. In her spare time she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and pets, and traveling to tropical locations.
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Video Maker
Explore, inquire, and try to stump your friends with riddles! Students will create short videos using Chromebooks that inspire critical thinking and communication skills by asking riddles in the form of a video. We will learn about video editing, consider what information to include as clues in our riddles, and share our videos with one another to play a fun guessing game!
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About the instructor: Kayla Swanton - I began my career teaching Language Arts and English Language Development at the middle and high school levels. I have taught at schools in Colorado, and in Istanbul, Turkey. I earned my M.A. in Educational Technology from Michigan State University. I have served as the Instructional Technology Coordinator for Adams 12 Five Star Schools for five years. In my role, I collaborate with district and school leaders, teachers, and coaches across the system to successfully leverage digital tools and resources to meet the needs of all students. During my free time, I enjoy practicing yoga, reading, and watching football and hockey. I have a soft spot for animals, and I treasure my two rescue cats.
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State Government
Students will hear an overview of how our state government works and then participate in a discussion about how a bill becomes a law. There will be plenty of time for questions about the state government, what Representative Bird does at the Capitol, and any other topics that are of interest to the students.
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About the instructor: Representative Shannon Bird is currently serving her second term in the Colorado House of Representatives, representing a portion of Westminster, which includes many Adams12 Five Star schools. Before serving in the General Assembly, she served on the Westminster City Council. Representative Bird is a strong advocate for public education and was a leader of the Adams 12 Five Star School District campaign to obtain financing for much needed infrastructure improvements to schools. Representative Bird is also a parent of two students who attend Adams 12 schools, a daughter who is a junior at Legacy HS and a son who attends 8th grade at Westlake Middle School.
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When Slide Rules Ruled: A History and Primer
What do 350 years of achievements in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math have in common? The Slide Rule! ... the world's first multi-purpose computer. Learn a bit about the history of this amazing device and get some hands-on time learning how to use one to do basic multiplication and division.
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About the instructor: After 25 years of designing learning experiences for universities as well as major corporations, Richard Blake left the world of full time professional instructional design for the world of full time professional parenting. He soon discovered he could combine his lifelong and profound interest in STEM with a passion for educating primary, middle, and high school children. As his alter-ego Doktor Silas Conundrum in his STEMpunkED programs, he uses his corporate and collegiate experience, as well as his MA in Instructional Design and a BA in English & Liberal Arts, to bring innovative (and unusual) learning experiences in history, science, and imagination to educators, librarians, and learners in his area.
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Snakes: Ecology and Evolution
Snakes are often greatly misunderstood and even feared by humans. In this program, we will investigate several myths about snakes and tell their true story by investigating their evolution, ecologies, and natural histories. Come change your fear into fascination in this fun and unique hands on program.
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About the instructor: My Nature Lab is the educational facility and living classroom of the Center for Snake Conservation located in Louisville, Colorado. We provide hands-on programs using live reptiles and amphibians to help change human perceptions about these incredible creatures. Our goal is to educate people about these animals, their natural histories, their roles in the healthy ecosystems, and their conservation concerns.
Cameron Young is a professional wildlife biologist and the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Snake Conservation and My Nature Lab. His passion for snakes is contagious; he turns fear into fascination, curiosity, and respect. His mission of conservation through education inspires the educational programs at My Nature Lab.
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Coding
K/1st grade - Bee Bot
In this session students will create and debug simple programs by helping The Very Hungry Caterpillar "eat" all the food using a Bee Bot robot.
2nd/3rd Grade – Sphero
This session introduces students to the Draw canvas by drawing shapes that represent code and executing that code using your Sphero robot. The Sphero Bolt robot is used to make shapes and designs using the drawing tool as well as code blocks.
4th/5th Grade – Yak Attack!
This session provides a framework for using Bitsbox to give students an introduction to typed coding. Students use a modified version of the JavaScript programming language to build a greeting card which they can share with others. This activity is fully open-ended; students can (and will) end up with a result that is unique.
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About the instructor: Anne Shuck is a Computer Science and Technology teacher at Meridian Elementary in Broomfield. She has a Master's Degree in Educational Technology and has 27 years experience in elementary education. In addition to teaching, Anne also provides after school enrichment by sponsoring several clubs including Girls Who Code, Dash Robotics, Design Club (engineering), and Student Leadership. She lives in Broomfield with her husband and 3 teenage children.
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Inside the Orchestra
Inside the Orchestra will present a 30 minute performance featuring instruments from 3 of the 4 main families of the orchestra. During this interactive and engaging performance program, students will learn about the basics of the orchestra and orchestral instruments, musical concepts like tempo and dynamics, and get to move and dance along with the music. This program is a fun, up-close introduction to the orchestra.
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About the instructor: Inside the Orchestra (IO) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that brings music to children, cultivating music appreciation and enhancing their education through engaging, interactive experiences with orchestral music. Through in-person performance programs, both in schools and in public venues, and a myriad of online learning resources, IO is able to bring immersive musical learning experience to children around the Denver metro area and around the world. Programs are uniquely geared to the age and stage of children in the audience and provide an excellent up-close experience with the instruments of the orchestra.
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Colorado From the Skies
Explore a bird’s eye view of Colorado with members of the Colorado Dept. of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division! Students will search for landmarks and airports on Colorado Airport Directories and Aeronautical Charts that the Division puts out. We will also take a look at how pilots plan travel using a digital flight planning app and the Colorado Mountain AWOS (Automated Weather Observing System) Program.
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About the instructors: Under the direction of the Colorado Aeronautical Board, Dave Ulane leads the Colorado
Department of Transportation’s innovative and forward-leaning Aeronautics Division. In collaboration with 76 public use airports, the users of Colorado's aviation system, and numerous other stakeholders, Dave and the Division endeavor to support the state’s multi-modal transportation system by advancing a safe, efficient, and effective statewide aviation system through collaboration, investment, and advocacy.
Dave joined the Division of Aeronautics in July 2015 and has over 32 years of aviation experience in the Northwest Mountain Region. Prior to his current role, Dave was the Northwest Mountain Regional Manager for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), where he managed the association’s airport advocacy, state and local legislative and governmental affairs, and member engagement in seven northwestern states. Dave has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management from Metropolitan State University of Denver and has been an Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) since 1995. An active pilot since 1987, Dave is a seaplane rated private pilot, with a Part 107 Unmanned Aircraft Systems rating as well.
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Hetty Carlson is the latest addition to the Colorado Division of Aeronautics team. Hetty serves as the Division’s Education Grants and Outreach Program Specialist. She has nearly a dozen years of aviation education experience, including over eight years serving as the Teacher Flight Program and Education Outreach Manager for the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. Hetty earned a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management from Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science. “The best part of my job is educating and inspiring Colorado’s future aviation workforce.”
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Sustainability at DEN
Come join Denver International Airport (DEN) to learn more about what the third-busiest airport in the country is doing to become one of the most sustainable airports in the world! We’ll discuss our work to reduce air emissions, construct new green buildings, reduce waste, and use renewable energy, and lead an interactive activity about ways to reduce food waste at the airport and at home.
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About the instructors: Scott Morrissey is the Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Denver International Airport (DEN), where he is responsible for leading environmental and energy programs to help DEN become one of the most sustainable airports in the world. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is excited about the opportunity to improve the environment at DEN and throughout the Denver area for future generations.
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Stephanie Burke is the Future Workforce Development Administrator at Denver International Airport (DEN). Her role oversees all the student and youth programming aimed at educating and exposing youth to careers in Aviation along with building the Career Pathways program, which will provide development opportunities for all employees at DEN. She loves this work because she gets the opportunity to engage and interact with people and help build the next generation of Aviation talent.
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