Louisburg High School
and Louisburg Middle
School Gifted Newsletter
SEPTEMBER
2022
"Q.U.E.S.T." is the acronym
for the gifted elective class,
which stands for Questioning,
Understanding, Expanding /
Exploring, Synthesizing, and
Thinking. It's an option for all
gifted students who are able to
fit this class into their
schedules. You can take
QUEST one semester, either
the fall or the spring, or you
can take it all year. It is offered
at both the middle and high
school.
QUEST classes at both
schools are getting started
with their Independent
Research Projects (IRP’s),
which are a semester-long
(high school) or quarter-long
(middle school) self-guided
projects. From here until the
end of the term, students will
balance their QUEST time
with setting short-term goals,
completing these tasks,
reflecting on their progress,
and other group activities.
this issue
Gifted IEP Meetings P.1
LMS Gifted Services P.2
Gifted Workshops P.3
Trends & New Software P.4
Gifted IEP Meetings in the 2022-23 school year
Each year, every gifted student will have want to include in the IEP document. Parents,
an annual meeting to discuss his or her gifted you can access this Google Form at this
Individualized Education Program (IEP). This address:
meeting will involve the student, the parents / https://forms.gle/Wwx4bKGV5s5JWTNJ6
guardians, the gifted teacher, a school
A day or two before the date of the IEP
administrator, and at least one regular
meeting, I will provide parents with a
education teacher.
document called the KSDE Parent Rights in
The IEP is specially written to meet the Special Education Procedural Guidelines, as
child’s developmental needs and goals, and it well as a selection of draft documents for the
is a legally-binding document that is intended
IEP. These documents are for your review,
to include all stake-holders in the decision-
and if there are any concerns or
making process.
discrepancies, they can be addressed during
I will reach out to the student and parents the meeting. At that time, if any changes need
approximately three weeks prior to the IEP
to be made to the document, this can be
due date with a selection of possible dates
easily done.
and times for our meeting. At this same time,
I will reach out to the student’s teachers to Finally, the student is always welcome to
begin gathering data and feedback on how he attend the IEP meeting. In fact, I would prefer
or she is doing academically.
to have him or her present.
I will also ask the parents to complete a
Google Form survey to help provide me with
some direct feedback regarding the student’s
strengths, the parents’ concerns and goals,
and any other relevant information that I may

In many professional and
educational settings, people
are asked to compose
SMART goals to help
improve their careers and
their education. In the
QUEST class, I ask students
to write SMART goals for
their IRP’s. This is an
acronym that, for the purpose
of our class, stands for:
S – Specific (a goal that
provides clarity)
M – Meaningful (a goal that
encourages
commitment)
A – Ambitious (a goal that
stretches the student)
R – Resourced (a goal that
enables a supportive
environment)
T – Time-Bound (a goal that
has a set ending point)
I have students peer-review
each other’s SMART Goals,
and then they self-edit them
before submitting to me for
final approval. These goals
are then written on a note
card that is posted in the
classroom to remind them of
their long-term goals for the
semester and to help them
stay focused as we get into
our daily grooves.
One of the biggest changes
from elementary school to
middle school is how gifted
services are administered to
students.
Gifted students who have
room in their schedules are
able to enroll in the QUEST
class. However, we do not
require them to take this
class and it is entirely up to
the students and their
parents.
Every Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, and Friday, LMS
students have a 24-minute
period called “Wildcat Time”
(WCT), and it is during this
period that they can receive
gifted services.
The requirement that I have
for all LMS gifted students—
including those who are also
in QUEST—is that they
attend at least one WCT
gifted activity per week.
Students may attend more
than one if they would like to
do so. I encourage them to
participate in our activities
LMS Wildcat Time
and Gifted
Education
How are LMS gifted students
receiving services?
as often as they are able to So, what sort of activities
do so! However, students can students expect during
cannot skip any pre-planned WCT?
or important activities in their
It’s a limited amount of time,
regular WCT classes.
but I try to plan ahead with a
One thing that students and variety of activities to help
parents need to keep in pique students’ interests
mind is that in addition to my and meet their needs.
role as the gifted teacher, I Traditionally, activities have
also have obligations as the included:
head coach for the LHS
• Academic Mindset w/
men’s soccer team and the
“Monday Motivation” and
LHS wrestling team. These
“Toughness Tuesday
obligations may require me
Challenges”
to be gone from LMS at the
• Logic Puzzles
end of the school day.
• Riddles
Absences will be posted
• Trivia Games
ahead of time via weekly
• Breakout Puzzles
email updates.
• Critical Thinking /
I do need to ask students Teambuilding Challenges
that if they choose to come
Most recently, we were able
to my classroom during
to dig into a challenge in
WCT, they must participate
which students analyzed a
in whatever activity I have
selection of idioms and
planned for that day.
figures of speech that
In addition, disruptive originated with Greek
behavior may result in a Mythology. Students then
student being sent back to learned about some of the
his or her regular WCT origin stories to these
teacher that day. sayings!
 One group activity that I’ve

come to enjoy having QUEST

students engage in is the

Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

project. QUEST students at

both LMS and LHS will take

part in the PBL.

If you’re unfamiliar with the

concept of a PBL, it is when

2022-23 G IFTED W ORKSHOPS students are presented an

authentic problem that they

Three years ago, I implemented a
new program to continue serving
the needs of gifted students. This
program features four different
"workshops" each semester.
I try to offer a variety of topics to
address students' needs regarding
academic skills, social-emotional
learning, real-world success skills,
critical thinking / problem solving, and
subject enrichment. Here are some
of the workshop topics that I have
used in recent years:
Academic Skills (Academic
Mindset, Gifted Q&A Panel, Writer's
Workshop)
Subject Enrichment (Exploration of
Don McLean's "American Pie," Fly
Fishing, Auschwitz Exhibit at Union
Station, Evolution of the English
Language)
Social-Emotional Learning (Color
Code Personality Assessment,
Enneagram of Personality, Sound
Mind in a Sound Body, Yoga and
Stress Management, Ikigai and the
Secret to a Long and Happy Life)
Critical Thinking and Problem-
Solving (Escape Rooms)
Real-World Success Skills
(Financial Planning and Investing
with Craig Holtzen, Taxes with Janet
Houchen, “Your Trajectory Code”
with Dr. Jeffrey Magee)
This year’s workshop topics will be
announced soon, so please stay
tuned for more info!
must collaborate to research
and synthesize an authentic
solution. Finally, they will
present their solution to an
authentic audience, which is
often comprised of teachers,
administrators, and community
members.
Past PBL topics have
included students designing a
new social media platform that
addresses concerns with
current popular platforms,

Cognitive Cardio and QUEST proposing an outdoor education

center for USD 416, and

addressing the topic of

“Cognitive Cardio” is a quick and fun activity that
we do at the start of each QUEST class. I use
them as a warm-up activity to help get students
ready for whatever tasks they have in front of them
that day.
These activities are meant to help students
“sharpen the saw” before they engage in their self-
guided learning tasks. They address long-term
memory, working memory, executive functioning,
problem-solving skills, attention to detail, or
processing speed. I hope that students enjoy
censorship and school policy
these activities.
regarding controversial topics.
From time-to-time, we play a game of
Scattergories (one of my favorites from when I I’ve taken inspiration from
was a kid), or I will present students with a lateral the “Shark Tank” format of
thinking puzzle. I often adapt challenges and presentation, where students
games from the books of Nancy Linde or from the will face a panel of sharks in an
quiz website www.sporcle.com. I even like to give authentic opportunity to practice
them some incarnation of a logic puzzle (i.e., trees their speaking skills while also
and tents, nonograms, grid puzzles, and more). receiving feedback on their
unique ideas and solutions.
 What is “Wildcat Gifted”?

In all honesty, I view my role as more of a “coach” than a content-specific teacher. There
are many factors that have influenced my philosophy of a gifted teacher, which I call “Wildcat
Gifted.”
My son Brody is an avid soccer player, and several years ago we started having him attend
small-group training sessions with a man named Vahid Assadpour in the greater KC metro
area. I was quickly impressed with the approach to training that this coach takes with all of the
athletes who attend his programs. He is not coaching them as a team that competes in
conference games or in tournaments, and his mission has nothing to do with winning games.

I am entering my 5th year He’s all about developing confidence in the sport and engaging athletes to have a growth

as the LHS and LMS mindset. His program promotes positive life habits of a relentless work ethic, personal

gifted teacher, and I’m accountability, and progressive goal-setting.

also the head men’s Two years ago, I had a friend, Dr. Jeffrey Magee, conduct a workshop called “Your

soccer coach and the Trajectory Code.” During my conversations with Dr. Magee leading up to the workshop, I

head wrestling coach at adopted one of the catch phrases I use to describe my professional responsibilities: “I’m in the

LHS. My wife Emily is an business of talent development.”

LHS graduate (2000), and I’ve spent many years as a coach, and through my experience as the Director for Coaches

our two children (Brody Development for USA Wrestling-Kansas, I discovered the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen,

and Elyse) are Louisburg which means “continuous improvement.” In my daily approach to teaching and coaching, I talk

students. with students and athletes alike about having this mindset.
Last year, my wife introduced me to a concept she’d learned about during a work meeting.
Last spring, I finished up
One of her team leaders asked the group to read a quick article about Ikigai, or the Japanese
my Master of Science
secret to a long and happy life. She told me about it, and I researched a little more. L ast spring,
degree in Gifted Special
I was able to present a Gifted Workshop on this principle and I had a great time doing it!
Education from Fort Hays
Finally, as I worked to earn my USA Wrestling “Silver Coaches Certification,” I was able to
State University, and over
take a course called 3-Dimensional Coaching. One of the key takeaways from this certification
the summer I completed
course was that I was able to develop a “Transformational Purpose Statement” that I printed
all of the final touches on
off and have posted in my classroom:
my KSDE Gifted
“To empower and inspire student athletes to become citizens who will lead, persevere, and
Education licensure.
remain loyal to faith and family.”

I follow many resources

for gifted education on -- Mr. Bovaird
social media and I truly
love the chance to work
with all of my students!

Wildcat Gifted Quarterly Issue 1 September 2022