The Centennial School District has offered a gifted education program for years.
About 500 of the district's elementary students spend some time in specialized classes and programing designed to challenge kids ahead of the learning curve.
Now, in response to demand, the district will add full-time gifted classrooms for third- and fourth-graders starting in the fall of 2014.
Parents can apply now for their students to be included in the full-time gifted classrooms. The program is open to all qualifying third- and fourth-graders across the district, but will be located at Rice Lake Elementary. The plan is to have one full-time gifted classroom at each grade level. The program, to be called Odyssey, will be considered a school within a school. Lunch, recess and grade-level activities will be integrated with grade level peers when possible.
The district will eventually expand the full-time option to more grade levels. They plan to add a full-time fifth-grade gifted classroom starting in the fall of 2015.
"We've found students have a need for full-time programming," said Pat Christiansen, the district gifted services coordinator. "It will help students grow at a rate commensurate with their abilities, full time, every day."
The new full-time won't supplant existing gifted programs. Rather, it will be one of four:
• Level 1, for all students, includes visiting artists and writers who work with entire student body.