Over 300 students from Kindergarten through 10th grade gather at HSU this week and next to discuss and research unusual and thought provoking topics that follow this year's theme, "Structures." Now in its 29th year, "Threshold" is an intense summer enrichment program designed to challenge minds, stretch the boundaries of imagination, and stimulate the curiosity of the gifted child. Gifted learners need a place where they can be with other children who love to learn, learn quickly, and are passionate about things that most children don't consider. In this setting, they feel "normal" because they are one of others like them instead of "different" because they may be the only gifted child in their classroom or school.

The program, offered by the Irvin School of Education, is designed to be an interactive and integrated learning experience according to program director, Dr. Mary Christopher. Younger students will study the structure of nature, Egypt, or Italian art and architecture, while older students, in grades 6-10, will explore the structure of societies, architecture, machines, brains, and comedy. Wait, comedy? "There are structures in comedy that make things funny--either visually or linguistically," says Dr. Christopher, "As we study this field we can determine patterns that make things appear funny and how things may be funny in particular cultures but not in others."

Threshold is unique in Texas and maybe the nation, "There are camps for gifted high school students and a few for middle school, but I don't know of any for elementary children," says Dr. Christopher, "Since students are exposed to topics and information that they often do not have time or opportunity to study in school, we hope they leave with the 'aha' that they never considered before. We want them to get home and have conversations with their parents about this spark of learning. We also want them to develop a healthy self-concept that helps them feel good about who they are. One would assume that a gifted learner has high self-esteem but he/she may struggle with perfectionism, asynchronous development, the need to "fit in" rather that share their ideas and thoughts, internal pressure on himself/herself, etc. While gifted learners often are well-adjusted and even popular, some of these students struggle with finding their place among peers and in school."

The program is so popular, that students attend from cities throughout Texas and as far away as South Dakota, Connecticut, and Indiana, even though "Threshold" is not an in-residence program. Parents of participants think the program is so important that they will stay in a hotel for the duration of the camp just so their child can have a deeper educational experience. Since most schools design curriculum around the average student or skills testing objectives, gifted students often face the same educational deficit that challenged students do. Most schools are simply unable to keep the gifted student interested and engaged because the coursework is often not intellectually challenging enough. "Research shows that gifted learners learn new materials in 1-5 repetitions while average learners need 17-25 repetitions," notes Dr. Christopher, "think how frustrating it would be to 'tread water' while the rest of the class learns the material you got the first time," notes Dr. Christopher. "Threshold" is a showcase for the gifted learning environment and a testimony for the need for gifted programs in public education.

"Threshold" teachers are HSU graduates with master's degrees in gifted education.
Co-teachers are HSU graduate students currently working on an M.A. in gifted education. Parent seminars are held in conjunction with student seminars to educate adults on the unique challenges of guiding the gifted child.

A few openings are still available in week two (21-25 Jul) at Threshold, and at $85 for grades K-5 and $145 for grades 6-10, it's a bargain, "We work to keep our costs low so children can afford to come," says Dr. Christopher noting that upper grade camps run $900 - $1,200 per week at the few universities that have them, "and we have limited scholarships available." Parents can contact Dr. Christopher at 671-2150. Threshold is held in Abilene Hall on the HSU campus.