Released August 11, 2005

Hattiesburg– The Day of Sharing for Teachers of the Gifted will be held on Friday, Sept. 23, at the Center for Healthy Living located at the Hattiesburg Family Y.

This conference, sponsored by The University of Southern Mississippi’s Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies, is designed to educate teachers on current curriculum and instructional issues in gifted education. Teachers of the gifted, regular education teachers, psychologists, and administrators are encouraged to attend. There is no cost to attend the conference, and the deadline for registration is Sept. 10.

Dr. Sylvia Rimm, director of Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, will be the keynote speaker. She will present “The Social Emotional Development of Gifted Children: Understanding and Serving Their Needs.” Rimm was a contributing correspondent for NBC’s Today Show and was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and in People magazine. She is also a clinical professor at Case School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Other sessions will be lead by Dr. Conrad Castle, state consultant for gifted education, who will present “Mississippi Gifted Education: The Instructional Management Plan”; Dr. Sandra Manning will present “Appropriate Practices for Screening, Identifying, and Serving Potentially Gifted Preschoolers”; and Jean Prather, executive director of the Mississippi Association for Gifted Children, will give an update on current legislation and how it affects gifted education.

Immediately following lunch, teachers will be given time to share activities and ideas. Teachers should indicate their intent to share materials on their registration form.

For more information, contact The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies at (601) 266-5236 or gifted.studies@usm.edu. Information may also be found on our Web site at http://www.usm.edu/gifted.

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