PK-12 Student Programs
Student Programs
Upcoming Programs:
Day Programs: Young Gifted Students Program and Summer In the Middle
Residential Programs: Summer Gifted Studies Program, Leadership Studies Program, and SPAATY
Registration Information: Our new registration page is NOW OPEN! Please review the information below before applying. Links to the page are available below.
NEW: The Karnes Center Staff Page will introduce you and your child to the teachers and Karnes Center staff that they will be meeting when they arrive for their summer program.
Day Programs
Day Programs are offered in the months of June and January.
Dates and Costs:
- June 10-14, 2024
- $260.00
Designed to serve the youngest of our students, the Young Gifted Students program is a one-week, half-day program offered in the summer each year. Students explore their own strengths and weaknesses as learners while they discover the joy of accelerated curriculum. Vocabulary development and broad exploration of integrated topics make this a program your young child will talk about for a long time.
Eligibility
Students who score at or above the 90th percentile on an individual IQ test, or students who score at or above the 90th percentile on nationally normed tests of achievement appropriate for their grade level, are eligible for this program. Provisional eligibility may be obtained for this program. Please contact our director for details.
Courses Available for Summer 2024:
PK – Kindergarten: Architects and Engineers
Come join some of your favorite picture book characters as we explore our special gifts in STEM topics. Using a popular series for children with big questions as a springboard, this class will have you building skyscrapers and designing bicycles in no time!
1st and 2nd Grades – Econ Explorers
Understanding economic concepts is a valuable life skill that can be learned even at a young age. Join us for a financially fantastic foray into some of our favorite fables as we sharpen our economic skills.
3rd Grade – Olympiad
Get ready for the Parisian Olympics as you hone your skills in measurement and analysis. We will learn about the history of the games, the preparations that host cities undertake, and examine the way the games have changed over time.
Dates and Costs
- June 10-14
- $260.00
Designed with our middle grades students in mind, this program offers a format similar to our other popular day programs. Demonstrating creative and dynamic exploration of interesting topics, students can still embrace the flexibility afforded by a half-day program. Middle grades are wonderful years of growth and discovery and during this time there are wide differences in individual development. This program may meet your family's needs to serve as an extended transition to our residential programs.
Eligibility
Students who score at or above the 90th percentile on an individual IQ test, or students who score at or above the 90th percentile on nationally normed tests of achievement appropriate for their grade level, are eligible for this program.
Courses Available for Summer 2024:
Digitize!
What is your favorite game or sport? Is it in real life or is it – Digitized! This class will show you how to plan and create your own video game based on your enjoyment and adaptation of something you already love to play – or maybe even something entirely new. Featured guests will include members of the USM E-Sports team.
Escape from Seymour’s Library
Are you a fan of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or Mr. Lemoncello? Then you will love the adventures you will have in the USM library system this summer. We will break out of some great books, escape into new worlds, and meet a host of amazing library scientists along the way. Bring your puzzle solving, escape artist skills and help your team solve the mystery.
Dates and Costs
- January 6 - February 3, 2024
- $260.00
This program is thoughtfully designed to provide your child with the most innovative content and engaging learning methods available in gifted education today. With hands-on activities and the opportunity to engage with other children with similar interests and abilities, we are certain that your child will thrive each Saturday morning.
The five-week program compacts the curriculum in a way that provides accelerated and enriched learning experiences that meet the needs of advanced learners. These courses balance opportunities for engaging in projects that develop critical thinking skills and technology use with those that help students connect with artistic expression and design. All of our classes benefit from community and university mentors who will visit and spend time answering questions about future opportunities related to the class.
Eligibility:
Students who score at or above the 90th percentile on an individual IQ test, or students who score at or above the 90th percentile on nationally normed tests of achievement appropriate for their grade level, are eligible for this program
The Saturday Gifted Studies Program for 2024 has concluded.
RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS
We offer three residential programs each summer, The Leadership Studies Program, Summer Gifted Studies Program, and the Summer Program for Academically and Artistically Talented Youth (SPAATY). Both the Leadership Studies Program and SPAATY are part of the Mississippi Talent Development Initiative.
Students applying to one of our residential programs may also apply for a partial scholarship for the cost of the program's tuition. Scholarships are limited, need based, and awarded on a first-come-first served basis.
Donors are needed for our scholarship funds. We would love to talk to your organization about becoming a scholarship donor. Click here to visit our donors page.
Dates and Costs
- June 17-22, 2024
- $985.00
The Summer Gifted Studies Program is now in its forty-seventh year and is the one that started it all! The success of the very first summer program, prompted the University to establish The Center for Gifted Studies the following year. This one week intensive program offers students in grades four through eight the opportunity to explore interesting topics through an integrated unit of study. This program introduces our upper elementary and middle grades students to residential life and rigorous study. Students enjoy fascinating courses during the day and experience ample recreation and social activities in the afternoons and evenings.
Eligibility
Students who score at or above the 90th percentile on an individual IQ test, or students who score at or above the 90th percentile on nationally normed tests of achievement appropriate for their grade level, are eligible for this program.
Students who score at or above the 90th percentile on an individual IQ test, or students who score at or above the 90th percentile on nationally normed tests of achievement appropriate for their grade level, are eligible for this program.
Courses Available for Summer 2024
Karnes Cast 2.0
Join the Karnes Cast Podcasting team as we develop our series for the year. You will join your classmates in researching topics of interest to you and creating your own podcast episode. You may even learn some green screen and other filming techniques along the way. Episodes will be released throughout the next year.
Topo Tales
Do you know the connection between topology and toponymy? Towns and villages, cities and streams – every place has a name, and every name has a story. Come study the science and stories of getting on the map. From locations near and far, we will survey and sample, research and write to build our very own collection of places to see and the stories that make them worth the travel.
Astronomical Arts
Come explore our planet and space through the arts. Examine the ways that artists in a variety of fields have expressed their understanding of our world and other worlds using science as an. Explore your talents in art, drama, dance, and more as you create your own dynamic representation of our home and beyond.
Dates and Costs
- June 24 -29, 2024
- $985.00
Offered annually, this residential program invites students to assess their own leadership potential, gain individualized instruction on growing in that potential, and provides each student the opportunity to develop a platform for community development. Three Levels of courses are available in this program and must be taken in order. Community leaders provide mentorship and guidance during afternoon sessions and cheer students on during our Annual Leadership Banquet. During the Banquet students present their leadership platforms, impassioned speeches, or research on past leaders. Students in recent years have raised more than $5,000.00 for their various causes once they have returned home to execute their plans. Recreation, meals, room and board are included.
Eligibility
The Leadership Studies Program is open to all students who have a desire to grow as leaders and who are dedicated to helping their community thrive. That dedication is shown through an entrance essay of 500 words that completes and expands upon this framework:
"My goal for participating in the Leadership Program is to learn _______, to develop myself by _________, and to change my community through ______________."
Courses Available for Summer 2024
Leadership I
Learn your strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Build basic skills such as public speaking, team leadership, and idea generation.
Leadership II (Leadership I prerequisite)
Delve further into teams with an understanding of situational and transitional leadership. Help your team work together and know when to instruct and when to let them be creative.
Dates and Costs
- June 17-29, 2024
- $2600.00
This two-week residential program brings together the talents of engaging professors and instructors from across the Southern Miss Campus and Community with highly able students who desire to try their hand at accelerated course work. Students spend two weeks diving into courses designed to give them the experience of studying at their own rapid pace and gaining a sense of the world of work and the university resources. Students have opportunities to visit the USM arm of the Mississippi Crime Lab, Polymer Science Labs, Nursing Simulation Labs, Art Galleries, Musical performance, Rock Wall Climbing, and personalized time with the Honors College Admissions team. Recreation, meals, room and board are included.
Eligibility:
Academically Talented Program: ACT or SAT scores
Artistically Talented: Portfolio submission
This two-week residential program brings together the talents of engaging professors and instructors from across the Southern Miss Campus and Community with highly able students who desire to try their hand at accelerated course work. Students spend two weeks diving into courses designed to give them the experience of studying at their own rapid pace and gaining a sense of the world of work and the university resources. Students have opportunities to visit the USM arm of the Mississippi Crime Lab, Polymer Science Labs, Nursing Simulation Labs, Art Galleries, Musical performances, Rock Wall Climbing, and personalized time with the Honors College Admissions team. Recreation, meals, room and board are included.
Courses Available for Summer 2024
Drawing the Human Form
Develop a greater understanding of both anatomy and art. Using relative mathematical proportions of the body, you will learn to articulate and design the human form on the page using a variety of art utensils such as charcoal, Conté crayons, Chamois, and newsprint.
Cybersecurity and Python Programming
This unique course will allow you to divide your time between two unique computer science areas: cybersecurity and programming. During the first half of the day, you will learn about the importance of cybersecurity and gain hands-on foundational skills necessary to protect your data from attacks and participate in capture-the-flag challenges. During the second half of each day, you will shift your focus to the software development process. You will design, develop, run, and debug your own applications using Python programming.
