Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 5/31/01
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   25

SLU OFFERS GIFTED-TALENTED SUMMER PROGRAM IN SLIDELL
     HAMMOND -- Children who have been identified as gifted and talented can participate
in a free summer enrichment program in Slidell sponsored by Southeastern Louisiana
University's Department of Teaching and Learning and the St. Tammany Parish Public Schools
Community Education Department 
     The program   Research, Enrichment, Acceleration, Creativity for children with High
Potential, or R.E.A.C.H.   will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., July 9-13 at Clearwood Junior
High School.
     Southeastern education professor Debra Troxclair, the program's coordinator, said
R.E.A.C.H. is open to students who have completed grades one through eight and have been
identified as gifted and/or talented according to Louisiana State Department of Education
guidelines.
     "This is an academic program designed to develop higher level thinking skills and to
provide social and emotional support to children with high potential," Troxclair said. "Students
will be exposed to a wide range of creative and thinking activities that will make learning
interesting and fun. And the opportunity for making friends with 'kindred spirits' is lagniappe!"
     Students will be assigned to a variety of mini-courses depending on enrollment numbers
and grade level, Troxclair said. Course topics include "Change," in which students will discover
the way people, places and things change   "and make things change right before your very
eyes," Troxclair said. In "Creativity," they will learn about steps to creative problem solving and
design a new invention. Other courses will explore the ways "Peace" has influenced history and
give students "the low down on 'Destruction'   from man's influence on the environment to
nature's most destructive forces," Troxclair said.
     Troxclair said space is limited since a maximum of 15 students will be assigned to each
teacher. June 20 is the application deadline and students will be notified of acceptance in writing
by June 30. 
     Application forms and directions can be downloaded from Southeastern's web site at
www.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/dtroxclair or contact Troxclair at 985-549-5552,
dtroxclair@selu.edu, for an application brochure.
                              -SLU
Press release available online at www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsp01.htm