Life School held its annual Gifted & Talented (GT) Expo Awards on April 25, 2024. This year, the GT Expo was held at Life School Red Oak. Students, parents and staff filled the campus as GT students competed for the title of “Humanitarian of The Year” and participated in activities that explored the way of life of those in developing countries.
Energy permeated the campus auditorium as students from all six of Life School’s elementary campuses gathered. Each of Life School’s more than 100 GT students in grades 3-6 spent the 2023-2024 school year researching developing countries, their infrastructure, innovations, energy supplies, and specific organizations that serve these nations.
Throughout the day, students presented their research projects to judges in hopes of winning the title of “Humanitarian of The Year.” The students also participated in various activities and simulations that helped students understand the challenges of life in developing countries and why engineering and design skills are critical to improving the standard of living for our global neighbors.
“The Gifted & Talented Expo showcases the culmination of students’ hard work throughout the school year. The projects require students to learn through the lens of engineering and design and then apply that learning to understand solutions that benefit the globe’s most vulnerable populations. Our hope is that students are set on a path to become curious and compassionate learners who will lead their generation to become world-changing problem solvers,” said Ellen Saltzman, Life School District Gifted and Talented Coordinator.
All of the finalists who compete at the GT Expo contend for a first or second-place win that allows them to financially contribute towards the organization that they spent the school year researching. Over the last six years, GT students have financially contributed to more than 20 organizations donating more than $5,000 to non-governmental organizations around the world.
Winners were selected from each grade level. Third-grade winners were Addyson Avalos, McKenzie Harvey, Ethan Herrera, Izabel Ledezma, and Scarlett Shepherd from Life School Cedar Hill (1st); and Sebastian Ortiz and Elijah Massu from Life School Lancaster (2nd). Fourth-grade winners were Jerney Rhymes, Billie Lewis, Micah Ellis, Natalie Naczmarek, and Rachel Columbus from Life School Cedar Hill (1st); and Aiden Williams, Camille Bryant, Fallon Fields, and Liam Williams from Life School Red Oak (2nd). Fifth-grade winners were Fabian Flores, Gabriella Klu, Isabella Klu, Jacob Renteria, and Eduardo Morales Nunez from Life School Lancaster (1st); and Zoey Smith, Anthony Spencer, Mila Lauterbach, Jackson Houston, and Corie Enge from Life School Red Oak (2nd). Sixth-grade winners were Adalyn Curtis, Darius Williams, and Audrey Johnson from Life School Red Oak (1st); and James Jefferson, Raymonee Jones, Jyaire Brown, Jimmy Salazar, Kori Keys, and Dayalin Velasquez from Life School Lancaster (2nd).
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Life School is a tuition-free, public charter school with campuses in Carrollton, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Mountain Creek, Red Oak, Oak Cliff and Waxahachie, TX. Life School develops leaders with life skills through strong academics, character training, and partnerships with parents and the community. Its mission is accomplished in part through the financial support of donors who provide scholarships and embrace making students ready to learn, ready to lead and ready for life.
Parents who are interested in enrollment can visit lifeschool.net/learn-about-life. Partners who would like to support Life School financially can give online at lifeschool.net/give.
