Gloria Martinez and Tiffany St. Hilaire, two students from Hoosick Falls, were recently honored at a statewide awards ceremony for gifted children held by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) on October 9 at Siena University.
Gloria Martinez and Tiffany St. Hilaire were invited to this awards ceremony sponsored by CTY (www.cty.jhu.edu) based on an exceptional performance on a rigorous, above-grade-level test given to second through
eighth grade talent search participants. Seventh and eighth-graders took the SAT or ACT – the same tests used for college admissions. Second through sixth-graders took the SCAT, an above-level test scaled for younger students.
In 2009-10 alone, over 53,000 students from 21 states and the District of Columbia participated in the Talent Searches offered through CTY. About 30% of the second and sixth-graders who tested this winter earned an invitation to CTY’s Awards Ceremony, and about 25% of the seventh and eighth grade testers earned an invitation to an Awards Ceremony. Gloria is a fourth-grader, and Tiffany is a seventh-grader at Hoosick Falls Central School.
“With our annual award ceremonies, we’re committed to giving these exceptional young people a stage on which to recognize their academic achievements, just as we celebrate achievements in athletics or the performing arts,” said CTY Executive Director, Lea Ybarra. “Who gets the credit for success? The students,” said Dr. Ybarra. “They possess an academic fearlessness and intellectual ability that will benefit their entire generation.” Leading them to their success, she said, are parents and educators. “Parents who support and encourage their children, and teachers who inspire through their knowledge and passion for a subject, create engaged young people who are well prepared to lead and shape tomorrow’s world.”