There is a special place like this, and it is hosted at
Holy Spirit Episcopal School on
Houston's westside.
For three weeks each summer, Holy Spirit Episcopal becomes a special place for 130 academically talented Scholars from all over the greater Houston area. Through a grant from DeBusk Foundation, Holy Spirit Episcopal School is able to offer third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from surrounding-area private and public schools the DECATS experience.
DECATS offers a unique opportunity for high-ability students to participate in an intensive three-week summer adventure of challenging and enriching coursework, nurturing the whole learner and fostering the leaders of tomorrow. The program provides an enriched learning environment for students who demonstrate high intellectual ability, a strong commitment to learning, and exceptional creativity.
A year of planning and preparation goes into every three-week summer program. The DECATS Administrative team and the teaching Mentors, professionals from all over Houston ,who have demonstrated a high level of skill, commitment, and integrity, work together to plan the summer program.
Principals from throughout the Houston-Galveston area are asked to nominate students of intellectual talent; students whose basic skills and composite scores place them at or above the 95th percentile; who exhibit above-average academic achievement; and who will benefit from this extraordinary opportunity.
Qualified nominees are invited to make application to the program. The application process itself is an experience in self-discovery and commitment. Nominees are asked to answer questions about themselves and submit additional supporting documents provided by their school. Young people who are the caliber of those selected for DECATS are the greatest resource that our nation has for the future.
The overriding purpose of the program is to identify and challenge young Scholars at a critical period in their lives. The program seeks to make a direct impact on the learning environment of those selected for the program, as well as positively influence the lives of other students with whom the program participants are in contact with in their schools.
Another purpose of the program is to encourage schools to become more aware of the unique and individual needs of these gifted and talented students and meet these in the curriculum. The program is designed to be a valuable partner, not a critic or competitor, of the schools participating in the identification of these DECATS Scholars.
DECATS provides a qualitatively different learning experience for children with strong academic talents. The program focuses on the curricular areas of literature, drama, social studies, mathematics, science, computer science, creative writing, journalism, art, music and creative problem solving. Although the major academic disciplines covered remain the same, courses vary from year to year.
Other goals of DECATS include helping gifted Scholars to develop the skills needed to work independently, to spark and sustain interest in intellectual pursuits beyond that possible during the normal school day, to teach techniques important to gifted individuals and to expand Scholars' problem-solving ability.
How do you challenge a child who is quite possibly your intellectual superior? Mentors and DECATS Scholars spend time developing new relationships. They make new discoveries, and together, they address academic challenges.
For parents, the Family Orientation & Open House is just the first step in helping them share the DECATS experience with their Scholar. They also have the opportunity to attend a special closing day program, which includes course presentations, theatre arts productions. During these three weeks of DECATS, parents will begin to know their Scholar in new ways, just as they will discover a new self. This is an enriching time, and we trust that parents will enjoy sharing in their Scholar's experience.
DECATS: a special place, an opportunity for academically talented students to discover their potential, to make new friends, to be themselves.
For more information, please contact:
Virginia Goble, Director of DECATS
vzgoble@hses.org or 713-468-5138