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Our Mission

To CARE

The Gifted Education Committee exists to foster the continuous development of a positive educational community with programs and services that meet the unique learning and development needs of gifted, twice exceptional, and thrice exceptional students in the Snoqualmie Valley and beyond.

Our Team
our why

Gifted Learning & Development Is Unique

Talking about giftedness can be a complicated. The word “gifted” rubs some people the wrong way. It can sound like bragging or wanting “special treatment”. Poorly designed programs and identification practices, rightly, bring up frustrations about inequity and “elitism”. At the same time, gifted people’s unique abilities and challenges are real and are well documented.

Neurodiversity, asynchronous development, twice exceptionality, and emotional intensities are just a few of the reasons why general education classrooms and curricula are often a negative, sometimes traumatic, experience for gifted students. As a minority group, their unique qualities are often seen as maladjustments. They are frequently bullied by peers, and (shockingly, too often) by adults. The classes that are academically and socially desirable for them often assign excessive workloads that do not support their learning.

Myths abound. Philosophies differ. There is no single profile of a gifted person. There is no single answer to the question of how to meet all gifted student needs. Without families, caregivers, and educators who are knowledgeable about gifted learning and development to help them navigate their challenges, these children often form ineffective or negative coping mechanisms, self-perceptions, social tools, and life skills.

They depend on us to know.

That’s why we’re here.

our people

Meet the Team

 

Rene Price

Rene Price

Chair & Founder

Rene Price is a mom, advocate, educator, and civic volunteer. She and her husband, Rex, moved to Snoqualmie Valley with their growing family in 2008. In the years since, she has been increasingly engaged in education, with an emphasis in highly capable and special education.

Currently, Rene is a member of the OSPI Highly Capable Advisory Committee, board member of Washington Coalition for Gifted Education, legislative representative for Washington State PTA, founder & chair of Snoqualmie Valley PTA Council, and a parent representative on the district’s Highly Capable and Capital Facilities committees. 

She is also a paraeducator in our district, serving students students of all ages, abilities, and support needs. From toddlers to post high school transitional students, she loves connecting with students and helping them connect with and take ownership of what they’re learning. 

Her work focusses on developing educational policies, programs, and school cultures that foster healthy learning and development for all students, including our highly capable students. She believes positive and productive systems are the result of adaptability, respect, and transparency. 

Outside of work she loves spending time with her kids, her friends, good books, and good movies. She enjoys exploring new places, taking (amateur) photographs, and savoring a great cup of coffee.

Sarah Jensen

Sarah Jensen

Vice Chair

It is such a pleasure to welcome Sarah Jensen to the GEC team. She brings a consistent care for and a commitment to the gifted students and families across our district. I’m enjoying getting to know her and am excited to see what she brings to this work. (Bio coming soon)

Maybe You?

Maybe You?

What would you like to do?

It’s difficult to overstate how important parent and educator involvement in highly capable community and advocacy is. Each of our individual passions, skills, resources, and backgrounds are needed to create change in our schools and our communities. What would you like to see happening? What talents or skills would you like to put to work for gifted students, families, and/or educators? What unique knowledge do you have about our the highly capable experience? Whatever you bring to the table, I promise you it is needed. If you jump in you will make a difference.

We are #strongertogether and we look forward to working with you. 

 

Our values

Lead The Way

“Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer ‘Tomorrow,’ his name is today.”

– Gabriela Mistral