Evening Events

Join us for two evening events at the Sheraton Hotel!  Both of these events are open to all and are not exclusively for conference registrants.

On Thursday, April 22nd, join us for the President's Reception from 7:30-8:30 in the Exhibit Hall and adjacent ballroom.  Take time to do some shopping in the Exhibit Hall and to visit with PAGE members, including the organization's Board of Directors, while enjoying music by the jazz ensemble of Shady Side Academy.

On Friday, April 23rd, the North Allegheny PAGE affiliate will host the first annual Networking Night in the ballroom from 7:30-9:00.  Join teachers and parents of gifted children from throughout the Pennsylvania to hear stories, share experiences, and discuss strategies for advocating, teaching, and parenting.

If you have any questions about these events or are interested in sponsoring either night's activity, contact the PAGE Conference Committee at PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com.

Featured Speaker: Dr. Victoria Damiani

Dr. Victoria Damiani is professor of educational and school psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and former director of the IUP Center for Gifted Education. She holds a doctoral degree in school psychology from the College of William and Mary and is a nationally certified school psychologist. Her research interests include gifted education, counseling/crisis intervention, and families of exceptional children. Dr. Damiani is author of Crisis prevention and intervention in the classroom: What teachers should know (2006). She has done numerous presentations in gifted education with special emphasis on social/emotional issues, underachievement, and improvement of family-school relations. She was cited by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2004 as an educator making a significant impact in Western Pennsylvania and is a past president of the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania.

Join Dr. Damiani on Friday, April 23rd, for the panel session Questions and Answers about Gifted Programs (also featuring Dr. Karen Rogers and Dr. Ann Lupkowski Shoplik) and on Saturday, April 24th, for the concurrent session Understanding Your Child's Assessment: What Those Tests Really Tell You.

Featured Speaker: Linda Deal

Linda Deal has been an advocate for gifted students in a variety of formats for almost 30 years.  As an educator, she earned her masters in Gifted Education from Millersville University in 1991 and is currently a part-time instructor in that program.  She also works with elementary gifted students and accelerated math students in the Penn Manor District.  In 2005, she received the Educator of the Year Award from PAGE and currently serves on the PAGE Board and the Pennsylvania Office of Dispute Resolution Stakeholders Panel. In addition, Linda is the author of the book The Boredom Solution: Understanding and Dealing with Boredom (Dandy Lion Publications).  Her greatest joy, however, has come from parenting two gifted sons and spending time with her gifted grandchildren.

Join Linda at the PAGE conference where she will present the breakout sessions Perfectionism in Gifted Students: Bonus or Burden?, Creativity: A Gift to Be Fostered, and Due Process: Views from the Sides.

Become a Friend of PAGE!

Have your name or the name of someone you’d like honor featured both in the PAGE conference program at on this blog!  For only $50, you or your organization can be listed as a friend of PAGE both in the program and on the blog.  All proceeds go toward funding the awards PAGE presents annually.  These include the Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award for children in grades 3-6 and the Service and Scholarship honor for students in grades 10-12.

Please make your check out to PAGE, Inc. and mail the check in the amount of $50 to:
Barb Penrod
290 Greenich Street
Johnstown, PA 15902

Names will be posted on the blog upon receipt of payment.  Payment must be received by March 1st in order to be included in the conference program.  Please be sure to include the name of the individual or organization you would like listed with your payment.

Help Wanted

Calling all volunteers!  The PAGE conference committee is looking for help.  At present, we need particular assistance in identifying and contacting potential sponsors, donors and exhibitors and in publicizing the conference.  In addition, we will soon need help in all aspects of the conference, including hospitality, technology, and logistics.  If you are interested in volunteering or if you have any suggestions of funding sources, please call the PAGE Helpline toll free at 888-736-6443 and leave a message with any of the affiliate coordinators or (preferably) email the conference committee directly at PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com.
 

Featured Speaker: Dr. Ann Lupkowski Shoplik

Dr. Ann Lupkowski Shoplik is the Director of the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary and Secondary Students (C-MITES) at Carnegie Mellon University, a position she has held since 1992.  She conducts the annual Elementary Student Talent Search in Pennsylvania and oversees the C-MITES summer program and Weekend Workshops for academically talented students in kindergarten through 9th grade.  Her research interests include identifying mathematically talented elementary and middle school students and studying their characteristics and academic needs.  She co-authored Developing Math Talent (Prufrock Press) with Susan Assouline and is also a co-author of the Iowa Acceleration Scale (Great Potential Press) with Susan Assouline, Nicholas Colangelo, Jonathan Lipscomb, and Leslie Forstadt.

Join Dr. Shoplik on Thursday, April 22nd, and Friday, April 23rd.  She will be presenting the 3-hour session Developing Mathematical Talent and will also be part of two panels: Questions and Answers about Gifted Programs (also featuring Dr. Karen Rogers and Dr. Victoria Damiani) and Collected Wisdom: Reflections of Three Neuber-Pregler Award Winners (also featuring Dr. David Mason and Ted Davis).

Featured Speaker: Andy Mahoney

Andy Mahoney earned his bachelor's degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his master's at Western Illinois University and completed postgraduate work in counselor education, supervision and family therapy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He has taught at George Mason University. Mahoney was a long-standing executive board member and the past chair of the Counseling and Guidance Division of the National Association of Gifted Children. He also is a trainer and supervisor of counselors. For more than 20 years, Mahoney, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist, has explored and developed frameworks for the counseling and psychotherapy of gifted and talented people. He works with clients individually, in groups and with their families. Nationally, he often presents his work at conferences, symposiums, consultations and training workshops for fellow counselors, educators and parents. His focus on identity offers a new and original perspective.  You can learn more about Mr. Mahoney by visiting his website, http://www.counselingthegifted.com.

Join Mr. Mahoney on both Thursday, April 22nd, and Friday, April 23rd, as he presents three different sessions: The Challenges of Parenting and Teaching Gifted Children, The Price of Achievement, and Early Indicators: Revealing Learning Problems for the Twice Exceptional.

Featured Speaker: Dr. Kim Maguire

Dr. Kim Maguire has been involved in gifted education for more than fifteen years, as a parent, teacher, and school district Director of Gifted Education. She earned her doctorate in Gifted Education, Curriculum and Teaching at Columbia University, and is currently the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. She has presented on topics in gifted education at numerous conferences and workshops, and created and leads an annual Gifted Education Regional Conference in southeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Maguire believes that equity in education demands that we challenge all learners to reach their full potential, including high-ability or gifted students.

Join Dr. Maguire on Thursday, April 22nd, for her full-day session GIEPs: New Forms, Enhanced Functions.