Donny's Blog

Former Old Donation Center for the Gifted and Talented from 1980 till 2014 http://www.coastalvirginiamag.com/March-April-2018/Old-Donation-Schools-Innovative-Environment-in-Virginia-Beach/ McClellan taught first grade at Old Donation Elementary School—in the former building at this site—during 1973. A year later, she joined the faculty of the city’s newly inaugurated gifted school. "The gifted program started at Thalia Elementary School in 1974," McClellan says. "They had two grades of fourth, two grades of fifth and two grades of sixth." In those days, kids attended classes just one day per week, leaving their home schools and staying at Thalia with a classroom teacher. They also enrolled in “Special Interest Units” and completed projects called “Contracts.” Over time, Hedrick says, "We also realized that, for some kids, one day a week wasn't going to be enough to maximize their potential.” During the 1979–80 school year, the city’s one-day-per-wee...

Being, trying to be an artist felt constraining. A big depressing actually. I believe now, because it didn't really encompass who I was. It didn't explain why I think and feel as I do. But gifted really does. An analogy might be being gay, but growing up not really knowing what that meant and not knowing there were other people out there like you. And how liberating that must have felt to discover the gay community. That's how I feel now. Like, coming out as gifted and really starting to understand what that means.  It's liberating. Like, a weight has lifted off myself. I feel so grateful to all the researchers who have worked on understanding giftedness and accepting us for who we are. I feel like I can finally be myself and not have to fit myself into a box not built for me.