Spring Branch ISD Featured News

The Spring Branch ISD boardroom was crawling with students from the Gifted and Talented (GT) program proudly displaying the results of their spring semester research projects: from World War II to fashion designer Vera Wang, from dental health to solar flares, from robots to comparisons between Greek gods and today’s super heroes, and much more.

The perimeter of the room featured displays from K-2 students in the Primary Gifted and Talented Program (PGP) at their respective elementary schools: Cedar Brook, Edgewood, Hollibrook, Hunters Creek, Meadow Wood, Memorial Drive, Pine Shadows, Rummel Creek, Sherwood, Thornwood and Westwood.

These students take part in weekly GT instruction focused on the development of independent research skills, projects and their social-emotional needs.

The center of the room at the GT Research Showcase featured demonstrations and advanced level research results and products from third through fifth grade students who attend class one day a week in the Spring Branch Program for Improving Reasoning (SPIRAL), which takes place at the Bendwood campus.

SPIRAL units of study are designed to provide the depth and complexity GT students need to be challenged and engaged in their learning.

“It actually moves,” exclaimed a first grader to a friend as they admired a fifth grader’s Mars Rover model at the Showcase.

They were very impressed.

Pam Johnson, SBISD’s director of Advanced Academics, organized the Showcase.

“Product Based Learning allows our gifted students the opportunity to shine through application of skills,” Johnson said. "Spring Branch ISD has so much talent within our boundaries, and I am honored to be a part of allowing students to show-off for a night.”

A few other projects of note:

• In one corner of the room, a cardboard city was on display, made by the kindergarten, first- and second-grade GT students at Memorial Drive Elementary. Each “block” was designed by a different student, and the “streets” were drawn with stripes of computer code. Small, walnut-sized robots scanned the code to determine how to navigate the “city’s” grid. Click here to see a student explaining the project.

• An expansive display of many aspects of D-Day was shared from Edgewood Elementary.

• SPRIAL students made a Stress Relieving “machine,” filled with items to be “dispense” such as essential oil, stress ball, school buddy toy animal, lavender-scented putty and a calming jar filled with glitter and beads.

“The Showcase really gave our students the opportunity to demonstrate their research,” said Johnson. “The ‘experts’ were excited to talk about the entire process.” 

The parents and staff present at the evening event learned a lot of interesting facts and analysis. The K-2 grade students benefitted from seeing the work of the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade SPIRAL students as creative and intellectual inspiration for future projects.

Click here to see more photos from the GT Research Showcase.

Submitted by Becky Wuerth, SBISD Communications
Becky.wuerth@springbranchisd.com