I’m Mike Chambers with my better half, Melissa. We’ve been GPGC
parents since 1999. Parents of new students may be wondering
whether you’ve done the right thing, sending your children to a
college campus for seven weeks. Let me assure you that you have.
GPGC is unique among G&T summer programs in the country. Its
length, dorm life, focus on the development of critical thinking skills
and appreciation of the fine arts make it completely unique. You
could not have made a better choice for your gifted child.
I attended GPGC 30 years ago along with several other parents of
current students. They were without any doubt the best summers of
my youth. I’ve lost touch with those I went to high school and college
with. But I correspond daily with people I went to GPGC with in the
early 70’s, some of whom I haven’t seen since then.
Your kids are having fun. They’ll be challenged in their classes, no
doubt. But they will be challenged in fun ways to think critically about
the world around them, to stretch their points of view, and to develop
the ability to articulate the fruit of their critical thinking. They will also
learn about collaboration and learning from each other. Some of the
best lessons I learned at GPGC came from other students who had a
knack for explaining things well.
Your kids are having fun. They are, after all, still kids. The program is
rich with official and unofficial traditions that keep the pace moving
very quickly. They’ll be having fun perhaps in ways they’ve never felt
free to before. (After all, when you’re the smartest kid in your class,
you’ve got a reputation to think about.) It’s rarely clear who the most
gifted kid is at GPGC, and that can be a very liberating thing for your
gifted children. In fact, so many of the kids are gifted in so many
different ways that superlative labels become pointless, allowing kids
to be just kids.
Your kids are having fun. Many of them (like me) were branded
“brainiacs” or “nerds” in school and never allowed to get outside that
“box.” We could excel at math and science, sure; but drama? Music?
The program offered me my first opportunity to get out of academics
and into drama. A few years later, when I attended college, it was on
a Theater scholarship, and I have the GPGC to thank for that. (Don’t
fret too much, I graduated with a degree in economics, despite
having lots of fun on stage). Even stranger things happen: Our son,
Ben, discovered counselors who liked athletics and weight lifting.
Last year, despite asthma, Ben was the starting varsity center for his
high school football team.
Seven weeks is a long time to trust your kids with anyone and I
believe your trust is well placed. The GPGC does more than any
other program I know to help your kids discover and unleash their
hidden potential
Mike Chambers
GPGC Alumnus 1973 (and Parent since 1999)