Gifted Community Enrichment: A Class for Grown Ups

 

Week 1, October 11th
1) Welcome & Orientation

 

After signing children into their classrooms, we ask everyone to stay for the first 15 minutes as we cover the most up-to-date policies including safety and security measures.  Following that, speakers for the term will be announced. The remainder of the time will be opened up for Q&A.  Because there is a wealth of knowledge among us, we encourage both new and returning parents and guardians to stay for the duration.  Our program is enriched with the diversity of every person attending.

 
 

2) Jessica LaFollette, Ph.D.
Staying Smart in the Age of Chatbots:
Preparing Your Gifted Child to Think Critically About Generative AI

How and when should parents and caregivers encourage our gifted children and teens to use AI chatbots?  Opportunities to learn with this new technology are almost as endless as the concerns it raises.  As an experienced gifted educator and parent, Dr. LaFollette will share a balanced and practical approach that gifted families can follow as we guide our naturally intelligent future leaders and thinkers into college and careers that will certainly include some aspect of artificial intelligence.  This session will include specific conversation starters, family tech experiments, and discussion of the value of natural childhood intelligence alongside the power and potential of generative AI tools.

Jessica LaFollette serves as the Parent representative on the National Association of Gifted Children’s Board of Directors.  She teaches gifted students at Piper Middle School in Kansas City and is an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri.  She is co-author of the LEAP Guidebook for Differentiating Instruction and the forthcoming book, Magic in the Middle: Hands on Challenges that Create Joy for Gifted Middle School Students to be published by Prufrock Press.  Dr. LaFollette is a Past President of the Kansas Association for the Gifted and past Chair of NAGC’s Parent Network.  When she is not teaching, she enjoys puzzles, reading, baking, and traveling with her husband and four children.
 
 

Week 2, October 18th
David Warrenfeltz
Bright Minds, Balanced Lives:
A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Well-Being

Mr. Warrenfeltz’s presentation includes tools he has designed to help families understand so they can support the unique strengths and needs of their own gifted children in the areas of emotional well-being and development of social skills.  He will explore how gifted kids may develop unevenly across these domains.  Drawing on research around attention, hyperactivity, social perception, and Dabrowski’s concept of overexcitabilities, Mr. Warrenfeltz will show that gifted children are not inherently fragile but may require tailored support.  He will conclude with a look at perfectionism — distinguishing healthy striving from harmful patterns like fear of failure, avoidance, excessive self-criticism, difficulty starting or finishing tasks, and intense emotional reactions — equipping families with practical insights to foster balanced well-being.

David Warrenfeltz is the founder of Grow2GetherCoaching, a business built on the principle “You Are Not Alone. You Are Not Broken.”  After his own experience with PTSD and healing, David is now dedicated to helping others find their inner strength.  His work empowers individuals to look inward and discover the answers that have always been inside of them.  Through his podcast Beyond the Darkness: Living with PTSD, David continues to spread awareness, support, and valuable insights to those navigating trauma recovery.
 
 

 

Week 3, October 25th
Karen Hordinsky and Kira Rucker
Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students
Cincinnati Public School District

Curious about CPS’s Spencer Center?  Come get to know Spencer Center from the teachers who work there.  Want to understand the application and lottery process?  They will cover that, too.  This session is for everyone because Spencer takes out-of-district students when they can, and because our speakers will discuss teaching gifted students more broadly.
 
 

 

Week 4, November 1st
Ben Ragsdell, M.Ed and Victoria Ragsdell, PhD, HSP
101 of Getting a Great Gifted Evaluation

 

Getting your gifted child professionally evaluated can be a critical step in understanding their abilities and needs.  However, not all evaluations are equal, especially when the evaluation is done on a gifted individual.  The process can be intimidating and bewildering.  Dr. Ragsdale will give you the 101 on when to consider getting an evaluation, what to look for in an evaluator, particularly for gifted individuals, and what to expect before, during, and after testing.

Ben is a recent graduate of University of Louisville’s masters program in counseling psychology and has joined Dr. Suzanne James’ gifted psychology practice.  Ben has a BA in mathematics from St.Olaf College and has tutored gifted children and college students for 5 years, focusing on assisting kids with ADHD and ASD succeed in both academic and social challenges.  Ben is available for assessments and therapy for children and adolescents as well as young adults.  He has also joined the Louisville practice of Dr. Victoria Ragsdell in order to serve clients in the Louisville area.  When not working, Ben enjoys photography, cinema, and music.  Ben is a professional vocalist for Holy Spirit Church in Louisville.

Dr. Ragsdell is a licensed clinical psychologist with 30 years of experience assisting parents, couples, and adults struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and ASD.  Dr. Ragsdell has worked with gifted children from an early age through their school years and into their careers.  She especially enjoys parent coaching and working with gifted adults who encounter challenge as they try to come into their own.  Outside of work, Dr. Ragsdell enjoys reading, theatre and gardening.
 
 

 

Week 5, November 8th
Kristie Speirs Neumeister
Game On:
Strategy Tips for Parenting Gifted Kids

 

Parenting gifted children can seem like a strategic, evolving game where every move counts.  Just when you think you mastered it, you “level” up to a new stage of development requiring a fresh skill set.  In this session we’ll unlock key strategic moves to help parents navigate the challenging course of raising gifted kids, all with the ultimate goal of helping them become well-adjusted and ready to take on their own game.

Kristie Speirs Neumeister, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at Ball State University where she directs the gifted licensure program and teaches graduate courses in educational psychology relating to gifted education.  Throughout her career she has focused her research on aspects of perfectionism and how perfectionism influences the achievement of academically gifted students.  Dr. Speirs Neumeister was the recipient of the National Association for Gifted Children’s Gifted Child Quarterly Paper of the Year and Early Scholar Awards.  She is also the co-author of Perfectionism in School: When Achievement is not so Perfect; An Introduction to Gifted Education: The Complete Kit for Facilitators, Coordinators, and In-Service Training Professionals; and Gifted Program Evaluation: A Handbook for Administrators and Coordinators.
 
 

Week 6, November 15th
Maggie Gunnerson
Cincinnati Area Mensa Gifted Youth Program
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Understanding Ohio Legislation to Help Advocate for Gifted and 2e

After talking about Cincinnati Area Mensa’s Gifted Youth Program, Maggie will host an interactive session that can cover topics such as Ohio Report Cards, the updated gifted operating standards, College Credit Plus, Advocating for a Twice Exceptional Child, being a twice exceptional person, and more.

Maggie’s primary role is nurturing her two twice exceptional kids.  As a passionate supporter of all gifted students, she is in her 5th year with Ohio’s Gifted Advisory Council, currently serving as past chair.  Additionally, Maggie is a Mensa member and is the coordinator the Cincinnati Area Mensa’s Gifted Youth Program for which she was nationally recognized in 2024.  Her journey to understand her kids and ultimately herself all started back in 2018 when her son first started at The Super Saturday Program.  She is a former board member of TSSP and is thrilled to be back to speak to this community.
 
 

In the Lobby:
Book* Swap

 

The last session of every term, The Program facilitates a book (*and puzzle, and board game…) exchange.  Is your home overflowing with books?  Do you have a voracious reader that you can’t keep up with?  Bring those children’s books you would like to pass along and pick up new-to-your-child books, whether or not you brought any.

A table will be set up near the doors to the cafe.

 
Note: On the last day of the term, some classes invite parents and guardians to view students’ work or a presentation.
 
 

While great effort is made to ensure attendees can count on the schedule as published, unforeseen problems may occur which make it necessary to reschedule or replace a speaker.

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Past Speakers and Topics »