The Gifted Education Program at GMIS was developed to provide enrichment activities to the gifted students in our building. Students from each pod meet for two one-hour classes each week. During this time the students work on many hands on activities that strengthen problem-solving skills, develop higher order and logical thinking skills, and focus in-depth on specific topics. Computers are often used in each unit of study.

The GEP instructor is Lindsay Gerhart.

Below is a list of some of the topics and activities the students complete in each grade:

Grade 5

Solar Energy
Designing solar cars and boats  
Archaeology
Paleontology
Genetics
Logic Puzzles
Math Challenges
Computer Activities

Grade 6

Every student completes the Robotics unit and Mousetrap Racecar unit as a class. During the rest of the school year, the students work on independent projects, such as Lego TC Logo, Computer Programming, Traffic Light, Merry-Go-Round, and Washing Machine. Students choose an existing unit in an area of interest, or work with the instructor to develop their own unit.
 
During the Mousetrap Racecars unit, the students learn about the principles of physics and motion. Then they must put these principles to work by designing and building a racecar that is powered solely from a mousetrap. At the end of the unit, students race their cars against each other. They must also create a Powerpoint presentation detailing the materials they used for their car, the building process, calculations of speed and acceleration, and pictures of their car.

In addition, students are responsible for planning a vacation using the Internet and reference materials. They coordinate transportation, accommodations, and itinerary for a 2-week trip.

GEP students also learn about the stock market and how it works. The children “buy” their own stocks and "play" the market for several weeks in an effort to make money. During this time, students must keep an updated stock portfolio.