The Indiana Association for the Gifted held its annual meeting in Indianapolis in early December, and recognized two Sycamore students who have demonstrated distinguished achievement in academics, leadership, or the arts as winners of the Distinguished Students Award. These awards are designed to inspire students to achieve, as well as highlight the distinct accomplishments and educational needs of gifted students. Each recipient is awarded $250 in addition to a plaque.
Since IAG did not hold a conference in 2020, this year IAG named two Distinguished Students this year Emily Hackwelder and Nate Liang
For external validation of her work, we can look to Emily Hackwelder’s selection for the prestigious Caroline Bradley Scholarship from the Institute for Educational Advancement. This is a national, highly- competitive, merit-based full scholarship for exceptionally gifted middle school students nationwide who have demonstrated high academic potential and personal excellence. It offers the recipients a four-year scholarship to a high school that best fits their intellectual and personal needs. The application for the Caroline Bradley Scholarship is much like one for selective college admissions. It requires standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, grades, awards, etc. Emily and our other Awardee, Nate Liang were both among the 28 scholars selected nationwide in 2020.
Some of what Emily participated in during middle school included her school’s Spell Bowl State Champion Team, Science Bowl, the Debate Team, and qualifying for the national Science Olympiad. Her entries for the Indiana History Day Program for the past several years, resulted in winning the top state award for her category twice, qualifying her to advance to the National History Day Competitions in 2020 and 2021. For any of you who have participated in History Day, you know the depth of research, depth of understanding, multidisciplinary approach, presentation skills, and time this participation requires. She was also a medalist and recognized by Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development’s Midwest Talent Search.
One of her teachers said: “What really sets Emily apart from all other students is her genuine love of learning! I’ve never known a student so keen to acquire knowledge about not just her school curriculum but also about the world around her as a whole, the people that have made tremendous impacts on our planet throughout history and creating connections between these vastly different elements to help create a multidimensional understanding of it all.
Another letter said, “It has been a pleasure to watch Emily learn to balance her love of competitions and success with grace and empathy. She has learned that watching and listening to others is often more valuable than sharing what she already understands. Emily also enthusiastically participated in Destination Imagination and is a natural problem solver who hopes to one day make a considerable impact on the world. With her passion for learning, ability to discern and appreciate multiple perspectives, and countless academic and interpersonal skills, she will surely accomplish this goal. When we consider the characteristics of the gifted, Emily Hackwelder embodies the most positive of these descriptors.
IAG also recognized Nate Liang as a Distinguished Student. As a middle school student, Nate was a member of his school teams for Academic Bowl, placing 12th in the nation, the Science Bowl, placing 10th, qualifying for the National Spelling Bee, and the International Geography Bee. Nate also was a medalist for the Midwest Talent Search. Nate is currently attending the Phillips Academy Andover.
One of Nate’s teachers wrote, “Teachers everywhere know that in the span of our careers, we will have a select few students who truly stand out: their light helps power our classes, they nod in earnest as we teach, their papers are a joy to grade. Nate Liang is one of those students; he has the “it” that is hard to define but impossible to miss, even among his gifted peers.”
“Nate’s scholastic prowess is fueled by his intrinsic love of learning, his superior intelligence, and his creative, divergent thinking. His curiosity is contagious, and he thrives when the ceiling is removed from assignments. The often-overused term “natural leader” epitomizes Nate. Nate leads with deep empathy and a strong sense of social justice as his guideposts. The outcomes easily and consistently incorporate others’ opinions and roles, which, in turn, serve as powerful modeling to his peers.”
In the fourth grade, Nate, on his own and single handedly, designed Quidditch Tournaments for students in grades 4 – 7. He designed a website with a countdown to matches, results, and the upcoming brackets. Nate trained a handful of his friends to serve as “Professors,” helping him referee matches and keep score. He even baked Harry Potter-themed snacks, like golden snitch cupcakes. Nate also organized trivia and creativity challenges for students to play between matches and watches for and announces examples of good sportsmanship, all of which earn a team additional points.
During the 2020 shut down, Nate created the “Quarantine Cup,” a multi-tiered, Harry Potter-themed trivia game, that students could Zoom into from home to, in his words, “add a little magic to this difficult time.” Nate designed the tournaments to bring together students in multi-age teams, encourage sportsmanship, enjoy a shared passion of Harry Potter, and offer leadership roles for other students within the tournament. Students benefited from being a part of a well-run, student-led, exceptionally fun experience.