Pittsburgh Gifted Center
Encyclopedia
Pittsburgh Gifted Center (PGC) is a special school that provides gifted education
, to students in Pittsburgh
and Mt. Oliver.
Until May 2006, the Pittsburgh Gifted Center was located at the McKelvy building in the Pittsburgh Hill District.
In September 2006, the Pittsburgh Gifted Center was made part of a school in Pittsburgh's West End called Greenway. The move to Greenway was made with the understanding that it was only a one-year shift of location. The location for 2007-08 is still in doubt.
The early draft of the Rightsizing Plan of Superintendent Mark Roosevelt called for the Pittsburgh Gifted Center to move to Pittsburgh's North Side on Ridge Avenue. That plan was nixed as the facility was not well suited to accommodate the programs. Thankfully, a shift to Greenway was accomplished after some political wrangling and thinking again by school officials.
The Ridge Avenue facility owned by the Pittsburgh Public Schools was put up for sale as of the spring of 2006.
There is a variety of academic courses, and the Gifted Center provides students the opportunities to choose which ones they wish to attend. They include subjects related to basic courses, like English
, Math, Language Arts
, and Science
.
Students can also choose interest and technological courses, including JavaScript
, business planning, and Web Design. The Gifted Center has also integrated technology
into classes, with all rooms containing a sizeable amount of computers for student research and projects. Some of these classes may further expand on a subject for traditional school (for example, there is a Genetics class that goes into greater depth in the study of DNA
than normal school classes) or they may deal with a radically different subject (for example, one teacher has trigonometry
course).
Information on the Gifted Center:
Along with its weekly classes, the PGC allows students to participate in extracurricular activities and competitions, usually on Saturdays. The Gifted Center has participated in National History Day, in which two of its students attended the state competition at Penn State University. PGC also had a team that entered English Festival, a reading competition sponsored by Duquesne University
, and Math Counts. The Gifted Center is also considering offering additional competitions for students to join.
The goal of the school participation is to improve public relations, boast school spirit, and to gain support to preserve the school. Mr. Peglow, the school's Social Studies teacher who administered National History Day for the school this year, is also planning to offer the competition as a class to boast the number of students participating and allowing larger group projects.
The PGC was in the news when it was considered to be closed under the Superintendent Mark Roosevelt
's school reform agenda. In an attempt to conserve financial resources, the superintendent wanted to return gifted education to the home schools, which could exclude smaller schools from participating in the program. However, the proposal faced stiff opposition from parents and students (some students organized a petition to save the Gifted Center; another wrote a letter opposing the closing of the Gifted Center which was published in Post-Gazette). Eventually, the board agreed to move the Center to the Ridge Avenue building, where the program existed for several years. Some people still suspect that the School Board is still considering closing the Center and it is unclear whether renovations to the Ridge Avenue building will be completed before the next school year.
The PGC has a bimonthy newsletter, the Gifted Gazette.
Gifted education
Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented...
, to students in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and Mt. Oliver.
Until May 2006, the Pittsburgh Gifted Center was located at the McKelvy building in the Pittsburgh Hill District.
In September 2006, the Pittsburgh Gifted Center was made part of a school in Pittsburgh's West End called Greenway. The move to Greenway was made with the understanding that it was only a one-year shift of location. The location for 2007-08 is still in doubt.
The early draft of the Rightsizing Plan of Superintendent Mark Roosevelt called for the Pittsburgh Gifted Center to move to Pittsburgh's North Side on Ridge Avenue. That plan was nixed as the facility was not well suited to accommodate the programs. Thankfully, a shift to Greenway was accomplished after some political wrangling and thinking again by school officials.
The Ridge Avenue facility owned by the Pittsburgh Public Schools was put up for sale as of the spring of 2006.
Goals
The Center is to provide students to interact with students from other parts of the city and provide academic and enrichment opportunities not available in normal schools.Programs
Students attend once every week on a particular day, with small classes of about 12 students. Most students attending are from public schools, though there is a significant proportion of students from private and perochial schools.There is a variety of academic courses, and the Gifted Center provides students the opportunities to choose which ones they wish to attend. They include subjects related to basic courses, like English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Math, Language Arts
Language arts
Traditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages....
, and Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
.
Students can also choose interest and technological courses, including JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
, business planning, and Web Design. The Gifted Center has also integrated technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
into classes, with all rooms containing a sizeable amount of computers for student research and projects. Some of these classes may further expand on a subject for traditional school (for example, there is a Genetics class that goes into greater depth in the study of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
than normal school classes) or they may deal with a radically different subject (for example, one teacher has trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
course).
Information on the Gifted Center:
- Demographics: African-Americans 28%–35%, White/Other 65%–72%
- School year: September to June
Along with its weekly classes, the PGC allows students to participate in extracurricular activities and competitions, usually on Saturdays. The Gifted Center has participated in National History Day, in which two of its students attended the state competition at Penn State University. PGC also had a team that entered English Festival, a reading competition sponsored by Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
, and Math Counts. The Gifted Center is also considering offering additional competitions for students to join.
The goal of the school participation is to improve public relations, boast school spirit, and to gain support to preserve the school. Mr. Peglow, the school's Social Studies teacher who administered National History Day for the school this year, is also planning to offer the competition as a class to boast the number of students participating and allowing larger group projects.
The PGC was in the news when it was considered to be closed under the Superintendent Mark Roosevelt
Mark Roosevelt
Mark Roosevelt has been since January 2011 the President of Antioch College. He was previously the superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, the second largest school district in Pennsylvania, until December 31, 2010....
's school reform agenda. In an attempt to conserve financial resources, the superintendent wanted to return gifted education to the home schools, which could exclude smaller schools from participating in the program. However, the proposal faced stiff opposition from parents and students (some students organized a petition to save the Gifted Center; another wrote a letter opposing the closing of the Gifted Center which was published in Post-Gazette). Eventually, the board agreed to move the Center to the Ridge Avenue building, where the program existed for several years. Some people still suspect that the School Board is still considering closing the Center and it is unclear whether renovations to the Ridge Avenue building will be completed before the next school year.
The PGC has a bimonthy newsletter, the Gifted Gazette.