The summer before entering high school, Lara Kubilius enrolled in a Youth and Society class at the Center for Talent Development, Northwestern’s summer enrichment program for gifted children.
“The kids were just different at this camp,” the now SESP sophomore said. “We’re all kind of on the same intellectual level, which is something I didn’t have in my school at home. I used to be really shy in school, and CTD taught me how to express myself and that what I had to say mattered.”
Kubilius, who attended the program for four summers and now works as a counselor, is just one of 3,300 students who participated in the center’s summer programs last summer. Leapfrog, its program for kindergarten through third grade students, will even expand to Palatine, Ill., this summer to accommodate a surge of new participants.
Leapfrog is the Center for Talented Development’s newest and fastest growing program because of the lack of other summer programs targeted at such young students, said Kubilius’ mother, Director Paula Olszewski-Kubilius. Leapfrog offers half-day and whole-day classes with sessions ranging from one to three weeks.
“Most schools don’t start gifted programs until at least fourth grade,” said Olszewski-Kubilius, who is also a SESP professor. “Parents feel their kids are working above grade level, looking for that stimulation and they’re frustrated because they can’t find it. (Leapfrog) took off because it fulfilled the need for parents.”
Other summer programs for older elementary school kids could expand into Chicago suburbs in the near future as well, Olszewski-Kubilius said.
Weinberg freshman Varun Kejriwal took a public speaking and debate class the summer after eighth grade and went back the next summer to take an international relations class.
“My high school didn’t offer the classes (CTD) put me into, so it was an opportunity for me to do something a little different,” Kejriwal said. “Some of my friends took calculus, and they ended up skipping a year of math in high school because of that.”
The center also influenced Kejriwal’s decision to enroll at NU, he said.
“CTD was the biggest reason why I came to Northwestern,” Kejriwal said. “Not only was it fun, but it was a good way to give you a taste of dorm life and understand what a college campus is about.”
Leapfrog Program Coordinator Maureen Connell encouraged NU students to get involved with the center by applying to be teaching assistants as a summer job. About 70 percent of instructors return each year, Connell said.
“Honestly, CTD was one of the best experiences of my life, and I feel like I’m really lucky to go back every year and to get to know the staff and the kids,” Kubilius said. “It’s been a huge part of life for a really, really long time, and I can’t imagine not having it in my life.”
Connell said the center most importantly allows gifted children to make the most of their talent.
“Nowadays, a lot of public schools are focusing on making sure everyone is at least at grade level, so sometimes the kids who are way beyond grade level aren’t challenged enough,” Connell said. “This is a place for them.”
