Local gifted education leader honored

Chris Kelley, Moorpark Unified's GATE (Gifted And Talented Education) coordinator, was recently awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Pacific Region of the California Association for the Gifted at the statelevel conference.

Kelley developed Moorpark's gifted program from the ground up in 1990. Under her leadership, Moorpark Unified School District earned a five-year approval in 2006.

Following are some of Kelley's accomplishments in the program.

•Initiated a program of GATE facilitators at each school site who plan, implement, and evaluate the district's program.

•Established a Primary High Achiever Program for K3 students.

•Worked with the parent group MPAGE to establish honors classes in grades 6 to 8.

•Established a pre-AP program for high school freshmen.

•Developed a GATE Advisor Program that addresses the social/ emotional needs of gifted students in grades 6 through 12.

•Created a network of parent support and involvement in the GATE program.

•Worked closely with Spanishspeaking families ensuring their full participation in the program.

•Created a web-page for the GATE program that facilitates communication.

Kelley is also active in TriCounty GATE council. This year she assumed the leadership of TriCounty's Task Force studying gifted education at the secondary level.