by Carol Dunn
LA VETA- DENVER- Twenty-three students from the La Veta Schools visited the Denver area on February 10 as part of an effort to provide enrichment activities and post-secondary education planning for students who have been identified as “gifted and talented.” Rick Sciacca, school counselor, told the Journal, “This is a fairly new program for La Veta. The State requires schools to provide enrichment activities for these students, and budget-wise, this field trip is where we are right now.”
Stops included an architectural tour at the Denver Art Museum and the Extreme Ice exhibition at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The students, in grades five to eleven, toured the campus of the Colorado School of Mines and also met with the Director of Admissions for an advising session. After a full day, the group expanded their social and food horizons at Mataam Fez Moroccan Restaurant.
According to high school teacher Bree Lessar, “The kids are amazed, which is great. That’s what we wanted.” Lessar said even the younger students understand the importance of good grades and good resumés for getting into a college like the School of Mines. “The idea was to expand the outlook of this group of kids, and I think we got a good mix of that.”
