Tag: Rio Rancho

Get Ready for NMAG’s 13th Annual Fall Gifted Institute

The conference is just around the corner and NMAG is ready for New Mexico’s teachers, administrators and parents. Are you interested in learning about and advocating for gifted education?

Big Top Conference Poster 2017

Click to download the poster for printing and sharing.

Under the Big Top

Come see the greatest show on gifted!

October 20-21, 2017

New Mexico Highlands Rio Rancho Center

1700 Grande Blvd SE #100, Rio Rancho, NM 87124

Keynote Speaker: Jaime Castellano

Our keynote speaker this year will be Dr. Jaime A. Castellano, one of the nation’s leading authorities on the identification, assessment, recruitment, and retention of low-income, culturally and linguistically different gifted students. Dr. Castellano has particular expertise and success in working with school districts across the nation to increase the number of Hispanic/Latino students, Native American students, as well as English language learners in gifted education programs.

Castellano is an award-winning principal and author, as well as a noted researcher and scholar in gifted education. He has written and edited four books on understanding our most able students from diverse backgrounds, written and/or edited multiple chapters, articles, and monographs in the field. His 2011 publication: Special Populations in Gifted Education: Understanding Our Most Able Students from Diverse Backgrounds was awarded the Legacy Award for Outstanding Scholarly Publication in the field of Gifted Education. He also serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Advanced Academics (JAA), Journal for the Education of the Gifted (JEG), Gifted Child Today (GCT), and Roeper Review. Continue reading



Cory Messenger: Javits-Scholar at NAGC Conference

This past year, Gifted Educator, Cory Messenger, was able to attend the NAGC Annual Convention as a recipient of the NAGC’s Javits-Frasier Scholarship. Below he discusses some of his experiences and thoughts on the convention and the scholarship program.

What would you like teachers and parents of gifted students in New Mexico to know about NAGC?

The NAGC community is much larger than I had anticipated. It is filled with some of the most dedicated and passionate people I’ve ever met. I think it would be extremely beneficial for the teachers and parents of gifted students to attend the conference as often as possible. There are many impressive speakers covering a vast range of topics related to gifted education and there’s something for everyone there to learn, no matter how experienced he/she may be. Unfortunately, since gifted education is not federally funded, it can become financially challenging for educators to attend. I was very fortunate to be awarded the scholarship, because it may have been my only chance to attend.

Cory Messenger

Cory Messenger

How were you inspired to apply for the Javits-Frasier grant that allowed you to attend the NAGC Annual Convention?

It was my wife’s idea actually. I had been lamenting the fact that I’d probably never be able to afford to go to the conference and she suggested I look for a scholarship. I had never heard of a scholarship of this nature, so while I was skeptical, I took her suggestion. I visited the NAGC website and saw a page dedicated to the Javits-Frasier Scholarship for Diverse Talent Development. As I read the requirements, I couldn’t help but think that I was a perfect applicant. Continue reading