Since second grade, I have been part of the GATE program. Once or twice a week, I was pulled out of class to participate in activities planned by the GATE teacher assigned to my school.
The program creates opportunities for students who might otherwise be overlooked. It builds classrooms where students can learn at their own pace, discover creative outlets that keep them engaged, and avoid feeling like the “weird kid” in class.
The program became an outlet for me — a space where I could be myself without worrying about the judgment of my peers. That may not seem significant at first, but I genuinely looked forward to having a place where I could express myself freely.
Nine years later, I am still part of the program, though it looks very different now. Instead of a weekly outlet, I am able to take advanced classes in subjects I care deeply about. This is typical for GATE-focused middle and high schools.
Hug High School sophomore Enuyu Song has been part of the GATE program since elementary school.
“I think it really helped me challenge myself and also discover things about myself that I didn’t know before,” Song said. “I think it’s a lot more challenging and at a pace where people can reach their full potential.”
For some students, that sense of belonging the program provides can become a lifeline, said Janet Roberts, a sixth-grade GATE teacher at Reno’s Archie Clayton Middle School.
“You cannot expect a gifted child to always want to put themselves out there,” Roberts said. “They still want to go to dances, have friends and do all the normal things kids do. They shouldn’t have to feel embarrassed for who they are.”
Roberts’ sixth-grade GATE students spend much of their day in her classroom, where courses are designed to introduce them to the GATE curriculum. The classes are paced more like high school or college courses and are often tailored to students’ interests.
“A gifted student, especially in elementary school, doesn’t need extra assignments that repeat the same material,” Roberts said. “They need opportunities to apply and analyze what they’ve learned. When students get bored, that’s when the mischief starts.”
Despite the program’s importance, funding cuts threaten its future. Beginning next year, several classes are expected to be eliminated because they will either be too costly to offer or too small to maintain.
Efforts to eliminate or reduce the program are not new. There have been repeated attempts over the past decade, but supporters say the program has never been as vulnerable as it is now.
Sequoia Burkhouse is a junior at Hug High School and a participant in KUNR’s Youth Media program, a special partnership with the Washoe County School District to train the next generation of journalists.