By Nikki Myers

Watching a group of seventh and eighth graders work their way through a film concept and create a short film over the course of the year is an amazing, intricate process. At Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning, a kindergarten through eighth grade charter public school in Colorado Springs that specializes in gifted education, we've now seen this happen over the course of six films. In the process we can say-- Something Always Breaks, whether it's equipment, a file upload, or a strategy. Someone Always Grows-- a student, a teacher, a relationship, an idea, a future career. And Something Magic Always Happens.

Geek Thinks Films happened when an English class of gifted seventh and eighth graders, working on advanced learning standards, were struggling to revise their work. They wanted to produce an assignment and be done; they did not want to wrestle through better word choice, revision of paragraphs, and peer editing. They just wanted to write and be done. Verbally gifted kids often exhibit this tendency, because in their school careers they are often quick with their words, quick with their reading, quick with an answer that can be turned in for credit above their peers. They don't often have the chance to wrestle with the learning process.

So teacher Anthony Szpak, with his film and script-writing background, used film clips and movie examples of scenes in the wrong order compared to paragraphs in the wrong place. As they explored these ideas, students asked, "can we write a film script as one of our assignments?" Well, sure, why not? Then, the scripts were written, discussed, and pondered, and they asked... "We have some iPads around here... could we film one of these?" And so it began. The first short film took them all year... and Silent Echo was the result, many months to produce less than nine minutes of film. It had no dialogue because they didn't yet have the technological skills to sync the sound with the action.

Teacher and students began a journey in that class to use film to increase their communication skills across all fronts, including their writing skills; but also all of the skillsets that pulling off a film together brings. They needed teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, lighting, sound, file uploads and downloads, scheduling, set design, costumes, special effects, passion, and so much more. They also needed a name for this work, so Mr. Szpak and the principal, Nikki Myers, tossed around a few before landing on "Geek Think Films", and so it was. Newly minted seventh and eighth grade film geeks celebrated their first success with a Red Carpet event and a film premier at locally-owned, independent theater Kimball's Peak Three. The Red Nolan auto group picked them up in fancy cars around the block and drove them to walk the carpet in style and in celebration of work accomplished.

Each year, through pandemic and challenges and solution-finding, this is still their thing, that special thing handed down to the next class. This thing of theirs highlights the skillsets and approaches that gifted kids need so very much. They need to be contribute and they need to be seen. None of these films have been silly. These kids have brought deep ideas to the table and figured out a way, each time, to say something new in a focused way through a short film. They've brought in themes of bullying, homelessness, domestic violence, natural disasters, and this year, grief of those lost during the pandemic. Even better, they've done so with a thoughtfulness for their audience and with a respect for the stories that inspired their ideas.

This process has reinforced the importance of gifted education programs, with teachers who are trained and who understand these students. These students need outlets for creative, complex projects where they can use their voices, where they can be challenged at truly complex levels, and where they can find and connect with other students who are intellectual and creative peers. We need robust and thoughtful gifted education programs across the country, and across all demographics of students. We need teachers who are willing to provide opportunities beyond the expected "age" of their students. These twelve, thirteen, and fourteen year olds are pulling off complicated techniques with great flair. We invite you to check out their work at geekthinkfilms.org and academyacl.org, and open up the thinking for the possibilities in your community as well. These kids can surprise you.

Nikki Myers, Academy Director

Mrs. Myers has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Gifted Education. Her coursework focused on the teacher training process for gifted education, and she was the creator and editor of The Gifted Gallery, a regional, free e-newletter for the staff, students, and families, from January 2007 to Summer 2010. She has taught hundreds of children in grades preK-5, coached middle school girls’ volleyball, been the director of a local children’s volunteer and performance program, worked as a social studies curriculum specialist, and was an original Steering Committee Member, Board Member, and curriculum design specialist for the approval of AcademyACL as a charter school in 2009. As the Founding Academy Director, a parent, family member, and educator of many gifted people, she appreciates the unique local niche that AcademyACL fills, and its excellent team of staff and board members who bring this program to life. She loves to spend time with her family, read voraciously and watch television mysteries. In January 2014, Mrs. Myers was inducted into the Colorado Academy of Educators for the Gifted, Talented and Creative. She is delighted to have the opportunity to work with AcademyACL students, teachers, and families to meet this unique vision and mission. Contact her at NikkiMyers@AcademyACL.org

About Academy ACL:

A Silver level member of THE G WORD’s Global Partnership Network, the Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning works to create an academic home for advanced and creative learning, cultivate personal and standards-based excellence and leadership ability, and serve as a resource center for the gifted community of the Pikes Peak Region.

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