ABSTRACT
Clubs, competitions, Saturday and summer programs, mentoring programs, online courses, and community service all extend gifted students' learning experiences beyond the school day and year, beyond their geographic area and immediate peer group, beyond their teachers, and into the larger society. Participation in school community-sponsored chess clubs, creative writing groups, library book clubs, and science clubs can provide academic intramurals that offer many of the interpersonal benefits of competitions without the pressure. Self-esteem and confidence are developed as students engage in healthy competition under the guidance of encouraging and supportive adult coaches and as they present the results of their work to authentic audiences. Students find community service activities most valuable to them when they are provided with structured opportunities to reflect on and evaluate their experiences. Eminent individuals tend to give credit for their success to expert mentoring.
