I recently attended a high school academic celebration where I was greatly impressed by the caliber of students being recognized, right here in western Wisconsin.  These young people exhibited remarkable maturity, integrity, creativity and knowledge.  

I wanted to draw attention to the achievement of these students who represent the Alma Center- Humbird-Merrillan, Arcadia, Black River Falls, Blair-Taylor, Eleva-Strum, Gale-Ettrick Trempealeau, Melrose-Mindoro, Osseo-Fairchild, and Whitehall school districts. These honored students have either achieved impressive ACT scores and are valedictorians and salutatorians of their graduating class.  I am proud to recognize these exceptional students and their motivation for academic success.

I would also like to commend a unique and very dedicated educator who has devoted years to our gifted and talented students.  In the time she has supported the needs of these talented students, Linda McConnell has helped seven of them excel as National Merit Scholars and countless others achieve success.  She truly believes that “these kids are our state treasures if not our national treasures,” and works hard to support increased funding for GT programs.

I must also recognize and thank the teachers for their hard work, school administrators for their support, and, most importantly, the parents - whose role in their children’s lives is crucial to their academic success.

Making sure these gifted students have every opportunity to excel is something I agree is of concern, especially in today’s competitive global economy.  Funding for GT programs is essential and provides for critical research on what practices and curriculum work best for our brightest pupils.  

In the wake of No Child Left Behind, the education reform law which focuses on struggling pupils, the focus has often been on how to reverse the lack of achievement but not how to support those already achieving.  As we look at revising our education programs, we must not only address the achievement gap, but also improve gifted and talent programs to ensure that all students have access to the education that best fits their needs and have the opportunity to reach their greatest potential.