the best education for gifted & Talented
Who We AreOur Mission is simple
Talcott Mountain Academy inspires today’s children to invent tomorrow.
HOW? We’re a unique learning community with a robust, integrated curriculum that fosters the intellectual and creative talents of gifted students at a most critical age: a school that ignites a passion for learning and empowers children to invent their future.
We also promote staff and student engagement in scientific and educational research to find solutions to problems in an increasingly complex and technological world.
We can never thank you and everyone at Talcott enough for showing our child all that he can be. There … is no place like Talcott.
A School within a Science Center
In 1967, the Talcott Mountain Science Center was established to further the understanding of science in the lives of students, teachers, and adults. In 1983, the Academy opened its doors as a division of the Science Center, paving the way for a new model of education — hands-on, inquiry-based STEM education where professional scientists bring their expertise into the classroom to teach students.
The Academy incorporates students in grades K-8 and recognizes that gifted and talented students benefit from a wide range of academic offerings on a FULL-TIME basis that address their special needs. Students at the Academy benefit from sharing excellent Science Center resources including teaching staff, equipment, and facilities.
Campus With A View
Situated atop Talcott Mountain, high above the Farmington Valley, Talcott’s campus spans twenty naturalized acres with pioneer and mature forests that are perfect for students to study the local ecology, plant and animal life.
The ridge is also ideal for weather observations and astronomy. It offers an unparalleled view of Connecticut and points as far as Mt. Everett at the NY/MA border, Mt. Tom in Holyoke, MA and Sleeping Giant in Hamden, CT.
Our Students
While every student at Talcott is unique, there are several shared qualities that they usually possess: Curiosity, Creativity and Enthusiasm.
They have above average ability and frequently have been identified as gifted and talented by their previous school or through private testing.
Talcott students come from a group of roughly 15 different towns in Connecticut in a radius of up to 30 miles. There is a wide socioeconomic mix supported by significant financial aid. The percentage of minority students averages between 15 and 20 percent. The student body is approximately 40 percent female and growing.
A MESSAGE
From Our Dean
" Talcott Mountain Academy is a community of learners. All members, students, teachers and parents have a love of learning. It is not uncommon for questions to be answered with more questions. We hold intellectual curiosity in high esteem and value the intellectual freedom to inquire. Not just in the sciences, but in all academic subjects and the arts. Each student has special talents and combinations of abilities that will allow them to succeed in whatever they choose to do in life. Talcott Mountain Academy offers students a place to investigate, nurture and grow their gifts."
- Lydia H. Gibb
Leadership
The Center and Academy have a long and proud history of making the most of talented people – knowledgeable staff who can teach creatively, effective people who can bring together diverse talents, and a Board of Trustees that can guide with their considerable experience and vision in business, technology and education.
Traits of the Gifted Student
Whether they have been formally identified as gifted or not, they possess certain common characteristics of gifted students. Not every child exhibits all of these traits.
- Displays a great deal of curiosity about many things
- Is constantly asking questions about anything and everything
- Has unusually advanced vocabulary for age
- Possesses a large storehouse of information about several topics
- Generates a large number of ideas or solutions to problems and questions
- Has keen observational skills and retains information easily
- Carries on intelligent conversations with older children and adults
- Displays a keen, and sometimes unusual, sense of humor
- Thinks outside the box!