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TAGT Recognizes Texas Leaders in Gifted Education
Meet the 2016 TAGT State Awards Recipients!
The Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented (TAGT) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2016 State Awards. These awards honor outstanding individuals and groups who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the gifted community in Texas. The TAGT awards program consists of four categories: Educator of the Gifted, Administrator of the Gifted, Advocate for the Gifted and Parent Group of the Gifted.
- The 2016 TAGT State Educator of the Gifted Award is Daniel Brillhart, TAGT Specialist at Gattis Academy in Round Rock ISD. Brillhart strives to meet the needs of his gifted students. To him that means leading them to understand the value of what is being offered to them, listening to their social and emotional needs, and modeling a desire to continue learning. This award is generously sponsored by H-E-B.
- The 2016 TAGT State Administrator of the Gifted Award is Cathy Shaver, Director of Advanced Academics at Grand Prairie ISD. Under her leadership, Grand Prairie ISD has opened a School for the Highly Gifted that serves students in 1st-5th grades and will soon expand to include middle school. This award is generously sponsored by UNT-Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science.
- The 2016 TAGT State Advocate for the Gifted is Heather Vaughn, Coordinator of Advanced Academics at the University of Texas High School. Meeting gifted students' needs in all areas is all areas, including curriculum design as well as social and emotional support, is a priority for Vaughn. She not only maintains a strong student focus, but also reaches out to support educators in meeting students' needs, so her impact is far reaching. This award is generously sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- The 2016 TAGT Parent Group of the Gifted is the Coppell Gifted Association (CGA). CGA promotes awareness of, and provides information about, the education and social/emotional needs of G/T students. They also work to support Coppell ISD and its teachers in their efforts to identify the unmet needs of G/T students and champion solutions to address them.
The honorees will receive their award at the INSPIRE: TAGT Awards Celebration which will take place during the TAGT 2016 Annual Conference. The conference will be held November 1 - December 2 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. TAGT 2016 will bring together nearly 2,000 educators who share a passion for gifted education. For more information, please visit tagtconference.org.