WKU News

The Summer Program for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth (VAMPY) hosted 183 students for a three-week program from June 25 to July 13. Hosted by The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU, the students came from across the United States and the world. Attendees represented 12 states as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and China.

VAMPY provides advanced learning opportunities for academically gifted students who have just completed the seventh through tenth grades. In order to attend VAMPY, students must have earned a qualifying score on the SAT or ACT.

VAMPY classes met daily for the three weeks, allowing gifted young people to study one topic in great depth. This year, students could pick from 16 classes such as Arabic, biomechanics, DNA and genetics, and Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.

Students also had the opportunity to visit a wide variety of locations related to their studies, including trips to prominent landmarks and museums in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 

Social outings were also a part of the VAMPY experience. Campers attended a Bowling Green Hot Rods game and watched the Fourth of July fireworks at the stadium. Each day of camp also offered Optionals, which included sports, games, arts and crafts, and time to practice musical instruments. Other special events included the annual dance, talent show, paper theater and banquet.  

The 2019 dates for VAMPY are June 23 – July 13. To request information about how to apply to VAMPY, please visit: https://www.wku.edu/gifted/interest/.

To view pictures of the VAMPY program, visit our Flickr page at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/giftedstudieswku/albums.

For more information on VAMPY 2018 or The Center for Gifted Studies, please visit www.wku.edu/gifted.

About The Center for Gifted Studies: Located on the WKU campus in Bowling Green, The Center for Gifted Studies has been serving children who are gifted and talented, their educators, and their parents for more than 36 years. The Center provides exciting educational opportunities for gifted young people, rigorous professional development for teachers, and support for parents of gifted young people. Under the direction of Dr. Julia Link Roberts, The Center has become one of the preeminent centers for gifted education in the United States.  The Center believes that when gifted young people meet their extraordinary potential, our communities, our state, our nation—even our world—become better places. That is why each school year, The Center renews its commitment to encouraging excellence by providing quality programming and resources for gifted students, their teachers, and their parents.