SAGE students experience challenging activities designed to develop and enhance their problem solving, creative thinking, process thinking skills. Students also develop their social/emotional skills in the areas of collaboration, confidence as a learner, responsibility, and quality of work. We asked the students to describe "the SAGE experience" from their own perspectives.
Keane (3rd grade): The experience to be in SAGE is great! We explore the wonders of education.
Zack (5th grade): . . . being in SAGE isn’t just fun and games. It is where we are able to express our feelings and challenge our brains with puzzles and activities.
Shea (5th grade): In SAGE I get to be challenged. In class I am always getting 4s and it is easy for me. In SAGE I am with other smart students. I get to look forward to something every week.
Alex (4th grade) Being a SAGE student means I have the honor of being here doing things that other people won’t do. I think to be in SAGE you need to be not just smart but aware of things around you and keep your mind sharp and fluid.
Chandler (5th grade): I go to SAGE every Thursday to do challenging experiments, projects, and problem solvers. In the past 3 years, we have done problem solvers such as “Who Stole Mr. Bear,” and scientific projects such as “Polyhedraville” and Perspective Drawing. SAGE is a fun way to strengthen your knowledge like never before.
Griffin (5th grade): SAGE is definitely a lot of work. You will have to put in a lot of sweat, blood, and tears, but it is very fun. Most of the work is hands-on, and you learn a lot about scientific investigation in projects and experiments. SAGE is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.
Kendra (5th grade): SAGE has been a really good experience for me . . . when I wasn’t in SAGE . . . I knew a lot of the stuff we were learning [in my regular classroom.] Since being in SAGE, I think I have really been doing better in school because I have learned to check my work better. SAGE has really pushed me to do better than I used to.
Nicole (5th grade): The SAGE experience is a great thing because when you start in 3rd grade, you are with some fellow students over the SAGE years. It makes SAGE more enjoyable because you know the people and their personalities. SAGE is a wonderful experience, because when you are a SAGE kid, it teaches you to be more perseverant. So, when subjects get harder in higher grade levels, you will not give up easily.
Tali (5th grade): [SAGE] is a great opportunity to meet new people and to work with them on exciting projects and activities. I remember coming to SAGE the first time when I was in 4th grade, and [my teacher] greeted me as if we knew each other. The other kids filled me in on the beginning of the year, and that day I came home beaming. I still wait for Thursday every week.
Jeffrey (5th grade): I look forward to SAGE. It’s fun, and we can do unique things. [SAGE is] exciting; the times I liked during SAGE were when we drew in perspective and flew paper airplanes in the hall. SAGE means “special” to me; and that we learn different things at SAGE than at the normal classroom.
Jack (5th grade): SAGE is an excellent learning experience.
Ryan (5th grade): I think that SAGE is a great experience. It is very fun to learn so much. When you first show up, you think, “Aw great, more work and more challenges! I won’t be able to understand!” But then you realize that you’re understanding and learning things you’d never think you’d learn . . . you think your brain will explode before you come, and then you leave with a full brain.
Cameron (5th grade): To me SAGE is kind of like class, you learn about something, and then do everything possible that relates to it. [It is also] little brain teasers that take a lot of thinking.
Resham (4th grade): I think that SAGE is a fun and challenging change from class.
Alysse (4th grade): To me, being in SAGE means being able to challenge my ability to learn. SAGE . . . also helps me find different ways to solve problems – not only in school but outside school too.
Lauren (5th grade): My SAGE experience was just enjoying the time of making new friends and being with my friends while learning something new . . . it was a huge experience.
Jenny (4th grade): “Things I really like about SAGE are we can be really creative and all the projects we do are for a good cause. SAGE teaches me to think outside the box and it also teaches me about how important it is for me to think outside the box.”
Riddhi (3rd grade): “SAGE makes me use my brain a lot. I also like SAGE because… we get to do cool stuff like looking for clues, making formulas, mystery solving and so [many other things].”
Eleane (3rd grade): “ SAGE makes me want to learn more and change my way of working. The things we do in class make me feel comfortable to do things on my own.”
Anish (3rd grade): “I have been able to learn things in SAGE that regular people can’t learn.”
Damon (5th grade): “Doing problem solving helped me a lot as a learner, for instance if I had trouble, I could use one of the problem solving strategies. SAGE has helped me a lot.”
Sean (5th grade): “We had a lot of fun learning on how things work… overall I had a great time in SAGE from 3rd to 5th grade.”
Lauren (5th grade): “SAGE has changed me as a learner by making me more creative. Every week after SAGE, I feel that my learning style has changed that mush more. SAGE is great!”
Hannah (5th grade): “I get to think harder about problems and do lots of creativity activities. I think that SAGE has changed me because I am now trying to look at things in a different way and I am challenging myself to [do] more things. I get to challenge my brain to [do] harder things in SAGE and I am not bored.”
Eddie (5th grade): “SAGE has even made me come up with creative ideas in my classroom. I like SAGE and I am glad I got to do SAGE this year.”
Katrina: In SAGE so far I have learned . . . the four step problem solving method; creativity. . . how to think deeper; what creativity is and why it's important; [and], how to make things even better . . .
Helene: My overall experience in SAGE has been really great. It has been so much fun! It also taught me different strategies for figuring out problems; in school and out! I think SAGE has shown me that I'm smart enough to do almost anything if I try my hardest.
Jasmine: My overall experience in SAGE has been great. In third grade, we did the "Who stole Mr. Bear" investigation. It was fun and hard to solve. In fourth grade, we did Polyhedraville . . . we had to build a house and a community building out of 6 different types of polygons. You also had to make it unique. This year in SAGE . . .I met lots of friends, and the TOY CHALLENGE is a great opportunity for us to learn. SAGE changed me as a learner because it taught me to think "outside the box" and work well with others.
Theresa: SAGE helped me in many ways such as being a better and more creative learner. Also, SAGE helped me to work harder and push myself even more. Another thing SAGE helped me with is learning with new and different people. My experience in SAGE has been AwEsOmE!
5th grade student, I.V.E.: SAGE has been a wonderful experience for me. I have learned so much from my teacher and my fellow friends/classmates. The paradisiacal classroom is just a place to focus, work, and think. It’s superlative that there are so many creations made from mere resources. Anybody who participates in SAGE is sure to learn a great deal and have a fantastic time.
4th grade student, I.V.E.: SAGE offers exciting and creative ways of learning. My teacher is very kind and always gives you heads up on upcoming activities; she never rushes you unless you are running out of time. [T]he SAGE classroom is a place you will always be able to concentrate, work, and succeed at every project. If you have an opportunity to be in SAGE you will have the most brilliant time of your life!
4th grade student, I.V.E.: This is what I think about SAGE. It is a fantastic place to learn about different things. I love how every class I learn something new. My favorite part would be projects. Once we made a 3 dimensional star and we took a fun test to see if we were a visual, mental, or some of both learner. We have learned a lot and done a lot of fun things at SAGE.
5th grade student, I.V.E.: I think . . . SAGE is so great because my teacher gives us brilliant projects. SAGE kids get to leave the regular classroom and once a week to learn good things and work on awesome projects. Finally, SAGE is great because everybody in the class helps you do your best.
4th grade student, I.V.E.: It is so fun to come to SAGE and do all the fun activities our teacher gives us. We have learned a lot like about labyrinths and mazes, [and about] 3 dimensional shapes, which we got to build out of paper. We are currently learning about futuristic cities and have made a model of one that we named Sky City. We are going to learn about origami next. If you get into SAGE I hope you have a wonderful time just like me.
4th grader at I.V.E.: SAGE is a very fun and educational program. We learn lots of new things and learn about new ways to look at things. I enjoy learning all about different kinds of things and I like that there are other students at my level here. I have been in the SAGE program for 2 years and I have improved in many ways. I am always surprised every year . . . I would like to thank my SAGE teacher for putting up with all my errors and my regular classroom teacher for putting up with me leaving my regular class so that I can go to SAGE. SAGE is my favorite part of my school day and I am glad that I am part of it.
5th grade I.V.E. student: SAGE is a good challenge for gifted students. Before I came into the program I wasn’t being challenged enough. Now, I am being challenged and seeing things differently than I used to. Our SAGE teacher is pushing us to do our very best work possible. Sometimes we use objects to make various creations. Right now we are building a futuristic city. Even though it is only once a week it is still an awesome experience. I would recommend it to anyone. I am proud to be a SAGE student.