Sharon L. Astrup-Scott of Albert Lea attended the first Hormel Foundation Gifted and Talented Education Symposium June 14-18. The Minnesota Department of Education collaborated with the Austin Public Schools in planning the symposium, made possible by a generous grant from the Hormel Foundation.

The symposium focused on four essential areas: foundations in gifted education, curriculum strategies, creativity and the unique social and emotional needs of gifted and talented learners.

Presentations were made by nationally acclaimed experts and some of Minnesota’s finest practitioners who gave every educator, no matter their particular discipline, enhanced knowledge and skills in working with gifted and talented people. Jane Kise, Jaime Castellano, Debra Frasier, Ron Gabrielson and James T. Webb were speakers.

Astrup-Scott teaches private voice, piano, violin, viola, cello and theory, adjunct music and some specialized classes in a public school.