The West Windsor- Plainsboro school district has always been one with unique opportunities and interesting activities. Something that really helps our district stand out, though, is our Gifted and Talented Program, PRISM. In PRISM, kids learn how to think outside of the box, and learn to work with others, as well as individually. One activity, for example is Cognetics. Sponsored by the National Talent Network, Cognetics has always been a favorite in our Middle School students. Not only does this program help students with their essential judgment skills, it allows them to work with others their age, and teaches them to problem solve.
Last year, my group, the “Micromanagers,” had decided to use the topic, Executive ID. In the challenge, students took their knowledge of presidents, and converted it into a mystery skit. Without giving away the president, the participants would act out a cabinet meeting, showing problems of the time, and favorites or personalities of certain presidents. Then, the audience would use that information to guess whom the character was. For example, my group chose to represent Jimmy Carter. We creatively decided to show peanuts in the skit, since Carter had once been a peanut farmer. We also decided to show his personality through his actions. For example, during the skit, we had decided to show Jimmy Carter making the room perfect, to show he was a “micromanager.”
Cognetics is a great opportunity for children who like to rise up to a challenge, as well as enjoy using creativity to problem solve. This was an enjoyment to my group, as well as to other teams across the state. Cognetics is always an experience that students never forget!
Varsha Sundararaman
Thomas R. Grover Middle School
