Give the Gift of Encouragement

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a day that has come to symbolize generosity and the pay-it-forward attitude of individuals who want to help others succeed.

Our goal here at The Karnes Center is to provide each of the students who attend our programs with the encouragement to discover their purpose and the inspiration to make their dreams come true. We welcome gifted and 2E students from around the country to attend online and in-person programs. Updates to our program lineup for 2021 will be announced in mid -January.

Our students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. During the past summer more than 50% of our attendees were awarded partial or full scholarships through the generosity of donors just like you. If you would like to encourage a child to pursue their best future, please consider giving a gift to The Karnes Center this season.

Here are some of the things that your donation can provide*:

• $2 pays for an individual hand sanitizer bottle for one student.
• $5 pays for a lost dorm key
• $20 pays for shipping materials for an online course to one local student.
• $25 pays for three student meals.
• $30 pays for one registration fee.
• $40 pays for shipping materials for one online course to one student outside of our state.
• $60 pays for a dorm room for one night.
• $150 pays for the materials one student will use during a one-week class.
• $200 pays for one young student (PreK – 3rd grade) to attend the Day Program for Young Gifted Children.
• $500 pays for a Chromebook and all of the software that students use while they are participating in our programs.
• $675 pays for one middle or high school student to attend one-week of Leadership Studies.
• $ 1000 pays for one middle or high school student to attend a week of accelerated academic courses.
• $1500 pays for bus services for field trips to local businesses and cultural activities for an entire class.
• $3000 covers a three-week intensive program for one high-school student.

*Amounts may vary depending on the topics taught in each course. Amounts provided are a average estimate based on the past several years.

These are only a handful of things that we need to make a child’s experience one they will never forget. Salaries and wages for Curriculum Developers, Teachers, Counselors and other workers are not included in these estimates: they need your love too.

Please visit our giving page by clicking here to process your online gift.

All that we give to children comes back to us when we turn the world over to them. Thank you so much for all that you do to support the young people in your life.

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Karnes Center!

REGISTRATION OPEN!

The day has finally arrived! Please review the information below prior to beginning your application (link at the bottom).

Thank you for your patience as we adjusted to a virtual format! PLEASE View the program descriptions for your child on our Pk-12 Student Programs page PRIOR to completing your application. There is nothing quite as sad as a gifted child in a class they aren’t interested in. We also encourage you to meet your teacher through our Staff Page.

Some changes to note:

Price Reductions: All program prices have been reduced to reflect our virtual status. Because we already keep our programs at a break-even range, this means that the traditionally residential programs have seen a much greater reduction than the Day Program. Our teachers are hand-selected to work with our young students, so they do still have to be paid. Your tuition is a reflection of our attempt to provide fair wages to our employees, carefully selected materials you will need, and economically priced shipping options for those materials.

Registration Forms: Due to the volume of other summer camps and programs that are transitioning to a virtual world AND the deadlines we have set here at the university, we are temporarily moving BACK to our MACHFORMS application system. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but want to encourage you that the application is actually shorter than in previous years. We have eliminated most of the health and medication items from the application for your convenience. All programs are utilizing ONE form this year as well. You will still need to complete a separate application for each child. We will move back to CampDoc as soon as possible for future programs.

PK and Kindergarten: Your class is self-paced. You will receive access to a Google Classroom with video lessons and instructions from your teacher; however, we are NOT expecting this age group to meet through Zoom for their lessons. Parents, your participation is very important to help guide little hands through the experiments and activities in a safe manner. Your supervision is required. There will be at least one (and maybe even two) Zoom event(s) that your child can participate in so that they can meet their classmates and enjoy time together.

All Programs and Courses: As part of your tuition, you will receive a package of materials that have been carefully selected to assist with the hands-on experiments or activities that your teacher has planned for you. You will receive a schedule of events on or about June 10 (or once your registration is complete) that will provide you with the times for your Zoom lessons, your access to your Google Classroom, and other social activities that will take place during the dates for your program. Zoom lessons will be staggered for the various age groups to allow siblings of different ages to participate.

Social Events: Part of what our students love about the Karnes Center is the ability to make new friends that think like they do. We will have a variety of social events schedule through Zoom for our participants in all programs – even the Day Program. Our Dorm Directors are busy planning for your engagement, excitement, and entertainment just like they always do.

The Application

Please click the link below to open YOUR APPLICATION!

2020 Virtual Summer Programs – ALL Sessions

We are so excited to see you online this summer!!!