Gifted students in Cleveland find a home

Gifted students in the Cleveland area have been finding their way to Menlo Park Academy in growing numbers.

"We finished this school year with 140 students, and we have 225 enrolled for the fall," said Dr. Richard Hronek, the school's director.

MPA is located at 14440 Triskett Road in the city's West Park area. It started at the former St. Mel School in the fall of 2008 with just 38 students.

After opening in 2008 with grades K-6, MPA will add a seventh-grade class for the 2010-2011 school year. The school hopes to soon grow to include eighth grade.

MPA bills itself as "Ohio's Only Community School for Gifted Children," and tuition is free. The school accepts open enrollment from around the state and buses in students from Avon, Sheffield Lake, Westlake, North Ridgeville and Olmsted Falls.

Menlo Park is named after the location of Thomas Edison's invention laboratory.

How do you know if your child is gifted?

Hronek said the benchmark for a gifted child is an IQ of 127 or higher, or a ranking in the 95^th percentile or higher on state aptitude tests.

MPA also provides free testing to determine if a child is gifted.

"Most traditional schools don't start a gifted program until the fourth grade," said Hronek. "We are serving a population that is the most underserved."

Hronek said word of mouth is his school's best advertising, but MPA also helps things along with information sessions and advertisements in neighborhood magazines.

What's going on at MPA?

The school builds on the base of traditional curriculum subjects by adding a layer of music, art, Spanish, physical education and technology classes.

Also, MPA offers creative writing, violin, and Mandarin Chinese language and culture classes.

MPA sends its students on field trips to presidential sites and science centers around Ohio and participates in group learning events such as the Lego Olympiad and Young Authors Conference.

MPA also offers a before- and after-school care program called The Edison Club.

"Parents and community volunteers play such major roles in the governance and back office operations of the school," said Michael Love, one of the parents who helped organize MPA from the ashes of the closed Lorain Gifted Academy.

"MPA was created to challenge and enrich its students in ways mainstream classrooms don't do. Students are able to progress at a much faster pace, tailored to match their personal abilities. They explore concepts in deeper and more creative ways. By fostering this environment, children are more likely to retain their natural love of learning," Love added.

For more information on Menlo Park Academy, visit its website, or call 440-925-6365.