Sandra Fountain, whose life’s work has been focused on helping gifted and talented children, admits to being fascinated by what makes them “tick.”

So it is perhaps no surprise Fountain recently celebrated her 20th year with the Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY), a program of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“I truly believe in differentiated learning,” she said. “Every child deserves to learn wherever they are at. My calling just happens to be for the gifted and talented.”

Open to students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the annual program offers two consecutive weeks of age appropriate, mentally challenging classes each summer. Now in its 35th year, SLUFY hit record enrollment this July as students from around the country, and even the globe, attended.

Booker Arts Magnet School in Little Rock again served as host site for the annual program.

“SLUFY provides an environment where it is cool to be smart,” explained Fountain.

“Being smart is not always acceptable in our culture, so it is good for the students to come here and be surrounded by others like them. They realize they are not alone.”

Fountain, who received three degrees from UALR, including a Master of Education in Teaching the Gifted and Talented, said that gifted students bring a sophisticated knowledge base to the classroom and need educators who can accelerate them.

From history coursework focused on the tumultuous 1960s and the Roaring Twenties to engineering classes about urban design, the children are stimulated to think outside the box, while also building consensus among like-minded peers.

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, seventh graders learned Newton’s three laws of motion as they broke into teams to build roller coasters using foam tubing and marbles.

“Remember, your coaster must include a hill, a loop and a gap before the marble leaps into the cup,” their teacher, Kristi Ward, reminded them.

A few moments later, kindergarten students down the hall echoed various strains of “wow” and “cool” while using straws, cups, and even their own hands, to create plump soap bubbles.

As to what has kept her working at SLUFY for 20 consecutive years, even though she is admittedly not a big fan of hot summer months, Fountain said it is all about the children.

“When you see these kids come, so excited to learn, or getting into the car at the end of the day telling their parent ‘you won’t believe what we did today,’ then those are the moments that keep you going,” Fountain said.

“These are our future investors, surgeons, and great thinkers–it’s our job to nurture them,” she concluded.

The Mahony Center is one of only 25 such centers nationwide. Established in 2001, its mission is to provide services and support to gifted students and their families, teachers, and administrators. The center presents professional development courses to hundreds of advanced placement and pre-advanced placement teachers each year, in addition to offering its annual SLUFY program.

For more information on SLUFY or the Mahony Center at UALR, call 501.569.3410 or email giftedcenter@ualr.edu.