BALTIMORE, Fall 2010—Celeste Chen, a student from Brea, was recently honored at a statewide awards ceremony for gifted children held by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY).
 

    Celeste Chen was invited to this awards ceremony sponsored by CTY (www.cty.jhu.edu) based on an exceptional performance on a rigorous, above-grade-level test given to second through eighth grade Talent Search participants. Seventh and eighth graders took the SAT or ACT—the same tests used for college admissions. Second through sixth graders took the SCAT, an above-level test scaled for younger students.
 

    Since 1979, CTY has sought the most academically able elementary- and middle school students each year and encouraged their enrollment in CTY’s annual Talent Search, going on now. Students enrolled in the Talent Search go on to test through the fall and spring.
 

    The results of these tests give families a better idea of a child's academic talents, particularly in comparison to the thousands of other academically talented students in the Talent Search. Students can also earn recognition at CTY's awards ceremonies, and their test scores may qualify them for CTY's summer programs and distance education courses.
 

    In 2009-10 alone, over 53,000 students from 21 states and the District of Columbia participated in the Talent Searches offered through CTY. About 30% of the 2nd and 6th graders who tested this winter earned an invitation to CTY's Awards Ceremony, and about 25% of the 7th and 8th grade testers earned an invitation to an Awards Ceremony.
 

    Chen, who attends Kraemer Middle School, joined other award recipients at the recent state ceremony, and was individually honored by Johns Hopkins for her academic performance and promise.
 

    "With our annual award ceremonies, we're committed to giving these exceptional young people a stage on which to recognize their academic achievements, just as we celebrate achievements in athletics or the performing arts," said CTY executive director, Lea Ybarra. "Their performance places them in the top tier of students taking these tests, and they certainly deserve acclaim." Who gets the credit for success? "The students," said Dr. Ybarra. "They possess an academic fearlessness and intellectual ability that will benefit their entire generation."
 

    Leading them to their success, she said, are parents and educators. "Parents who support and encourage their children, and teachers who inspire through their knowledge and passion for a subject, create engaged young people who are well prepared to lead and shape tomorrow's world."
 

     California’s 2010 Awards Ceremonies were scheduled at California State University – East Bay and University of San Francisco on Sunday, September 26; California State Polytechnic University – Pomona on Saturday, October 2; Santa Clara University on Sunday, October 3; Loyola Marymount University on Saturday, October 16; and University of San Diego on Saturday, November 6.
 

About The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY)
 

CTY conducts the nation's oldest and most extensive academic talent search and offers educational programming for students with exceptionally high academic ability. CTY parallels, and complements, a gifted child’s regular school experience. CTY’s programs and students have been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and other premier American publications. Other information:
 

Media colleagues: Please contact CTY for a complete list of students in your coverage area honored at recent awards ceremonies. Please be sure to include your full address, zip code, and names of a few towns in your paper's area.