Get Real
By Tamara Taylor
Fake news- we ’ ve all seen it . We ’ ve all heard it . Sadly , fake news has recently infiltrated our community via social media .
Please know that I will not let all that the BEACON stands for be compromised by baseless allegations and insufficient evidence . The efforts of my predecessors who invested countless hours and sleepless nights making the BEACON what it is today , will be honored and admired as long as I am the publisher .
I must admit that mistakes do happen like the report of 25,000 versus 2500 chickens reported in the last issue . Hopefully , some of you got a little chuckle out of the error- no harm no fowl . ( I couldn ’ t resist !)
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Now let ’ s get real about a hidden gem in our community . Since her birth fifteen years ago , this young lady ’ s family and the community has known that she is different in a most amazing way . Her gift has touched anyone who has had the joy of sharing a bit of Jenna Nobbe ’ s life as an intelligent , caring young woman .
Let ’ s start near the beginning . Jenna was born a twiceexceptional child . At the early age of 2 1 / 2 , she spoke Spanish and English interchangeably . What makes this even more exceptional is that she was the only one in her family to speak Spanish !
Jenna taught herself to read at an early age . By the time she was 5 1 / 2 , she was reading at a third-grade level . Testing revealed that Jenna ’ s intellectual development was three deviations above the norm . Only 0.13 % of the population is more than three standard deviations above the mean ( IQ 145-160 ). To put that into perspective , only thirteen out of 10,000 individuals score above 145 and are considered profoundly gifted .
Now what ? Jenna was a
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child with a thirst for knowledge and the ability to learn at a much higher rate than anyone could comprehend . The challenge was to find ageappropriate things for her to learn while addressing the rate of her emotional development . This became quite a test as she entered the school-age years .
Jenna started kindergarten at South Dearborn where she met high ability coordinator Martina Mosley . Halfway through the year , Jenna ’ s ability to learn so much more became a top priority for Ms . Mosley . She made arrangements for Jenna to move to first grade for the remainder of the year .
Thus , Jenna ’ s path of accelerated learning began . In her second year , another very astute teacher came into Jenna ’ s life . Mrs . Diana Petty embraced the fact Jenna ’ s intelligence was a gift . She knew that Jenna would need more , so she arranged for Jenna to join the fourth graders for their daily studies . Imagine a tiny little girl packing up her backpack with wheels and rolling it all the way across the school to embrace new opportunities and experiences with classmates three and four
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Jenna is excited about a future of helping people and giving back through medical technology .
years older than her !
By the time Jenna was ten , she was taking high school classes . Mr . Zimmerman was one of her most memorable teachers . One day in class Mr . Zimmerman was making a comparison between an historic event and the reality each student had experienced when they learned about Santa Claus , the Easter Bunny , and the tooth fairy . At the age of ten , Jenna ’ s mom had a lot of explaining to do that night !
At age twelve , Jenna transferred to Lawrenceburg High School where she could take higher level classes on site rather than traveling off campus during the school day . She will graduate this year at the age of fifteen .
Jenna volunteers with kindergarten children during the week . She also helps with animals at PAWS and the Dearborn County Animal Shelter . She was a competitive swimmer specializing in distance events but now swims only for pleasure due to limited free time .
What lies ahead for Jenna ? She plans to attend the University of Cincinnati with a focus on pediatric genetic studies . Ultimately she would like to provide opportunities for genetic testing to those in rural areas who may not have it readily accessible . During our recent discussion , Jenna pointed out that genetic testing can reveal medical concerns for which a person may obtain more successful treatment if administered earlier in life . She also expressed an interest in providing genetic
During her free time , Jenna volunteers with cats at the animal shelter .
testing for future parents so that they can be aware of any genetic concerns that they could pass on to their offspring . This testing would allow potential parents to make more informed choices .
Jenna wants to give back to both her community and children who are gifted like her . Too often students who are highly intelligent or gifted hide their abilities for fear of being treated differently by their peers . She wants those children to know that being smart is okay . In fact , it can be fun !
Jenna would like to work with schools to develop programs targeted toward high ability students . These students learn at different rates and are often under-stimulated . They learn by moving forward rather than through repetition . Helping teachers gain understanding and patience with the needs of gifted students will help them gain confidence in their abilities .
After interviewing Jenna , I felt humbled and honored that she took the time to share her thoughts and goals with me . I am quite certain that in the future , Jenna will make the world a better place .
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The Beacon is an independent monthly publication with distribution in Dearborn , Ripley , Franklin and Ohio Counties in Indiana and Harrison , Ohio .
Published since 1994 . Beacon News , Inc . PO Box 4022 Lawrenceburg , Indiana 47025 .
Member : Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce , Ripley County Chamber of Commerce , Bright Area Business Association , Batesville Chamber of Commerce
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