For the second year, second-graders will be part of the districtwide Atheneum Gifted Magnet Program located at Salem Hills Elementary School. The program began with third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in 2002. The Able Learner Advisory Committee determined that there was a need for this type of enriched programming for younger students. Last July, the school board agreed to support a second-/ third-grade combination classroom and this year there will be a separate second-grade classroom. 

Students in Atheneum have to meet eligibility criteria determined by a district identification committee. Students invited to participate have been tested and found to be in the superior range of cognitive ability. The program’s mission is to provide a self-contained classroom option for these students to enhance the daily academic rigor that will motivate and challenge this group of learners.

This fall, Atheneum will have five teachers at the elementary level and serve approximately 125 academically-gifted students from Inver Grove Heights and surrounding communities.