"How would you like to have a place to go to learn about yourself? A comfortable, safe place. A place where special mentors are trained to help you broaden your understanding of yourself and others. A place where you can make new friends. A place where you can develop your own style with confidence. A place where you can learn new skills and be challenged in ways you have never been challenged before. Could you find such a place? If you could, I'll bet you would regard it as a special place."

Dr. Marty F. Webb
Founder of DECATS in Houston

Introduction

There is a special place like this, and it is hosted at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. And for three weeks each summer, St. Rose of Lima becomes that special place for over 250 academically talented Scholars from throughout the archdiocese. Through a grant from DeBusk Foundation, Houston and surrounding-area private and public schools are able to offer their third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders the DECATS opportunity.

DECATS offers a unique opportunity for high-ability students to participate in an intensive three-week summer adventure of challenging and enriching coursework, nurturing the whole learner and fostering the leaders of tomorrow. The program provides an enriched learning environment for students who demonstrate high intellectual ability, a strong commitment to learning, and exceptional creativity.

A year of intense planning and preparation goes into every three-week summer program. Principals from throughout the Houston-Galveston area are asked to nominate their students of intellectual talent; students whose basic skills and composite scores place them at or above the 95th percentile; students who exhibit above-average academic achievement; students who will benefit from this extraordinary opportunity.

Qualified nominees are invited to make application to the program. The application process itself is an experience in self-discovery. Nominees are asked to answer questions about themselves and submit a few other supporting documents. The DECATS Mentors, professionals from all over Houston who have demonstrated a high level of skill, commitment, and integrity, gather to review each application and plan the summer adventure together.

Young people who are the caliber of those selected for DECATS are the greatest resource that our nation has for the future.

The overriding purpose of the program is to identify and challenge young Scholars at a critical period in their lives. The program seeks to make a direct impact on the learning environment of those selected for the program, as well as positively influence the lives of other students with whom the program participants are in contact with in their schools.

Another purpose of the program is to encourage schools to become more aware of the unique and individual needs of these gifted and talented students and meet these in the curriculum. The program is designed to be a valuable partner, not a critic or competitor, of the elementary schools participating in the identification of these DECATS Scholars.

DECATS provides a qualitatively different learning experience for children with strong academic talents. The program focuses on the curricular areas of literature, drama, social studies, mathematics, science, computer science, creative writing, journalism, art, music, and creative problem solving. Although the major academic disciplines covered remain the same, courses vary from year to year.

Other goals of DECATS include helping gifted Scholars to develop the schools needed to work independently, to spark and sustain interest in intellectual pursuits beyond that possible during the normal school day, to teach techniques important to gifted individuals, and to expand Scholars' problem-solving ability.

How do you challenge a child who is quite possibly your intellectual superior? Mentors and DECATS Scholars alike spend time developing new relationships. They make new discoveries, and together, they address academic challenges.

For parents, the Family Orientation and Open House is just the first step in helping them share the DECATS experience with their Scholar. They also have the opportunity to attend the opening and closing assemblies each day, which include course presentations, prayer, song, and fellowship. During these three weeks of DECATS, parents will begin to know their Scholar in new ways, just as they will discover a new self. This is an enriching time, and we trust that parents will enjoy sharing in their Scholar's experience.

DECATS: a special place, an opportunity for academically talented students to discover their potential, to make new friends, to be themselves.

DECATS Participants: Scholars

Enrollment for the DECATS program is open to Archidiocese of Galveston-Houston Catholic school students and other private and public school students who have completed the third through sixth grades by June.

DECATS is limited to one three-week session. To qualify as a nominee, one must score in the ninety-fifth (95) percentile or higher on a nationally-normed, standardized achievement test, such as the Stanford Achievement Test. Once accepted into the program, Scholars will be extended an invitation to return each year until graduating from the program after their sixth grade school year.

DECATS nominees, having been certified by their principals of their achievement test score, are then eligible to make formal application to the program. Application entails a process of gathering general information and completing a Scholar Questionnaire.

Final selection to the program is dependent upon the Scholar's application.

Our Schedule

DECATS is a three-week session, running Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 3:40 p.m. In order to attend, Scholars must be present for the full three weeks, including the Family Orientation and Open House. When they complete DECATS, Scholars will have more than one hundred contact hours of classroom instruction and interaction.

A Family Orientation and Open House is held the Saturday before DECATS begins.  Both Scholars and parents are asked to attend since there is valuable information for everyone.

This day affords parents the opportunity to meet other parents of gifted children, to learn techniques in working with your Scholar's giftedness, and to address some educational concerns. Parents will also be given information pertinent to their concerns, particularly the needs of gifted students, emotionally and educationally, and an outline of the year's program will be presented. The day is both educational and social. It allows parents to form a support group and carpools and meet the DECATS faculty. Scholars will participate in initial get-acquainted activities, meet their mentors and fellow Scholars, and preview their courses. Each Scholar is provided a program handbook along with their course schedule and a DECATS t-shirt. Dress for the day is casual. Families will tour the St. Rose of Lima Catholic School campus. Immediate family must pick up a Scholar's handbook and course schedule. Neither will be released to any other party.

The Grand Closing Celebration for Scholars and parents takes place on the last day of DECATS from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Scholars are dismissed at the end of the celebration. The celebration is a culmination of everything Scholars have accomplished during the three weeks, including a community assembly for performances. After the assembly, Scholars lead their family on a tour of the campus to view course products and in-classroom presentations and to enjoy the fruits of courses Scholars did not participate in this summer. You won't want to miss this exciting salute to the best three weeks ever!

Enrichment Courses

Scholars select three elective enrichment courses to pursue during the three-week session. We encourage parents and Scholars to choose carefully, to plan for a balanced curriculum, and sometimes make choices for courses that address skills that they might not necessarily prefer but that they recognize is an area of weakness in which the Scholar needs to improve.

This type of enrichment program, to be effective, addresses the need for a qualitatively differentiated education program for the academically gifted child. This program provides specific guidelines for enrichment of all aspects of the curriculum: content, process, product, and learning environment.

During registration, Scholars preview a medley of course offerings and rank them in order of preference. DECATS works with those choices to give Scholars as many of their highest choices as possible. Scholars may not receive all first choices, and we do our best to provide a well-rounded day with courses from their top picks. The great news is that all of the courses are fun, interesting, and challenging.

Renzulli's Triad Process

Using the triad process developed by Dr. Joseph Renzulli, and by emphasizing Level III activities, the DECATS program includes the curricular areas of literature, drama, social studies, mathematics, science, computer science and technology, creative writing, journalism, art, music, physical education, and creative problem solving.

The development of the gifted child is directly addressed as Scholars explore the implications of their talents in a required guidance course entitled "Perspectives." Leadership and positive risk-taking skills are taught and encouraged.

Challenging work is accomplished in an informal atmosphere. Scholars wear casual clothes. There is no homework, and Scholars bring packed heart-healthy lunches.

Our Campus

DECATS takes place at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Houston, Texas. There is access to all school facilities, including gymnasium, computer lab, library, cafeteria, playing field, and playground. Additionally, the cultural and scientific resources of Houston are within easy reach of the campus.

An extended day program ("Entertaining Enigmas") is offered in the morning beginning at 7:00 and in the afternoon until 5:00.

Families register for Entertaining Enigmas as part of the registration and course selection process. A fee is collected in addition to tuition, according to the following cost schedule:

Morning & Afternoon Care: $100
Only Morning Care: $50
Only Afternoon Care: $50

Costs cover care for the entire three weeks (meaning the number of days / times a Scholar utilizes extended day is irrelevant).

Scholars who do not register for Entertaining Enigmas and that utilize extended day will be charged the corresponding fee.

Our Mentors

The program is taught by distinguished professional school educators who have noteworthy achievements in their areas of expertise. A 10:1 ratio of Scholars to faculty is maintained. If you are interested in becoming a part of the DECATS team, complete our Mentor Application found in the "Join our Staff Team" section of our website.

Sponsoring Institution: DeBusk Foundation

DECATS is underwritten through the financial generosity of Mr. Manuel DeBusk and DeBusk Foundation (http://www.debuskfoundation.org), which is dedicated to the education of gifted children. It is fully supported by the superintendent of Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Fees & Scholarships

The cost of this innovative program is over $700. However, DeBusk Foundation provides a scholarship to each participating Scholar for half of that cost. Thus, each Scholar's remaining tuition is $400 per year. An Application Fee of $100 is due with the completed application in order to reserve a space in the program; Scholars are not reserved a space for the upcoming session unless both the application and application fee have been received. In the event that an applicant is not admitted to the program, the application fee will be refunded in full.