KANEOHE - William Pohaku Kepler, a Kihei Charter School student from Wailuku, was honored recently by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at a statewide awards ceremony on Oahu for gifted children.
The 8-year-old 3rd-grader is in the Kihei Charter Elementary Virtual Program, in which he is mainly home schooled but goes to the school once a month and attends field trips.
Kepler supplements his Kihei Charter School curriculum with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth work.
He was honored for his "exceptional performance on a rigorous, above-grade-level test" given to 2nd- through 8th-grade CTY "Talent Search" participants. He took 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. Students enrolled in the Talent Search go on to test through the fall and spring.
The test results give families a better idea of a child's academic talent, particularly in comparison to the thousands of academically talented students in the Talent Search, a release said.
