Allegro Program expands learning for gifted students from school districts throughout the county

ASHTABULA – As an Italian musical term, Allegro means fast, cheerful, and lively.
And Dr. Angel Morse certainly got the Ashtabula County Educational Service Center Allegro Program off on a lively note this year in her new role as director of the program.
This June, she saw the attendance surge for the program, which expands learning for gifted students from school districts throughout the county.
“This year’s program was the largest it’s ever been,” she said. “We had 126 kids signed up.”
As the director of the Allegro Program, Morse oversees the activities, teachers and students.
She thought this year’s program, held at Kent State Ashtabula, was amazing.
“The kids are super-wonderful to work with,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for everybody involved.”
By taking part in the two-week Allegro Program, the students experienced project-based learning, hands-on activities and group work, according to Morse.
“They seem to enjoy it,” Morse said, noting the program provides the students extra learning and teaches them collaboration, public speaking and problem-solving skills.
There were plays, artwork and much more.
“They’ve come up with some physics problems that they’ve solved,” Morse said. “They have made math games. They have worked with electricity. They’ve done a lot of virtual reality activities, creative writing.” They could even learn about composting.
The board of education vice president in the Grand Valley Local School District, Morse is also an associate professor in the Education Department at Thiel College.
She hopes to continue growing the Allegro Program next year.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” she said. “I hope everyone takes advantage of this camp next year.”
Abby Kosch, who was the theater teacher for the program who also works at Jefferson Area High School, said the theater aspect of the program went well.
“They were so outgoing and eager to share their voices and make choices,” she said of the students, who worked on theater skills like speaking, listening and responding and some improv and pantomime skills.
Zoey Griffiths, a student who painted an acrylic landscape, enjoyed the Allegro Program, which she thought was fun.
“It was a good way to practice using different kinds of color palettes,” she said.