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 !)

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

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

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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Columnists & Contributors Debbie Acasio , Melanie Alexander , Gloria Carter , Susan Cottingham , Rebecca Davies , PG Gentrup , John Hawley , Leona Houchens , Linda Ickenroth , Korry Johnson , Ray Johnson , Laura Keller , Elizabeth Loch , Chris Nobbe , Alice Priessman , Susan Ray , Fred Schmits , Logan Seig , Sue Siefert , Jeanie Smith , Debby Stutz , Myrtle White , Nicole Williams , Debbie Zimmer

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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