Special Programs

TAG TREK

TREK is an interdisciplinary seminar over the course of two days. Students need the opportunity to concentrate on one topic to achieve depth of insight and to develop their problem-solving skills. An important benefit of TREK, and indeed one of its stated goals, is the opportunity for significant community building among students and staff. Students and teachers get to know each other early in the school year as small groups are intentionally mixed by grade level, gender, and ethnicity.

TREK has been a part of the TAG enrichment curriculum since 1982. Each year, students are asked to respond to the effectiveness of TREK. Consistently, students find this interdisciplinary activity to be one of their favorite learning experiences. Students frequently become so involved in TREK that they give up their lunch and free time activities to work on their TREK products.

TAG Interim Term (TAG-IT)

TAG-IT is a two-day concentrated program that incorporates multi-culturalism and character education while fostering a love for lifetime learning. Many moons ago, TAG teachers were asked, “If you could teach any ‘mini-course’ in or out of your teaching field for two days, what would you teach?” The response was indeed positive, as teachers considered the things they enjoy doing outside of class or the topics they do not have time to include in their regular curriculum.

This was the beginning of the TAG Interim Term (TAG-IT), usually scheduled for the two days prior to Spring Break. Small groups of students work with a teacher for the entire two days of TAG-IT, exploring a wide variety of topics and interests. All TAG-IT courses culminate with some kind of product: a report, a demonstration, a presentation, a model, an original piece of art, etc. Both teachers and students have enjoyed this opportunity for uninterrupted, in-depth learning and for exposure to topics which spark life-long interest and participation. During TAG-IT, students and teachers pursue a single topic from a broad list of course offerings.

Past course selections include:

• ballroom dancing,
• stained glass making,
• biomechanics of athletes,
• rock climbing,
• chemistry and the art of Raku,
• DNA analysis using gel electrophoresis,
• relaxation techniques,
• Ham radio certification,
• glass blowing and neon glass making,
• Broadway musicals,
• needlework (knitting, crochet, embroidery),
• French culture and cuisine,
• Texas poets and authors,
• Connecting with the DallasMuseum of Art,
• analysis and comparison of science-fiction movies,
• women writers, and
• bird-watching and identification.

Extracurricular Activities

 TAG offers a wide variety of clubs, activities, and competitions for our students. For an updated list, please see the other sections under "Activities"!