We believe academic talents deserve to be nurtured, in much the same way that athletic or musical talents are nurtured! The Belin-Blank Center Recognition Award for Talent Development honors the innovative efforts happening in schools around the state and supports educators in growing talent development opportunities for their students.
About the Recognition Award
Thanks to an endowment from Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace of Scottsdale, Arizona — outstanding advocates for gifted students and longtime supporters of the Belin-Blank Center — we are offering multiple awards of up to $5,000 for individual teachers, educational programs, schools, or districts with a goal of providing awards to a mix of urban and rural settings throughout Iowa. Educators can apply for this award to grow an existing program or to create a new one.
To apply, educators or other school personnel should complete the short application survey before the July 31 deadline. Awardees will be notified by mid-September.
Timeline
- April 22: Application Survey opens
- July 31: Last day to submit Application Survey
- Mid-September: Awards announced
- Mid-October: Iowa Talented and Gifted Conference, presentations & awards
2025 Awardees
Congratulations to our seven 2025 awardees! Their innovative projects are growing talent development opportunities for students in schools and districts across Iowa.
Cappie Dobyns
Visual Art Behavioral Rating Scale Project
Ames Community School District
Artistic giftedness reveals itself in the creative process, not just the finished artwork. This project will develop and validate a visual art behavioral rating scale that helps educators recognize and nurture young artists, with results shared through state and national presentations and publication.
Amber Jacque
Elementary Talented and Gifted Program
Lone Tree Community School District
Lone Tree's TAG program is growing from small-group instruction into classroom-based STEM learning for every K–5 student. Award funds will provide the materials and instructional tools to launch this brand-new learning space, opening doors to science, technology, and engineering experiences for all.
Elizabeth Koester
Extended Learning Program
Marshalltown Community School District
Marshalltown is extending the excitement of science fair research to its 4th–6th grade talented and gifted learners. Award funds will train elementary XLP teachers through the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa and build reusable science kits, bringing hands-on research projects to all eight buildings in the district.
Kristine Milburn
K-6 Gifted/Talented Program
West Des Moines Community School District
West Des Moines gifted/talented specialists are bringing StoryTime STEM-packs to K–2 classrooms, pairing high-quality picture books with hands-on STEM challenges. The research-backed program helps surface untapped potential in the district's youngest learners—especially those traditional assessments may overlook.
Chelsie Murphy
Math Department and Advanced Learning Department
Des Moines Public Schools
Des Moines Public Schools is relaunching advanced math pathways in middle school, designed with multiple "on-ramps" so students can accelerate whenever they are ready. Alongside the new pathways, Math Counts teams across all 11 DMPS middle schools will spark excitement and build a positive math culture—with sights set on chapter, state, and even national competition.
Jenna Spain
Talented and Gifted Program
Maquoketa Community School District
Maquoketa is pioneering an Advanced Learner MTSS with Tier 2 math interventions that challenge gifted students right in their general education classrooms. With high-quality resources like Beast Academy and dedicated teacher mentoring, the project ensures gifted learners in this rural community have equitable access to rigorous, future-ready math opportunities.
Angela Webb
Talented and Gifted Middle School Team
Waterloo School District
In partnership with a local theater, Waterloo middle schoolers dive into an immersive theater experience—writing scripts, learning from theater artists, acting, designing costumes, and performing. The program gives the district's diverse and twice-exceptional students a place to shine, build leadership, and connect with their community in meaningful ways.
From left: Kristine Milburn, Elizabeth Koester, Cappie Dobyns, Jenna Spain, Angela Webb and colleague, Mike Keller-Wilson, Chelsie Murphy, Isaac Rodenberg
