Learning about taking the right kind of risks By Sherry conohan Staff Writer JERRY WOLKOWITZ Callum Mendoza, Little Silver, portraying Michelangelo, contemplates his next masterpiece while waiting for his turn to present his personality’s life story during a risk-taking convocation at Atlantic Highlands School. ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS — Jackie Kennedy Onassis, in the person of Sloane Hindman of West Long Branch, sat primly in one circle in her pink suit and matching pillbox hat set atop her familiar bouffant hairdo. In the next circle sat Chief Seattle, in the person of Oliver Kostrinsky of Red Bank, attired in Indian garb, complete with feather headdress. In these and other circles of chairs all around the gym at Atlantic Highlands School, 120 third- and fourth-grade children from gifted and talented classes in the Shore Consortium for the Gifted and Talented, were participating in a risk-takers convocation, portraying famous people from history. Four of the 15 school districts that are members of the consortium — West Long Branch, Red Bank, Little Silver and Keansburg — sent students to this two-day convention, which was followed by an identical event for seven other school districts in the consortium. Kathy Prout, a teacher in the gifted and talented program in the West Long Branch school district who was one of the coordinators of the event, said students began to study their historical figures and make "brag books" about two months earlier. The brag books explained the lives and accomplishments of the figures chosen. "They’ve worked very hard," she said. "They learned what obstacles they met and the risks they had to take to achieve success." The convention, Prout said, was all about encouraging positive risk taking by the students. "We want the children to see that being successful isn’t easy," she said. "We’re talking about how everyone has to take risks. Entertainers take a risk every time they stand on a stage. Politicians take a risk when they decide to run for office because they may not win." Sharing the coordinator role with Prout was Charlene Oliver, a gifted and talented program teacher in the Keansburg School District. The personalities the children chose to portray included presidents Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Papaleo of West Long Branch) and John F. Kennedy (Matthew Metlitz of Little Silver), Christopher Reeves/Superman (David Smolokoff of West Long Branch), Michael Jordan (Bobby Mira of Keansburg), Benjamin Franklin (Christopher Helstern of Little Silver), Martin Luther King Jr. (Kyle Gorman of Little Silver), William Clark (Alex Ilvento of West Long Branch), Orville and Wilbur Wright (Colin Lang of Little Silver and Michael Zimmerman of West Long Branch, respectively), and Thurgood Marshall (Sean Montgomery of Little Silver). Also, Joan of Arc (Kimberly Selementi of Keansburg), Marie Curie (Rachel Halpern of West Long Branch), Sandra Day O’Connor (Katherine Bazley of West Long Branch), Janet Jackson (Brittany Smith of Keansburg), Amelia Earhart (Katie McGuire of Little Silver), Clara Barton (Jessica Buriani of West Long Branch), Susan B. Anthony (Kathleen West of Red Bank), Mother Theresa (Anne Langley of Little Silver), Sally Ride (Allegra Mango of West Long Branch), Martina Navratilova (Julia Bonett of West Long Branch), and Shirley Temple Black (Alison Salek of West Long Branch). The teacher/moderator and other students asked each figure questions about their lives, the risks they took, their achievements and their disappointments at the event. Joan of Arc told of how she had been burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. Wilbur Wright told of achieving man’s first flight on Dec. 17, 1903, which lasted 12 seconds. Sandra Day O’Connor told of what a difficult time she had getting a job as a lawyer after graduating from law school because law firms in those days wouldn’t hire women. William Clark told of his experiences as an explorer and map maker and how he traveled down the Mississippi with Meriweather Lewis. Chief Seattle told how he became famous for his speeches. Marie Curie told of how she won the Nobel Prize for her work in radium and how she died of radium poisoning. All referred to and showed off their brag books as they spoke. In other sessions during the two-day event, the children heard two Department of Defense personnel from Fort Monmouth, who deal with explosive ordnance disposal, describe the training they went through for their jobs. They also heard a circus clown talk about the skills he needs for juggling and spinning plates, a supervisor for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police describe the search and cleanup operations at ground zero, a dive instructor tell about swimming with sharks, a tae kwon do instructor talk about showing respect for themselves, each other, and their elders; and a model talk about what it’s like to audition for jobs and how to hold a pose. In addition, a performing duo called Local Commotion, consisting of Kati Brower and Lorraine Stone, put on a show about Harriet Tubman and her friend, Sarah Bradford. After the brag book session, David Levy, a former gifted and talented teacher at Atlantic Highlands School, put on a pretend radio show wherein he called several students up to the stage in front of the attendees to interview them about their characters. Levy currently is an enrichment teacher for children with special needs at High Point Elementary School, Morganville, operated by CPC Behavioral Health Care. This was the fifth time in the past 15 years Levy has put on the radio show, he said. The risk-taking convocation is put on every other year, alternating with other programs. Levy told the students before conducting his interview that they shouldn’t be afraid of failure because when they are, they won’t take risks. "Everybody has to take a risk somewhere along the way," he advised them. During a break, Levy said he loved being a part of the event. "It’s fabulous. It’s so much fun!" he exclaimed. "For kids to have invested this much time and effort to learn a character — I mean, wouldn’t you like to talk to Galileo?"