About
Deanne Repich was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. She went the path of being a “high achiever” in school, but always felt the stress and anxiety of trying to fit a mold that wasn’t her true quirky self. After striving to achieve and being awarded the National Merit Scholarship, prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship, and others, Deanne moved to Austin, Texas for graduate school at UT-Austin. She completed two years of graduate work in the College of Arts and Sciences studying language acquisition and lived two years in Costa Rica.
An award-winning educator, Deanne has more than twenty years of combined experience as an educator, teacher, and trainer in public schools, private schools, universities, and corporate settings, and in homeschooling her 2e children. She also spent more than a decade educating others on how to reduce their own anxiety through the internationally recognized Conquer Anxiety Success Program she authored. As a life-long learner herself, Deanne’s unique strengths are her contagious quest to draw students into the learning process as creators of their learning experience and her ability to tailor to each child’s unique needs and strengths. Her experience as an educator and parent of two 2e/gifted children has enabled Deanne to understand the needs of these tremendous learners and the intense, challenging, and exhilarating facets that being gifted or 2e brings to your child’s educational experience — intellectually, socially, and emotionally.
What Led Deanne and Erik to Create Great Minds Learning Community?
Deanne married Erik Repich and is grateful to be the happy mother of two twice-exceptional kids. Their own 2e/gifted children and their passion to create an educational community in which gifted/2e learners thrive and are celebrated inspired Deanne and Erik to co-found Great Minds Learning Community.
Deanne shares:
“When our first child was born, we to planned educate her in a traditional school setting. As we got to know our child with her amazing intellect, as well as her learning differences and challenges, we realized that she would have her own unique path, and we starting homeschooling. This enabled us to meet her specific needs.
All the while we continued to seek a school that would provide a learner-centered educational experience with hands-on, engaging learning and discovery tailored to both the giftedness and the learning differences that allowed for life balance. During our journey, we enrolled in two different part-time schools, and while we enjoyed the benefits of community and some other features, we found that there were no schools in the area equipped to meet the needs of her giftedness nor her learning challenges of being twice-exceptional in a hands-on way. Our son (7 years younger) is also twice-exceptional.
We have chosen to be the change you want to see in the world with Great Minds: to co-create a truly unique and transformational learning community for gifted and twice-exceptional students with parents and students.
We truly ‘get’ what it’s like to be a parent of a gifted and/or twice-exceptional learner because we’ve been there. We know the family commitment you have made to do whatever it takes to find a good fit for your child so that s/he can truly thrive.”
As an educator and parent of 2e/gifted children, Deanne understands the needs of these tremendous learners and the intense, challenging, and exhilarating facets that being gifted or 2e brings to your child’s educational experience — intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Deanne is a member of SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted), an organization dedicated to empowering families and communities to guide gifted and talented individuals to reach their goals: intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. She is also a Certified Positive Discipline Classroom Educator.