Originally Posted by quietandcurious
...Should his teacher nominate him?
Teachers who notice a child's giftedness can be good nominators. Those who may be focused on bringing up the kids at the bottom and do not notice how advanced other kids may be once they have "met standards", may be reluctant nominators.

If it helps in choosing a nominator, you can view the 4 questions which nominators are asked at the Checklist in Step 2 on this webpage: How to Apply

Originally Posted by quietandcurious
... a few hands-on activities and there is a focus on STEM, that my son would have loved. The main draw was that he would have been with other kids who he could connect with on an intellectual level and who would challenge and motivate him. He is now more of a class helper.
This is important. As you may have read elsewhere, for continuing growth and development, kids need:
1) appropriate academic challenge
2) true peers
For typical kids, these needs may be met in a general ed classroom, however for children with higher IQ/giftedness, these needs may not be met without intentional effort in providing advanced curriculum, and grouping for instruction with academic/intellectual peers.