Summer Programs Abound!

From the Hunnewell Education Group

By Oakes Hunnewell, Ed.M., CEP
Winter, 2015 Newsletter

Summer is a perfect time of year for further exploration, enrichment and adventure.

There are many opportunities for teenagers to further explore their interests in the summer. Not all of them are program-related. Students can be creative on their own. Tim, for instance, liked journalism and photography. He spent his summers on a lake in the town where his father had grown up.

With his father’s help, Tim was able to secure an internship with the town’s local newspaper. His duties included some office work and taking photos to go along with the stories printed in the paper.

Tim had access to the newsroom and was able to observe how journalists worked, and soon he was finding stories of interest around town and following police reports. He also was able to use digital equipment to create a portfolio of his work to take with him at the end of the summer.

Colleges are looking for students who are both proficient in English and who have a passion that they have explored and further developed. Not all students can identify their own passions, but a curious mind is also one that is willing to explore its many interests.

For international students, it is recommended that the younger middle school and lower upper school students choose programs that will give them academic and language enrichment. Many of these programs occur on boarding school campuses.

As the students mature and develop some interests that go beyond language and traditional academic subjects, they should begin to explore opportunities that further build on their skills foundation.

They are also encouraged to experience more independence. College campuses offer summer programs that allow students to broaden their knowledge in academic and non-academic fields in an environment that is less structured. There are also non-affiliated programs focusing on specific interests. Below are some examples of programs for both middle and upper school students.

Summer Boarding Programs for Middle and High School Students

Academic Enrichment, Writing, SAT Prep

7th-12th Graders

English as a Second Language (ESL), Writing and Literature, Journalism, Theater, Economics, US History, Math, Ceramics, Public Speaking, SSAT Prep +SAT Prep

• www.nmh.org
• www.andover.edu
• www.loomischaffee.org; 

8th-11th Graders

Academic Enrichment, Theater Arts, English as a Second Language (ESL), Environmental Science, Filmmaking, Science, Marine Biology, Math, Writing Workshop, Community Service

• www.choate.edu
• www.exeter.edu

Writing, Academic Enrichment, Studio Arts, SSAT Prep, Foreign Language

• www.taftschool.org
• www.salisburysummerschool.org

Creative and Visual Arts Programs

5th-12th Graders

Dance, Theater Arts, Visual Arts, Writing, Film, Photography, Mixed-Media

• www.walnuthillarts.org
• www.csw.org
• www.putneyschool.org

Academic Enrichment, Theater Arts, Economics, Foreign Language, Visual Arts, Humanities

Grades 6-9

• www.explo.org –Wellesley College 

Grades 10-12

• www.explo.org- Yale University 

Outdoor Education

Grades 7-12

• www.wolfeboro.org
• www.putneyschool.org

Summer Residential Programs for Rising 11th and 12th Graders

Science/Technology

Earth Watch

(Science Field Work)

• http://earthwatch.org/

Embry Riddle

(Aerospace Engineering)

• http://daytonabeach.erau.edu/degrees/summer-camps/residential/index.html

Crow Canyon

(Archeological Excavations)

• http://www.crowcanyon.org/

La Sabranenque

(Archeological Excavations)

• http://www.sabranenque.com/eng/index.html

Theater/Arts/Design

New York Film Academy

• https://www.nyfa.edu/

SOCAPA at Pace University

• http://www.socapa.org/photographycamps/

Main Media Workshop

(Digital Design, Game Design)

• http://www.mainemedia.edu/

Digipen

(Digital Design, Game Design)

• https://www.digipen.edu/

Leadership

Eisenhower Institute

(Leadership Activities, Current Events Courses and Guest Speakers)

• http://www.eisenhowerinstitute.org/programs/american-government-leadership-camp/

JSA

• http://summer.jsa.org/

Youth Leadership Forum

(Leadership Activities, Current Events Courses and Guest Speakers)

• http://www.envisionexperience.com/

Pre-College

Brown University

(On-Campus Living, College-Style Courses)

• http://www.brown.edu/ce/pre-college/pre-college-courses.php

Finance

Babson Entrepreneurial Program

(Experiential Product Development, Marketing and Finance)

• http://www.babson.edu/admission/visiting-students/high-school/Pages/entrepreneurial-development-experience.aspx

Adventure

Overland

(Group Travel)

• http://www.overlandsummers.com/

NOLS

(Wilderness Survival)

• http://www.nols.edu/

Outward Bound

Wilderness Survival)

• http://www.outwardbound.org/

About Hunnewell Education Group

The Hunnewell Education Group helps students succeed throughout their schooling. They believe that all students can achieve, given the right guidance, the right resources and the right environment. Their goal is to help families find the place where their student can thrive academically, emotionally and socially.

They help students assess which schools are best for them, and how to maximize their chances for acceptance. Their mission is to meet the students' needs so that they may feel free to explore their interests with confidence and enthusiasm.