Summer Academy 2018 was another great adventure! Students participated in English, math, science, foreign language, and electives classes designed to prepare them for the upcoming school year. Upward Bound introduced a few new and stimulating courses this year, including French and art. The science courses included anatomy/physiology, chemistry, and psychology. In anatomy, students had the opportunity to dissect sheep brains and cow eyes. The electives were fun and relaxing classes, including fitness, music and media technology, real talk university, and art. Once again, juniors and seniors were given the opportunity to apply to take a 3 credit hour college course in cultural anthropology or communications. All students who participated in these courses passed and now have at least 3 credits to bring to college.
After an application and interview process, 15 seniors were selected by different IUPUI schools and departments to participate in an internship. Some of the internship sites included IUPUI’s School of Dentistry, School of Liberal Arts, School of Science, and the Kelley School of Business. To supplement this work experience, students participated in a pre-professional course that included workshops and assignments, such as writing and editing their cover letters and resumes and giving a presentation about their internships.
Outside of the classroom, students were able to work on team bonding and camaraderie at Camp Tecumseh located in Brookston, Indiana. This year’s Olympiad was held at Purdue Northwest in northwestern Indiana, where our students had the chance to demonstrate their athletic ability by medaling in three (basketball, volleyball, and dodgeball) out of the four sports competitions. In addition to these two off-campus events, students had evening activities that included making tie-dye shirts, paddling boats on the canal, playing pick-up basketball games, and dancing to help them de-stress from their academic lives.
At the end of the Summer Academy, returning students had an opportunity to venture out of the Midwest and travel all the way to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC. While there, students were able to tour and to learn about three different colleges and universities: Howard, George Washington, and Georgetown. Students also took guided tours of the Capitol, the inside of the White House, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Students also learned a lot about our nation’s history by visiting the memorials.
We had a blast this summer and are looking forward to another great academic year!