Enriching Summer Opportunities for Upper School Students

Summerwill soon be rolling in and our SCIS community will be headed for destinations near and far. In addition to muchneeded connections and reunions with friends and family, you may consider exploring summer enrichment opportunities. Summer is an excellent time to foster your child’s interests and build on academic and leadership skills from the classroom. Moreover, for those with high school children, taking a few half-days for career and or university exploration can help them get a clearer picture of what their life would look like after SCIS.

If you are considering enrolling your child in a summer camp, you might start by asking friends or family, locals at your summer destination, for recommendations. For sports camps, you may be able to find specific skill-building camps (e.g., gymnastics or goalie camps) or general sports. If you are considering academic-focused camps, you can identify camps or programs that are aligned with your child’s interests and potential career goals. Moreover, when considering academic camps, keep in mind some universities offer summer programs that are delivered by third parties while others connect students with their own faculty. Other great camps can be found at museums, zoos, and parks.

If your child already has a few potential careers in mind, summer is also a great opportunity for our high school students to connect with family members, friends, or professional contacts and have informational interviews. These interviews can take place at a nearby restaurant or coffee shop or even at the individual’s office. Some sites may even allow students to shadow an employee for a day or special event or take a behind-the-scenes tour. To prepare for a casual informational interview, students should write down a few questions ahead of time to learn more about what a day-to-day life as an accountant, creative director, or occupational therapist might look like.

In addition, if your family vacation may be taking you to near universities, you can consider a quick detour as many universities offer guided tours. These can be arranged by looking at the university website’s “potential student” section. You can also email individuals from the university’s “student life” or “admissions” departments. There is no need to pack whole days with university visits but planning a few half-days for these purposes can help students learn more about what life on campus might feel like.

Below are some options for summer enrichment activities. Please note these activities are not affiliated with SCIS but are recommended by SCIS faculty.

Residential Camps:

Space Camp (US) https://www.spacecamp.com/ Oxbridge Camps (Europe and UK) https://www. oxbridgeprograms.com/ YMCA (US) https://www.ymca.org/what-we-do/youthdevelopment/camp

Keru Enterprise Camps (China) http://www.keruknowledge.com/

Day Camps: Field Museum (US) https://www.fieldmuseum.org/summer-campsprograms

Indiana University Bloomington (US) https://precollege.indiana.edu/ Purdue University*(US) https://www.purdue.edu/hr/familyfriendly/ summerCamps/ Clemson University*(US) https://www.clemson.edu/summer/ camps/

Nike Athletic Camps (US) https://www.ussportscamps.com/ *Indicates options for neurodiverse students

By Sarah Harkin, Upper School Counselor at SCIS Pudong