F E AT U R E S
Summerbridge Summer 2020 — Dara Northcroft, Summerbridge Executive Director
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ince 1978, Summerbridge has provided academic enrichment to ambitious students from underresourced circumstances. Every summer, the UHS campus fills with more than one hundred enthusiastic students and twenty dedicated faculty, who bring the joyous sounds of learning, community building, and Summerbridge spirit to the campus. When the impact of COVID19 drastically changed how we all work and gather as learning communities, the Summerbridge administrative team leapt into action to plan virtual learning in summer 2020. Key to our planning was not only to preserve the quality of our instruction and activities, but to ensure our students had access to the resources necessary to participate. Through its close partnership with UHS, Summerbridge provided essential technology-based tools for the students and summer faculty, including laptops, Summerbridge email addresses, and access to Zoom and to Canvas (a learning management system). Additionally, families were provided with meal support through grocery-store gift cards.
March 22, 2020 UHS Head of School extends campus closure through May 1, noting closure could be indefinite.
June 6, 2020 Class of 2020 virtual graduation held online for students, family, and friends.
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U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2020
On June 2, the Summerbridge faculty, consisting of eleven instructional coaches and five teaching fellows, began collaborating and planning academic and community-building classes. On June 15, students logged in to their first classes on Zoom and began their six-week virtual summer session. Classes included math, English, science, high school advising, and SSAT prep. The faculty’s diligent planning paid off as they presented interactive and engaging lessons that encouraged active student participation. In ninth-grade English classes, students chose a local social issue, researched it, and created a product (podcasts, stickers, posters, poetry, etc.) that calls for activism and change. In their high school advising classes, seventh- and eighth-grade students talked about the characteristics of their dream schools, wrote personal statements, and practiced interview skills. And in
“Summerbridge was a wonderful opportunity for me not only to learn several more concepts and methods of learning, but to interact with peers socially. I appreciate all everyone has contributed for me to spend this amazing summer with the Summerbridge community!” —Summerbridge eighth grader, summer 2020
