5 minute read
“WE CAN’T WAIT FOR SUMMER!”
DEREK REINHOLD, DIRECTOR OF AUXILIARY PROGRAMS
Perhaps you will hear these words from your children more and more as they progress through the spring semester. Here at TVS Auxiliary Programs, we already are saying this every day! Our team eagerly anticipates the 2023 launch of XPLORE: Summer at TVS on May 30, which will usher in a new chapter in the already magnificent history of our summer programming.
Whereas families choose to enroll their children in summer camps for a variety of reasons, we want to share our heart behind what we do in XPLORE. In keeping with our Auxiliary Programs Vision Statement, we believe that all children and adolescents should leave our camps and classes with more (and new!) skills, knowledge, and perspectives than they possess when they enter. We are in the business of developing people! To support this, we have created XPLORE camps that will expand and enrich each child’s academic, creative, and athletic horizons – all while keeping it fun and enjoyable!
We also believe that your family should have as much choice as possible when determining your summer activities. Our amazing faculty and community partners have created 186 camps and classes to delight and engage your children – the most we have ever offered! Our team is both proud of and grateful for the robust community response that we received during Catalog development this past winter. Both our School’s faculty and the broader community recognize the value in being involved, and they are excited about the future of XPLORE: Summer at TVS!
When we launch on May 30, our goal is that your family continually notices our future-focused attitude! Over the past several months, our team has reviewed past practices and developed sustainable improvements across our programming.
For example, our foremost priority is to keep all campers physically and psychologically safe during their time with us. To accomplish this, not only will Campus Security and licensed medical staff continue to be present on campus at all times, but we also are completely revamping our pre-summer training for instructors, interns, and counselors. All personnel will be oriented to the brand-new XPLORE Emergency Management Plan and will receive training on best practices for: (1) creating an inclusive environment, (2) addressing social situations appropriately, and (3) caring well for each individual camper’s needs. New this year, administrators have been trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid, and we have drafted an official XPLORE Behavior Management Plan to assist us in creating a consistent and supportive environment for our campers.
We have also established a brand-new, universityapproved XPLORE Internship Program! Our amazing inaugural crew of interns will add a layer of safety, positivity, and fun throughout the whole summer – offering a consistent and smiling face throughout our 10-week season. In turn, they will learn useful program design and leadership skills and collaborate with our team on new ways to lead XPLORE programming into the future. (Yes, in fact, we are already thinking toward 2024!)
We are especially thrilled to tell you about an important future-focused design update to one specific annual summer program: Fort Worth Forward. This full-day community engagement program (June 5-9) will now intentionally connect TVS students in grades 2-4 with similarly aged students from the broader Fort Worth community. Campers will engage in a meaningful, age-appropriate project that benefits the city, while learning more about themselves as citizens and building connections with people outside their normal social circles! We are focusing not only on the future of XPLORE itself, but we also are focusing on the future of the city through XPLORE!
Whereas we could tell you much, much more about our heart behind XPLORE: Summer at TVS, we hope this introduction has given you a glimpse into the intentionality, thoughtfulness, and care that we are infusing into all elements of our summer experience. If you have not already, please visit tvs.org/summer to view our Catalog and access our registration site. We look forward to serving your family this summer! We are certainly looking forward to the best XPLORE season yet, and we invite you to be a part of the magic!
