More than 30 Years of Growth and Exploration
When Ann and Arnie Singal founded Explo in 1976, they created a unique summer experience for high school students that combined the best aspects of summer camps — close friendships, activities, and adventure — with a focus on intellectual engagement and life learning.
Since then, Explo has stayed true to its origins, but has also grown and evolved to respond to the way students learn, and to the ever-changing world in which they live.
Connecting with Amazing People
There are extraordinary people at Explo. One of the really cool things is that many of the people you meet at Explo will no doubt go on to do amazing things in life and you'll be able to say you knew them before they won elected office, wrote a best-selling book, founded a wildly successful company, made an important scientific discovery, clerked on the U.S. Supreme Court, or directed a blockbuster movie.
And, yeah, Explo alums have done all those things... and a lot more. Here are some recent profiles of former Explo students and faculty.
Inspiration From MIT
The inspiration for Explo came from Arnie's days as an administrator and freshman advisor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While working at MIT, Arnie noticed several programs being offered to first-year college students that he felt would also be of great benefit to high school students.
A Different Kind of Classroom
Arnie found that his MIT advisees really enjoyed their first-year seminars. Designed to expose students to new subjects and academic disciplines, the seminars provided an intimate learning environment that encouraged student participation and active learning. Because the seminars were informal and not graded in the traditional fashion, students were more apt to take academic risks than they were in their regular courses. Additionally, because the seminars had limited enrollment, students really got to know their instructors and classmates. The seminar atmosphere was lively, engaging, and intellectually provocative.
Trying Something New
Arnie's advisees also loved MIT's Independent Activity Period (IAP). For one month, between fall and spring semesters, the MIT community took a break from its regular course schedule and participated in a variety of structured activities, including how-to sessions, forums, lectures, films, tours, recitals, and contests. The diversity of offerings was astounding, and students were encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones and challenge themselves by trying something new. This often meant learning about subjects that were not part of the traditional curriculum.
The Impact of Young Teachers
Finally, through a local tutoring program in which undergraduate students from area colleges volunteered to tutor high school students, Ann and Arnie saw first hand how bright, well-rounded college students could meaningfully connect with high school students. The tutors often approached the academic material in unusual ways that the students found accessible, interesting, understandable, and relevant.
Moreover, the tutors not only inspired students in their academic pursuits, they also served as exceptional role models and mentors. The impact they made on their students was enormous and went far beyond academics. Working with his wife Ann, Arnie developed these concepts into the framework for the Explo of today.
EXPLO Today
Growing, Evolving, Getting Better
The core principles on which Explo was founded still guide us today. But we have expanded our work in the world of education in order to share what we have learned about teaching and building creative learning environments. Collaborating with others also helps keep our thinking fresh, exposes us to best practices, and ultimately enriches our summer programs.
Special Projects
Recently, Explo participated in research projects with professors, fellows, and doctoral candidates at the MIT Media Lab, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Wellesley College. These projects allowed Explo students to participate in cutting-edge research involving handheld devices, robots, and digital circuit design. This kind of work fuels the imagination, allows us to work with very bright people, and expands opportunities for our students.
Field Professionals
Explo strives to connect classroom learning to the real world, and that is often aided by allying with people working in the field. For instance, stock analysts from Charles Schwab work within our investment courses, and our Secret Service course draws on the expertise of Mike Verden of Hillard Heintze. Mike was a member of the prestigious USSS Presidential Protective Division, where he planned and implemented security strategies to protect President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush.
Seasoned Teachers
Experienced teachers are drawn to Explo for a variety of reasons including teacher development workshops and online courses. The Massachusetts Department of Education has recognized Explo as a provider of Professional Development Points for public school teachers. In addition, professional educators who work with us during the summer can earn up to eight graduate credits per year through New England College. The ability to offer points and credit helps us to recruit wonderful people to work during the academic year and the summer.
Active and Engaged Leadership Team
Senior members of Explo leadership are often asked to consult with schools and other organizations. Recent work includes anti-bullying initiatives, student leadership programs, audits of health center and student life operations for boarding schools, and helping faculty nurture the emotional life of boys.
We also helped design and lead the Association of Independent Schools in New England's Beginning Teacher Institute. Our Executive Director and President was just named the Director of Education and Outreach for the Commission on Presidential Debates. This kind of work is challenging, keeps our minds sharp, and regularly makes us reassess how we approach our work with young people during the summer. It keeps us connected to school culture, which is important because that is where our students live most of the year.
Valued Partners
We also engage in, and value, partnerships of all kinds. Explo has partnered with organizations that serve the gifted and talented, such as the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (JKC) and the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. The Loomis Chaffee School designates a group of incoming student leaders each year “LC Scholars” and those students attend Explo before matriculating at the School. Other organizations, such as the BioConnection Program of Connecticut United for Research Excellence and Animalearn, which provides equipment for our veterinary science courses, support our classroom work.
Adding Focus
Beginning in 2010, we added Focus programs to Explo’s offerings. At the intersection of academics and the real world, and committed to Explo's teaching philosophy, Explo Focus programs are active, hands on, and fun. For two weeks, Focus program students engage in pre-professional training, work side by side with experts, and visit sites seldom open to the public. For instance, students in the Emergency Medicine program (Explo ER) work with Dr. Christian Arbelaez, an emergency room physician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. They also train in the Brigham and Women's Hospital Stratus Center for Medical Simulation lab. Upon completion of a Focus program, students will have a much better understanding of the professional opportunities in the field as well the education, training, and work necessary to be successful in the profession.
Explo is dynamic. We are always looking to improve our approach to teaching and learning in order to improve the experiences of our students.
