Today is Evelyn's 9th birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to have a published interview? And perhaps a slice of pie? This is her first summer at the Junior Program and she is confident of her return next year. Evelyn was born in Germany and enjoys lip-syncing to Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA."

What do you think of EXPLO so far?
I like it a lot. I like the pie! I’m in love with pie. It’s not my favorite part, but it’s really, really good. I also like all my classes: Painting and Web Design.

Web Design? Wow! Do you have any experience with web design?
Well, no. But I wanted to make a website, so I decided to take it. I haven’t really made one yet, but kind of one. The website’s about pie! And I’ve painted before. In Painting, we painted the Mona Lisa with white and black. It was really fun. We also did landscapes, and a Van Gogh exercise. We all painted a little corner of Starry Night. Every person made a little part, and then we put them together. The person who was right next to mine did a really light color and I did a really dark color, so it looked really weird. But it was still fun.

How are classes at EXPLO different from classes at school?
At EXPLO they focus on one thing which I like because in art at school, when we’re in the middle of a project we just go to another project. We work on the same thing here, so you can get used to it and good at it.

When not on the quad playing wall-ball or 4-square, you can find Garrison on the field with a soccer ball or in the gym with a basketball or in the squash courts with a bouncy ball. Garrison is also passionate about medieval times and science and is happy to be studying both of them this summer.

What can you tell me about these courses?
Extreme Science is really fun. Yesterday we put Mentos in Coke. We were studying volcanoes, and we put Mentos in Coke to see how it would react — we found it very reactive. It exploded and was really messy, but it didn’t stick on us because it was Diet. It was really funny. And Building a Medieval Empire is really cool. We learned about this ancient kingdom that was here about 500 years ago, in medieval times, and he said that they were not a good empire, and so we were going to travel back in time to rewrite history. And it was called the Nordic Kingdom, and they were bad. And so we went back in time to live the life of a medieval person and feel how it felt to be a medieval person, and it was really fun.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned at EXPLO so far?
The thing that I’ve already learned is how to be a better friend. At the beginning I didn’t really know how to react to a new friend, even though I knew I would make them. At first, when I got my friend George I didn’t talk a lot but finally I realized he was a really good friend and I felt really comfortable being a good friend to him, too.

What five words best describe EXPLO?
Awesome, exciting, electrifying, stunning, and something to look forward to, you just have to look forward to it, it’s like a rule.

Sophie is entering the fifth grade and it's her first year at EXPLO at St. Mark's. She caught our eye at the wall-ball championship when she performed exceptionally well and came close to beating a 7th grader. Sophie's interests are widespread but she is especially passionate about journalism.

What are your thoughts on EXPLO so far?
It’s a really exciting program. Most of the residential kids are from outside of Massachusetts, and then there’s also a day group with mostly kids from Massachusetts. So it’s a nice mix. And there are so many different activities that we get to do here.

What kind of projects are you working on in your classes?
You know how on TV when you watch the news, there’s usually the news anchor who introduces the other people on the show? And then there’s also an interviewer, a field journalist, and a weather and traffic reporter? Well, in Broadcast Journalism, we’re making that whole set. We actually finished filming today, and now we’ll spend the rest of the week editing. It’ll be shown on Off-Broadway night! And then in our magazines, there are puzzles, games, and drawings that you can color in. And we have some interviews and stuff, and some articles on things that happen at EXPLO. We also have a page about what it was like making the magazine.

And what was it like making the magazine?
[laughs] Well, we came up with so many ideas which was hard, but we ended up using only a few ideas per person. We had to decide on how we wanted to write it because there were so many different ways that we could. And then what were the things that we wanted to include. So it was really hard just thinking about those things, but otherwise the puzzles and the games were really easy to put together.

What advice would you give to someone considering coming to EXPLO?
I would say that if you come from far away, almost all of the students who are residents are from other parts of America, or Europe, or from Asia, so you’re not going to feel like you’re too far away. And there are also a lot of opportunities here that other summer programs don’t get. It's a lot of fun!

Eli just completed his second summer with EXPLO at St. Mark's as a day student. He will be entering the sixth grade and hopes to return to EXPLO for one more summer. Eli was beyond excited to sit down with us and share his session 1 experiences; our conversation was "epic."

What courses did you take this summer?
My first one is Marketing and Advertising, and it’s code name is “(Ad)Venturing.” And my other one is Comic Book Art and it’s code name is “Up, Up, and Away.” In Marketing and Advertising we made advertisements for EXPLO. We were split up into two groups and then we made video advertisements and then print advertisements. And Comic Book Art is really fun. The first week we worked on drawing faces and facial structures. The second week we worked on the outline for it and the characters, and the third week we actually made our real comics. We didn’t really make comic books, but I ended up making 15 panels and so ended up with about 5 comics. I made up a character called “Maximum”, “Max” for short. And he had super powers. He had like a special Mario hat which when he thought up a Mario power he got that power, like flying.

Sounds interesting. Why these two courses?
Marketing and Advertising, because I love that kind of stuff, advertising and everything, and so I thought it would be really fun. And Comic Book Art, I’m not that good of a drawer so I wanted to explore something new, as the name “Exploration” says.

Great reason. What workshops did you take?
I took Swimming Lessons and Improvisational Theater. Swim lessons, you just swim and stuff. I was one of the only people who hadn’t pass the swim test because I can’t really swim long distance because I don’t have enough energy, so I got my own little private instructor. And during the three courses I was able to learn two whole strokes and master them: the front crawl and the back crawl. And then for Improv, well my sister took the course last year and it was hilarious and she loved it. So I decided that instead of taking the course I’d take the workshop because next year I’d be able to try the actual course. And it was awesome, like awesome!

What advice would you give to someone considering coming to EXPLO?
I would say, the best thing ever to know at EXPLO is just to be yourself, and let all that you have inside yourself out. Here there’s no need to worry that you’re going to get bullied.

It's only the first day of George's experience at EXPLO at St. Mark's but he is already having a great time making friends and playing wall-ball. Upon his return home to London, George will be entering the 5th grade. He enjoys playing sports and trying new things, like studying ecology, fishing with a net, and sitting down for an interview.

Where are you from?
Well I’m from London but I was born in Canada. I’m also Russian and Greek. I have a Greek passport because my dad is Greek, and a Russian one because I lived in Russia and all my family is from Russia. And I would like to get an Italian passport because I lived there for three years. And then I have my British and Canadian passports.

Wow! You’re coming from all sorts of far places. Are you liking EXPLO so far?
Yeah, I like it a lot. Today I had a really fun day. The best part was… oh man, I have so many choices… I liked quad time the best because I played wall-ball. Never in my life have I played it, but a lot of people play it here.

Why did you decide to come to EXPLO?
Oh yes! I really wanted to come to America because I hadn’t been for quite a long time. I wanted to go Boston. And I go to camp every year and so my mom found this. And I honestly thought that it would be rubbish but then when I got here I really liked it!

Anjeh is entering the fifth grade and it's her second year at EXPLO at St. Mark's. She caught our eye on the stage today when she was singing to Miley Cyrus as her audition for the Pioneer Talent Show. Anjeh is from Cameroon but currently resides in Massachusetts and joins EXPLO as a day student. She loves EXPLO and hopes to return next year.

Do you have a favorite part about EXPLO?
I like the weekend trips the most. Canobie Lake Park’s the best because the rides aren’t that scary, except for just one roller-coaster.

That's good. What classes are you taking?
I am taking Spinning the Web with Steve and Drama + Acting with Alex. I like them but Spinning the Web started out confusing because I didn’t always know what to do. But I’m learning a lot. I wanted to take it because I wanted to learn how to make a Web page. My brother is into computers so he knows how to do really interesting things. So I wanted to see if I could learn some things also. And for Drama + Acting, I’ve acted before, in plays at school and I really like it. I also sing. I will be singing at the talent show. I’ve been singing for as long as I could understand songs. On Sundays, after Church, I have singing lessons.

Do you have any advice for people considering coming to EXPLO?
That they should come because they get to try new things that they don’t normally get to try at home and they get to meet new people. I’ve already met a lot of new people and done a lot of new things.

Aidan is entering fifth grade and it's his third session at the Junior Program. In addition to playing Pokémon games, chess, and "Ga-ga," Aidan enjoys spending his time at EXPLO studying space and nature. He finds EXPLO to be "always so awesome" and is already certain of his return next year.

What did you do today?
Today in Evan’s class, which is Beyond Infinity + Beyond, we were trying to detect sound waves and they were like bouncing all around. Instead of using sound waves we were using sticks and we had to identify the objects and every group guessed theirs correctly; ours was a teddy bear. And in my second class, we went fishing and I caught a baby crayfish. It was Ecology with Danielle. And Danielle and Evan are both really good teachers.

Do you find that students and classes at EXPLO are different from those at your school?
Actually yes, because students at my school come from close by and students at EXPLO come from all around the world. Classes at EXPLO are more fun where classes at my school are more work. You have to follow directions at both but at EXPLO there are more activities. At my school, you get assigned to stuff and you don’t choose, versus at EXPLO, you get to choose your courses and your activities. And that’s what I love about EXPLO.

Do you have a favorite part about EXPLO?
My favorite part is probably the weekend trips. On Water Country this weekend I went on Double Geronimo and it was really fun. And on Canobie Lake Park I went on the log one which is also really fun. I love the trips. And I love my hall. And I love all the students; they’re all really nice.

Alannah is entering the fifth grade and it's her first year at EXPLO at St. Mark's. When not on stage acting or in the kitchen baking, you may find her at the spa concocting lotions and bath salts. Alannah and her family live in Singapore but that does not stop them from annual travels to Massachusetts, this time for some EXPLO fun!

What courses are you taking?
I’m taking Drama + Acting and The Science of Cookie Making. I have Alex for both of them. [Laughs.] Drama + Acting is really fun. There are loads of activities that we do. And I’m really looking forward to Off-Broadway night because we’re going to perform, but we don’t know what yet. I really like acting; I take acting classes at school. And I wanted to take The Science of Cookie Making because I always bake at home with my mom. At my house I usually bake cookies, brownies, and other things.

That's good. What classes are you taking?
I am taking Spinning the Web with Steve and Drama + Acting with Alex. I like them but Spinning the Web started out confusing because I didn’t always know what to do. But I’m learning a lot. I wanted to take it because I wanted to learn how to make a Web page. My brother is into computers so he knows how to do really interesting things. So I wanted to see if I could learn some things also. And for Drama + Acting, I’ve acted before, in plays at school and I really like it. I also sing. I will be singing at the talent show. I’ve been singing for as long as I could understand songs. On Sundays, after Church, I have singing lessons.

Do you have any advice for people considering coming to EXPLO?
I would tell them that because there are other people to consider and many options to choose from, you should be open to change. Also, it’s really fun, and that’s all I’m going to say!

Zach is entering the fifth grade and it's his second year at EXPLO at St. Mark's. He may be young but Zach already knows that his interests lie in engineering and business. When not in class you can find him throwing balls on the field or in the gym, or hanging out with friends on the quad. His smile caught our attention on Day One and it was just a matter of time before we stopped him for a conversation.

What makes the courses at EXPLO different from those at your school?
Courses at EXPLO are a lot more hands-on and they’re a lot more fun. We get to do a lot more here because at school they do all the easy stuff because even if there’s one person left behind the teacher has to go back with them. But here the teacher can talk privately with the student because they see them a lot.

If you were an EXPLO instructor, what would you like to teach?
One course I would like to do would probably be Lego Engineering. And one workshop I would like to do would probably be basketball. And then an activity I’d like to do is "Ga-ga."

What would you tell people about EXPLO?
You should all come to EXPLO!