intermediate program summer site : conversations : first session



	sabrina from new york (7/17) Sabrina is a residential student, violinist, and painter from New York. This is her first year at Explo and she is entering the 8th grade. Sabrina had a lot to say on our tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, so we were eager to hear her thoughts on Explo. Explo's almost over, sadly. How have you liked it? I’ve really enjoyed it so far. What classes are you taking? I’m taking “Cracking the Case” and architecture, or “Designing Your Dream House”. What are you doing in “Designing your Dream House”? Well, we just started building the models and the house I’m designing is a lot like my house already . . . but with some extras. I have all this extra stuff: movie theater, an indoor and outdoor pool, an ice cream parlor, and it would have my favorite store . . . What made you want to take architecture? Well, basically, my inspiration was that I live on a pretty new street. Well, it's like five- or six-years-old. And, basically, I really enjoyed seeing the process of the houses being build, how they were laid out, what details they had . . . so I thought this class would be interesting. And in "Cracking the Case", what have you been doing for that? Well, we’ve learned to do a lot of fingerprinting. We fingerprinted ourselves and then dusted for fingerprints on objects that that other groups had touched. So we had to dust and identify for fingerprints on a can of spray paint, which was really cool. We also learned how to, like, identify and analyze bullet holes. And now we're doing more for our mock scene. What’s your mock scene? Well, my name was pulled out of a hat to be a victim for the other group. Their crime is that I’m in a bathroom, getting ready for a party, and doing my hair in front of the mirror . . . and whoever was in the bathtub got mad at me and splashed me – the victim – and I got electrocuted. The scene will be set up with dummies, and then the other group will have to look for evidence like burn marks to figure out the case. Wow, sounds like a brutal crime. What are your mini-courses? Squash and Lacrosse. I wanted to take lacrosse because a lot of girls at my school play, but I had never had the chance to try it before. Squash was just something different because I play tennis and I might have played squash once before, but I didn’t really know how at all, so I wanted to try that. How do you like it compared to tennis? Well, I like it, but it's different . . . I’m trying to get used to using my wrist so much. In tennis you mostly use your arm . . . and then I also play violin — violin, even more than tennis — where it's really bad to rely on your wrists as much . . . so its hard, but I’m liking it a lot. What trips have you gone on? I went to Salem, to the witch trial and a play about them in which I got to play the constable and held keys and got to bring out the witches. I also went to the MFA and Isabella Gardener Museum and Six Flags. I wish we had drawing lessons at the Isabella Gardner because the courtyard was really beautiful. That museum was kind of spooky too . . . Did you like Six Flags? I was really scared of roller-coasters before, but then I went on "Super Man" and now I really like them. What main events have you really enjoyed? Well I played at the talent show with some friends, which was good. We did a fiddle-gypsy piece and we did different sections of it. Me and my friends would rotate. Actually, one of them, I knew from my orchestra back home. Oh fun, did you know many people before coming here? Yeah, I love meeting new people. Here it was kind of hard because there are just so many people I want to meet and get to know. All the girls on my hall, we’re all really good friends and then I’ve met some day kids in my classes. What were you expecting when you came to Explo? I was expecting . . . well, I didn’t know people were going to be so accepting of trying new things. When I said I wanted to go to yoga for the first time as an activity, like, I thought that everyone was going to be, like, “Oh, I don’t really want to.” But everyone was, like, “Oh, that’s so cool! Yeah, let's go and do all these new things.” I was really excited to go [to Explo], but I’m going to another program after this . . . a music program in Maine. And, prior to the summer, I was just a little more excited for that, because I’m really into the arts, so I wasn’t really pulled to Explo as much. But it has turned out to be a really good experience for me! I love doing all this stuff that I don’t normally do. What will you miss most about Explo? Well I love how the staff are so energetic . . . and I love the whole Explo story line that is happening . . . and that everyone is getting really into it, although it’s just a little story. I loved how the first day I came here and the staff were so welcoming and they were all just like “Hi!” and they had big smiles on their faces and were just ready to help us have an awesome summer. You could tell they had done so much planning with all the posters and the EFF hallways and stuff . . . So I think I’ll miss the really energetic staff and all the really awesome people I met here. I met people from all over the world, and they’re all interested in learning and trying new things . . . and they are all so accepting of each other. The support at the talent show was amazing. If Explo had a mascot what would it be? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a smiley face. Its kind of un-original, but I think that everybody’s just really happy to be here. That’s not a very good mascot at all [laughs] . . . Um . . . maybe something like a coat of arms that could include more of all of the different opportunities you have here. more conversations > first session \| second session