intermediate program summer site : conversations : second session



	michael from pennsylvania (8/4) Michael is enjoing his first year at Explo. He's a basketball player, hip-hop dancer, and actor all in one. He says he was pleasantly surprised to realize how hands-on his classes are and how much fun the main events can be! So, how do you like your first year at Explo? It’s pretty fun. Have you met many new friends at Explo? The first day was a little rough, then all through that first week things smoothed out. What’s it like to be a residential student? It’s actually pretty fun. I didn’t think I'd be able to stay away from home for three weeks. I didn’t understand . . . on the website it said for the parents to not be surprised if you didn’t hear back from your kids. I thought I was going to call my mom as soon as I got the chance, but to this day I’ve only called my mom, like, twice [laughs]. It's busy here, and fun. Well, hopefully she’ll see this and know you’re alive and well! How did you like your trip to see the Blue Man Group today? It was really, really fun. Luckily, I didn’t get a bunch of stuff on me. I was on the side, so they missed me [laughs]. What was your favorite part of the show? Personally, I’m a percussionist so the drums were everything for me. With the paint it was really cool. And what trip did you go on yesterday? I went to Harvard and the Natural History Museum. At Harvard, they showed us mostly the freshman areas in case we were thinking about going. And the Natural History Museum was pretty fun. We got to see a whole bunch of different animals. Oh, the bugs kind of creeped me out, but [laughs]I liked seeing the lions and the tigers and plants and stuff. What classes are you taking? I’m in “Give My Regards To Broadway” and “Sports Report”. And both classes are working on something kinda big, I guess. For the musical theater class, we just learned the song we’re gonna do for Off-Broadway Night -- it's from Guys and Dolls. We also made a little two-minute skit to do before, so that will be fun. And then for “Sports Reports” we’re doing -- you know Sports Illustrated? Well, we’re doing Explo Illustrated. We’re all writing articles about something going on in sports currently, and we’re going to pick the top five and put them in a magazine. Everybody has to write an article, and then I’m also the editor-in-chief, so when everyone is done, I'll be editing, which is kinda fun. Sounds awesome! What’s your article on? I’m going to write in on the Miami Heat basketball team. They were the worst team this past year [laughs]. They actually have one of the best teams coming up this year, so I’m going to write about the transition they’re going to have -- kinda like a hopeful Boston Celtics story [laughs]. Interesting sounding article! What mini-courses are you taking? Hip-hop dance and basketball. How do you like hip-hop? It was actually pretty fun. This past Wednesday I got to choreograph a 15 second routine. It was really fun. We did the tootsie roll a couple times and the robot; that was pretty cool. Have you taken hip-hop before? Not really hip-hop dance classes. I took classes for step a couple of years ago. Did step make you want to take this class? Um, somewhat. That and also I just love hip-hop, and I just wanted to learn a few more dance moves and stuff. Very fun! You’re going into ninth grade, right? Do you think Explo is preparing you for high school? Going into ninth grade, yeah. I’m getting ready. And yeah, I think it is. I think it will help me with classes and interacting with different people. I think, even more, it’s helping us getting ready for the college experience -- the whole dorms and everything, doing your own laundry, sharing a bathroom with everybody. It really gives you the college experience. What were you expecting when you first came to Explo? Honestly, it was kind of a toss up. I had a general idea of, like, the classes you take, but I had no idea about the hands-on experiences and how much fun everything in between would be. What has been your favorite activity? I think a lot of the main events. There was some stuff I hadn’t expected. I didn’t know we had main events every night, and I didn’t know how extreme they would be. They’re pretty fun though. What’s been your favorite one? Explo Idol was kinda fun -- I did that. I performed “My Girl” by the Temptations. I had never lip-synched before . . . that was different [laughs]. What else has surprised you about Explo? I think the fact that the teachers aren’t really teachers . . . they’re teachers but they’re, like, cool teachers. They’re not like teachers we have at my school that are like, “Okay class, everybody open your books to seven hundred fifty-six." What will you miss most about Explo? All the friends I’ve made. Yeah. I’m definitely considering Explo for the Senior Program next year, so it will be a little mini-reunion maybe. If Explo had a mascot what would it be? If Explo has a mascot . . . ? Do you know the college Notre Dame? The Fighting Irish? Well, we'd have Paddy O’Furniture as that leprechaun. I can see it now. The big six-foot-six leprechaun running around [laughs]. That’d be pretty cool. more conversations > first session \| second session