junior program summer site : conversations : first session



	cory from new jersey (7/1) Cory, a 4th grader from New Jersey, is excited to attend his first overnight summer program. He loves Explo because there are so many activities and trips to choose from, and there are always opportunities to try new things -- like Lego engineering and model rocketry! Tell me about your day? First, I took the swimming test. We had to swim two laps and tread water for a minute. Tomorrow, the lifeguards will give all of the students that passed the test a red bead. We put the beads on our ID lanyards to show that we passed the test. Why does everyone take the swim test? We have to take a swim test to make sure that we are all safe to swim because we have a pool here. We also need to take it ‘cause there might be a water park field trip that you want to go to, so you’ll have to know how to swim! What did you do after the swim test? We went with our floors to do floor activities. We did this "hand tree" activity. You trace your hand onto a piece of paper and cut it out, then in the fingers you write different things . . . you write something that you want to get out of the summer at Explo or something that you can give back. What did you write? For the things that I want to gain, I wrote that I want to learn how to make new things like a model rocket or a pinewood derby car. For the things that I can give back, I wrote baseball and basketball, because I already know how to do those, so I can teach them to someone. Sounds like you really like sports. Yeah, I do. I’m taking the baseball mini-course. I’m also taking tennis. For my regular classes I’m taking "Speed Racer" [woodworking] and "Big Dig Challenge" [Lego engineering]. I’ve played baseball and tennis before, but I’ve never gotten to try woodworking. What did you do after the "hand tree"? My residence group played capture the flag together. We split into two teams, and my team won! After capture the flag, we went back to our hall and played around. We played a card game called Egyptian. You put down a card and then the other person puts down a card. If it’s the same one, you slap it! Sounds like you did some nice bonding with your group. Yeah. Once we were done on the hall, we came down to the quad and I played a little bit of wallball. Oh, and we had lunch and dinner too. The food was great! I had pasta, corn, a chocolate chip cookie, and chocolate milk. What are you up to now? Now I’m about to go design some decorations for my dorm room at the art center. I think I might want to design a little poster for my roommate and me. My roommate is good. His name is William and he’s also from New Jersey, but I didn’t know him before Explo. We have a lot in common. Like, we both love the Yankees and we both like to play baseball a lot. We talked about how the Yankees lost to the Mets 3 to 1, and that was an outrage! We get along well. Is it easy making friends here? Yeah, making friends at Explo has been pretty easy. So far I’ve made friends from New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Kansas. Wow, all in one day! So, what made you decide to come to Explo? I wanted to try doing a program at a boarding school where you get to hang out with a roommate and stuff. I got a catalog in the mail and I saw all the activities, and it looked cool because Explo has a lot of activities and nice dorms, and nice advisors that have a lot of fun with you. In the catalog there was a map, and I saw that Explo had a pool and a theater and everything, so I asked my mom if I could go. She said I could go if I really wanted to, and it has been great! Awesome! What are some new things that you would like to try this summer? I’m excited to start trying engineering in "Big Dig Challenge", my Lego engineering class. In "Big Dig Challenge" we get to make a Lego city and compete against other people. I want to start making more stuff, like the race car I’m going to make in "Speed Racer" [woodworking] and the rocket in my model rocketry mini-course. I also want to go on the whale watching trip, where you get to go on a boat into the ocean. I’ve never gone whale watching before. What’s the staff at Explo like? They’re great. They’re not too harsh on you, they’re nice, and they make the rules very clear. What’s one word to describe Explo? Magnificent! This is a really fun program, there are a lot of fun activities, and we get to go on trips a lot. I can’t wait to tell my friends at home about it, like how we have great dinner, lunch, and breakfast. And you get to stay in a dorm with a roommate. more conversations > first session \| second session