junior program summer site : conversations : first session



	chandler from illinois (7/2) Chandler, a 7th grader from Illinois, is back for her second summer at the Junior Program. She knows that it's easy to make friends here because Explo students and staff are very friendly! This summer, she's eager to learn how to make rose petals out of frosting in her cake decorating mini-course. What grade are you going into? Seventh. Cool. So then how do you like being on West Campus this year? We get to do a lot of things, and we get to be in our own little area. Being a 7th grader is cool because we get to see Blue Man Group. I’ve never been before, but it seems pretty fun because, like, they’ll be putting the paint on the drums . . . and when they bang on the drums, the paint will go everywhere. Blue Man Group is definitely very cool. So what made you decide to come back to Explo? I just liked how everybody was so nice. And it’s really fun because everyone just wants to be your friend and doesn’t make fun of you or say hurtful things to make you feel bad. It’s very easy to make friends here. I have a few friends back from last year, and I’ve also made some new friends this year in my living group. What have you been up to for the last few days? Well, yesterday we did some general stuff since it was the first day, and we went to our first classes. We unpacked our rooms and stuff . . . and started making new friends on our halls. What did you do on your hall? We made our hall contract, and we wrote down that we weren’t going to hurt people or be mean and rude. We also wrote that if we see someone doing harm to another person, we would confront that person or tell our residence advisors. What classes are you taking this year? I’m taking “Which Way to Broadway” and “Explo Weekly” for my two courses and “Summer Spa” and cake decorating for my mini-courses. Yesterday, in “Which Way to Broadway?” we played the game “party quirks”. We pretended that one person was the party host, and then the class would pick three more people to be the party guests. The party host leaves the room, and the class picks quirks for the three guests -- like, “you are always sleepy” or “you laugh too much.” When the party host comes back into the room, they have to guess what their quirks are. Since it’s an acting class, we also acted out our hall contracts and several rules for our class. I acted out the rule that we can’t drag things across the floor or put tape down on it, because it will ruin the floor. What new things do you hope to try this summer? Well, in “Explo Weekly” I’m excited to learn how to make a magazine. And in “Which Way to Broadway?” we’re going to do a little show at the end of the session. Also, I want to learn how to make the little rose petal thingies with frosting in my cake decorating mini-course. What’s your favorite thing about Explo? That everyone here is nice. People don’t say hurtful things or do anything mean here. The staff is also really nice. They’ll pretty much help you with anything you need, and they’re just plain nice! Sometimes the staff is silly and fun and goofy, but they’re also serious. How would you describe Explo to one of your friends at home? I’d tell them that it’s the best summer program ever! Everybody’s nice, the classes are so enjoyable, and it’s never boring or anything. It’s just . . . fun! How is Explo different than school? You get to play around, talk, and do active things. In school, you just sit and read a book. But here, the teacher actually talks to you and explains everything to you and you get to try it all actively. Also, you get to make a lot of choices at Explo. You get to choose all of your classes, and during the day you can pick from like 10-12 activities. I try to pick things that I’ve never tried before and that are new to me, because otherwise I’d just be learning a lot of the same things. If Explo were a type of food, what would it be? Chicken fingers! That’s my favorite kind of food, and Explo is my favorite summer program. Maybe also chocolate ice cream, because that’s my other favorite. more conversations > first session \| second session