August 10, 2012
Conversations
Explo at St. Mark's: Trae from Colorado
More than anyone, Trae knows the greatness of Explo at St. Mark's. Having just completed his fourth summer at the program, and eager to attend Wellesley, he truly is a lover of all things Explo: the food, the courses, the staff, and the student body diversity. Trae may only be entering the seventh grade, but he already knows what he wants to be and what to do to get there, and he thanks Explo for the role it's played in this process.
How do you like Explo?
Well, I just think it's a really really fun place to go and meet people, and get to know people from different countries, for sure. And you can learn different languages. It's always cool to go home and say, "Yeah, I have a friend from Asia," or something like that.
What are some other favorite things about Explo?
The food, definitely. I've gone to some sleep-away programs and the food is just horrible. But here it's just awesome; I mean, it's better than the food I get at home! And a lot of the people here I know from past years, and every single time you see them it's like you never left, and that's what I like about it. And it's just a fun place to meet new people.
That's awesome. What are your courses and workshops this year?
I have Improv as a course, and 3D Modeling + Urban Planning. And for workshops I have Street Luge and Ultimate Frisbee.
Why Urban Planning?
I've always wanted to be an architect when I grow up, so I just thought that would be a great thing to start out with, and it's just been really fun right from the start.
What do you do in that class?
We first made clay sculptures of ourselves to learn about scales and perspective. And then we made a scale model of the St. Mark's campus with sugar cubes. And then for the rest of the time we've worked on buildings and mini-towns, and I was working on the airport.
It sounds like you're getting a lot out of it. Of all the ones you've taken at Explo in four years, which ones would you most recommend?
Ultimate Frisbee for a workshop, definitely. Because you get to go to the big field, and the big field's awesome. And it's just throwing Frisbees, but it's so much fun, and it's something you'll always do again. And for course, I've got to say Improv, because for one, you get to perform on Off-Broadway Night, and that's always fun. Last night's Off-Broadway Night was really good. It could have been a little better, but I was still pleased. And Improv is always fun, no matter where you are.
How are courses at Explo different from courses at your school?
Well for one, you don't have to just sit at a desk and listen to someone talk for the whole day, you get to get up and do stuff, and that's what I think is awesome about Explo. And then you can meet new people, of course. And you just get to do more hands-on stuff.
Definitely. What are some important things that Explo has taught you?
Eat a lot and drink a lot of water! My first year I didn't drink enough water and it was not good. And definitely you can't have too many friends. It's just so much fun to have a lot of friends.
In a similar vein, how is Explo preparing you for the future?
Like I said, I want to be an architect when I'm older, and 3D Modeling's helping me learn about scale and things like that.
What can you tell me about the staff?
They're all awesome; they're really nice. They know how to keep kids calm without being stubborn or mean, and they're just really nice and really great.
What advice would you give to new Explo students?
Drink a lot of water! [laughs]. And be yourself, for sure.
That's always a good one. Do you find that there's a difference between the students here at Explo and the students at your school?
Well, there's more variety here — there are kids from all around the world at Explo. Whereas at my school they're just all from Colorado, and that's great, too, but here it's more fun to meet new people.
What makes you unique?
I guess because I want to be an architect and I've known that since I was four; and that's a cool thing in my opinion, to know what you want to do that early.
For sure. Now, imagine that you are working at Explo, what is one course you would like to teach and one activity you would like to invent and lead?
Well, I would definitely do Improv. It just always seems fun, because if you're the teacher you can decide what games to play and you can also play in the games, and you don't get to do that in some other courses. And if I could invent an activity... car watching, definitely. Like spotting cars and naming them.
Haha, that's a good one! I'll have to let the Programming Office know about that one. And finally, the best five words to describe Explo.
Entertaining; short — it's definitely not long enough; fun; sweet; and comfortable.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Explo's awesome. It's so worth the long flight or long drive — it's so worth it. I'm definitely going to Wellesley next year.
