Joli. This is my third year here and I came back because Explo is just an extremely unique opportunity. [At Explo,] I have students who are highly motivated. They're taking courses that they may not have the opportunity to take in a normal school, so they have that little extra push, they have this desire, and they have tons of creativity. The kind of engagement you get with them and the innovative ideas that the curriculum development fosters, it produces beautiful results.

David. This is my fifth summer at Explo, and it fits really well with my teaching career. Explo's been there every step of the way. Explo gave me tons of support to grow as a teacher and develop my own ideas. Now I'm excited to be on the other side of that as a Curriculum Advisor.

Sarah. The program is called Exploration for a reason, and the students are a part of this really great culture where everyone is encouraged to explore, which is something you don't get in a traditional school setting. What's great is that as a staff member, you're also encouraged to explore different techniques to engage students, to explore different activities, and to try new things yourself. That culture of encouraging each other to try new things is very unique, and that's why I come back.

Sarah. In the traditional school setting, students just kind of do what they're asked to do. It's very dry. Here, we have such a different model. People forget sometimes that you can try something new "just because," and then find something you absolutely love because you tried it. Because we don't have the pressure of tests or of failure, we can encourage exploring, and then what's gained is that you can discover something entirely new that you wouldn't have ever thought of.

Joli. I agree. I think the openness of Explo's important. When it's implemented, that's what sends it off in all these directions that you couldn't even anticipate. New ideas come in and new connections are made, and students in the class create the richness that makes this such a worthwhile environment.

Justin. And that openness goes beyond the academics. Students can try new activities as well. You know, they're away from home, they're away from their old friends, and students can really start to discover who they are and branch out from that. Exploration, it really is about exploration: you're exploring what makes you excited and what you want to do.

Joli. I think one thing they learn is time management and just being responsible for taking care of themselves. Because Explo has so many awesome courses, so many awesome things to do, very quickly, you learn to self-assess and discover what your goals are. In just three weeks, there's just so much growing.

Ashley. There are the practical things too -- like learning how to do laundry. For a lot of students, it's their first time away from home, so they're adapting to being in new surroundings and being on their own. I had 10th graders last year, and I watched them go from the first day sobbing when their parents left and then on the last day sobbing because they didn't want to leave. I think it's important for students to see that, yeah, I can do this on my own.

David. In my mind, the most important thing that Explo teaches is how to connect with yourself. For lots of people, when you go away to college, it's the first time in your life where you don't have someone looking over your shoulder to make sure you're getting your work done. I think at some point, everyone in college realizes, you know, "I'm here because of me," and the people who can get the most out of college are the ones who know why they're there, what they love, and what connects for them. And Explo gives students this chance to decide, with all these options available to them, "What do I connect with? What do I want to be doing?" Giving students that chance to be self-directed is probably the most important thing that Explo does to prepare kids for college.

Justin. I would just tell them not to be nervous, to try new things, and don't limit yourself. Step a little outside of your comfort zone.

Sarah. At Explo, in the morning, it's mandated where you need to be [class]. But during the rest of the time, there's so much going on, and I'd encourage you to be mindful about the way you spend your time and take advantage of that time.

Ashley. Live your life to the fullest while you're here. You're here three weeks; you're going to make some of the closest friends you will ever have. Go to those activities; have fun; try new things. It's such a unique time. Make those friendships with people who you wouldn't normally have the chance to be friends with -- people who, because they're from another country or just have different interests, are very different from you.

Joli. Is Explo fun?! How isn't Explo fun? That's what I want to know. Every second of the day is fun. You have the opportunity to be what you want to be and do what you want to do. If students have ideas, the staff is there to facilitate what they want to do. We plan new activities every single day, and we want kids to be exploring what they want to do.

Ashley. Students have the choice. At home and at school, life can be so structured. You know, school's that way, and then their life outside of school can be that way with practice at 3:00, piano at 7:00, and so on. But here, they're choosing what classes they want to take, so they can take public art or something completely different -- forensic science. There are so many things and they all have a hands-on element to them. You know, you're not in a class taking notes; you're using the other side of your brain -- the active side. Everything we do here is about throwing you head-first into the activity.

Justin. I teach the forensic science class, and every day we're doing a lab activity. That's something you can't find anywhere else. There are no tests in my class, no quizzes; it's just all about getting your hands dirty. We're trying to build fun into our classes so that when students are learning something, they're attaching that fun piece to it. It's not like there's class and there's fun, and they're separate. No, we want it so as soon as you wake up in the morning, you're having fun.

David. Every class is designed to be fun. Every activity we do, we do it because we think people will have fun with it.

Joli. Things are fun because, I think, Explo has learned as a school that if things are fun, students will learn more. They will question more. They will realize what they want to do and guide themselves more. And then when they leave Explo, it's that fun that will carry them through and make them want to make these changes in the rest of their lives.