By Sarah Goodykoontz

What students in their right mind would want to participate in an educational program during summer, a student’s time to relax and block out everything that has happened in the past school year? Tempe Prep students, of course! Many of our students have taken the opportunity to further expand their boundaries, even if it means doing so during the summer.

Barrett Summer Scholars

College, often viewed as a daunting landmark in a student’s life as they progress through grade school, might not be so daunting after all. Various students were given the opportunity to experience college first-hand during the Barrett Summer Scholars program. The program is designed to give future college students a chance to experience what it is like to be a college student. All incoming 8th, 9th, and 10th graders are encouraged to apply.

Sophomores Clara Moffitt and Isabel Cornelius provide further insight on their experience at the program last summer. Participants must take a Human Event class (which is almost identical to the TPA Humane Letters with different books) and an elective of their choice. The Human Event class required students to read and write about 20th-century sci-fi stories applicable to the modern day.

As electives, Clara chose Intro to Journalism and Isabel chose Health and Wellness/Carrier Education. Isabel credits the Human Event class as “very interesting” because of their sci-fi story activity. Clara describes her Intro to Journalism class: “A lot of it was broadcast journalism but I learned a lot.” She mentions that the class had the opportunity to “go on the set of different broadcasting stations and hear from different journalists about how to make yourself in the journalism world.”
Isabel learned about “different nursing carriers as well as yoga and meditation” in her Health and Wellness/Carrier Education class. The program took place at the Downtown Phoenix campus and the participants stayed overnight in the Barrett dorms. Roommates were not requestable, as one focus of the program is to meet new people. All meals were provided by the program and took place in the dining hall.

Overall, Isabel “learned a lot about college life and how to live in college.” Skills emphasized by the program include communication, stepping out of your comfort zone, and having fun. Both Clara and Isabel would recommend the Barrett Summer Scholars program to anybody of the age allowed to apply.

FEE Leadership in Action

Clara praises the FEE Leadership in Action 3-day summer camp as one that she “really really really really really really really” liked, located in Missouri. What does a summer camp provide to deserve seven really’s? A change of perspective on global issues, improvement in communication skills, captivating insights, and long-lasting relationships are all the things FEE promises to students attending their summer camp. During the camp, Clara learned about how economics work and the different ways in which economic theories come to be. Students were assigned a project requiring them to come up with a legal issue and solve it not politically but instead by designing a business.

Furthermore, Clara explains that, in general, it is “easy to meet people at summer camps,” and this was no exception. Although the living conditions during the summer camp were “really gross,” those problems were negligible when compared to the very much worthwhile knowledge and relationships Clara gained at the camp. Undoubtedly, Clara would “highly recommend this seminar to everyone.”

Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Program

Senior Amy Pennington is another one of our students who participated in a rewarding summer program. Amy attended the Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Program, a summer residential program where students get the opportunity to live in the Barrett dorms, and take classes to enhance their prospects for future academic success. There is a six-week version and an eight-week version of the program; Amy participated in the six-week version.

“It was great,” says Amy, “I got college credit for my class!” Students have the option to choose from a variety of classes, and Amy chose “Introduction to Applied Mathematics for the Life and Social Sciences.” Amy’s typical day of the program sounds busy. She remembers, “I had breakfast in the Barrett complex, then I walked to class, had class for six hours with a lunch break in the middle, walked back to the dorm and had dinner.”

Some classes had tutoring after dinner, but Amy’s did not. She would then do her homework, go to sleep, and wake up to do the same thing the next day. All of this work would lead up to something big: Toward the end of the program, Amy had to give a presentation with a model – that she made – and an exposition on poster board.

Amy’s favorite part about the program was getting to meet her mentors, and be with her group. “The mentors were super nice,” she explains, and “the group got really close. It was really fun, but it was a lot of work!”

All things considered, these programs, along with other programs, are a tiring but rewarding way to spend the summer.