![[content-profile-personnel-firstname] [content-profile-personnel-lastname]](http://www.dawsonschool.org/sites/dawsonschool.org/files/header_images/beyond_the_classroom_ms_experiential_ed.jpg?1354305787 "[content-profile-personnel-firstname] [content-profile-personnel-lastname]")
2013 Climate: Vital Signs of the Planet
Enrichment Program for High-Achieving Students
• Tuition-free opportunities for high-achieving students (currently in grades 6 & 7) to meet and work collaboratively with similarly motivated peers from many different schools
• Intensive, accelerated pace of study
• State-of-the-art technological resources
• Programs geared specifically toward high-achieving and highly motivated students
• Exceptional teachers
• Introduction and exposure to local and national enrichment resources
Applications
Applications will be accepted through Thursday, February 28, 2013. Students will be notified of application decisions on March 20, 2013 via mail.
The Five-Week First Summer Program
This year’s summer session will take place from June 10–July 12, 2013. Attendance is mandatory due to the collaborative nature of the program.
In the summer academic program, students come together for five weeks of intensive, hands-on study of a particular theme. This summer’s theme is Climate: Vital Signs of the Planet. With coaching from exceptional teachers, industry/university experts and corporate leadership facilitators, students will conduct a study of climate, exploring issues affecting “vital signs of the planet.” Data collection, analysis, and presentation will revolve around topics such as temperature, habitat, urbanization, ecosystems, weather, mitigation and adaptation, and the economy. The work is dynamic, fast-paced, and fun. Students also have the opportunity to take field trips and build a social network.
A Typical Day
From June 10-July 12, the day runs from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. While there is no assigned homework, many students enjoy researching and further exploring the themes of the day at home.
For the first half of the program, students work within a single discipline: Math, Science, or Humanities (English/History). During the day, students collaborate with classmates and teachers, engage with our guest speakers, take a video course, and participate in a daily physical education/wellness class, giving students the opportunity to be outside and move around. In the second half of the program, students are placed into multi-disciplinary project teams to identify and create projects that examine authentic solutions to local, national, and global challenges.
Friendship Through Collaboration
One of the greatest benefits is that a cohort of students with similar interests and academic drive come together to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges. Many families say that friendships formed during the program last long beyond the summer months.