Program Description

Kimball Union Academy

Summer Enrichment Experience
Meriden, New Hampshire


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Summer Enrichment Experience
Kimball Union Academy
57 Main Street
P.O. Box 188
Meriden, New Hampshire 03770-0188
603-469-2071
Fax: 603-478-5260
http://www.kua.org
E-mail: summer@kua.org

Type of Program: Academic enrichment programs in languages, environmental science, arts, and technology
Participants: Coed, ages 8 to 18 (8- to 10-year-olds may enroll as day participants only; 17 and 18 are eligible for Counselor in Training (CIT) positions or travel-abroad programs)
Enrollment: Approximately 200
Program Dates: June 29 to August 2
Head of Program: Audra Bucklin, Director

Location

Born out of the gorgeous hilltop village of Meriden and nearby Dartmouth College, Kimball Union Academy (KUA) and its Summer Enrichment Experience (S.E.E.) are an integral part of a thriving and extensive cultural, intellectual, artistic, and outdoor community. KUA’s location within the greater community of New Hampshire’s Upper Valley/Lake Sunapee region provides countless opportunities to extend learning and fun beyond its 1,300-acre campus. Nearby and regional attractions are the White Mountains, hiking, canoeing, swimming, interesting cities and towns, the New England coastline, and area attractions.

Background and Philosophy

Combining its 200-year rich spirit of independence with a firm belief that summertime is for exploration, Kimball Union Academy offers the Summer Enrichment Experience for 8- through 16-year-olds, where naturally curious participants from around the globe enjoy hands-on learning in topics that truly interest them.

Program Offerings

SESSION I: LANGUAGE and ESL INSTITUTES Language participants ranging from beginner to advanced levels are placed in small groups, where they receive individualized attention and traditional language instruction infused with cultural activity and exchange. The daily schedule includes three courses: Skills & Drills, Culture and Traditions, and Language Lab.
ESL June 29–July 19 This program provides intensive language instruction for international and U.S.-based participants aged 11–17 with a working knowledge of the English language. ESL participants from around the world share the campus with U.S. participants learning a foreign language through the Modern Language Institute. Emphasizing targeted instruction by age and ability level, participants are tested on arrival to ensure proper placement. ESL participants can opt to stay all five weeks of the Summer Enrichment Experience by also selecting an In Action program in Session II. During the two-week In Action program, participants become fully immersed in an English-based classroom.
Modern Language Institute July 6–19. KUA has entered into partnership with Dartmouth College’s Rassias Foundation to bring the renowned Accelerated Language Program (ALPs) to the S.E.E. Language Institute for participants aged 11 to 16. Seventeen-year-olds may apply for counselor-in-training (CIT) positions. CITs participate in language instruction and learning during the week while also gaining counselor experience by helping with other activities. In addition, 17-year-old CITs are invited to attend select cultural activities of the ALPS program for adults on the Dartmouth campus during Session II.
Language learners benefit from living and interacting with native-speaking participants who are enrolled in the S.E.E. ESL Institute. Students participate in activities, drills, songs, and stories designed to build basic language skills and cultural understanding. Students choose from a wide array of languages and levels of instruction. Eight participants per language/level are required for a program to run.
Travel Abroad Programs The Osa Trek (July 20–August 7, ages 13–18) integrates Spanish language and cultural immersion with environmental learning, leadership, and community service in Costa Rica’s famed Osa Peninsula. Students are invited to join KUA’s E. E. Just Environmental Leadership Institute in Costa Rica for this challenging, inspiring, and rewarding nineteen-day trek to the remote tropical rainforest, rural communities, and marine gulf waters of the Osa Peninsula.
Other travel opportunities, two to four weeks in length, include highly regarded programs offered through the Rassias group, which, for the past twenty-three years has offered language studies, homestays, and travel in France, Spain, and China for high school participants. For more information students should visit http://www.rassias.com.
SESSION II: IN ACTION PROGRAMS July 20–August 2 S.E.E. Kimball Union Academy In Action invites students aged 8–17 to put inquiry into action, pursue current interests, and explore new ones during these two-week elective programs in environmental leadership, arts, and technology.
Environmental Leadership In Action Participants learn about a specific environmental problem and become part of the solution, pursuing two weeks of independent study, field trips, and hands-on exploration. The Institute offers either on-campus New England–based or Costa Rica programs (the longer Osa Trek described above). Students in the campus-based program explore the health of the local environment from individual habitats to personal choices to industrial practices. Participants work with experts, conduct experiments, and embark on both day and overnight trips throughout the northern New England region as they seek to understand the intricate connections between environment, culture, and economy.
Arts In Action In this program, participants explore their passion for the arts, working with professional artists in theater, photography, filmmaking, and studio art, mastering basic techniques and enhancing skills in visual and performing arts. Participants enroll in three daily courses and develop portfolios and/or exhibit their work in a public performance and art show on the final day of the program.
Technology In Action Participants develop software, produce animated clips, and publish their own Web sites. Participants explore the latest technologies from programming and gaming to robotics and animation, Web development, and film development. Each participant enrolls in three daily courses, such as 2-D or 3-D visual arts, music, theater, and dance in the arts or robotics, gaming, filmmaking, and Web design in technology.

Enrollment

Around 200 participants from all over the U.S. and the world attend the programs each summer.

Daily Schedule

7:30–9:00
9:00–10:30
10:45–12:15
12:15
1:30–3:00
3:15–5:30
5:45
7:00–10:00
10:15

Breakfast and program assembly
Course One
Course Two
Lunch
Course Three
Help session and directed free-choice program
Dinner
Early evening activities/main event
Check-in

Extra Opportunities and Activities

Typical evening and weekend activities include yoga, work-out sessions, soccer clinics, or time with friends in the brand-new student center. There are miles of local hiking and running trails, a local miniature golf course and driving range, canoeing down the Connecticut River, and weekend trips to New England’s famous mountains and beaches. Participants can bring instruments, cameras, and paint brushes for afternoon free-time in the Flickinger Arts Center, which features soundproof practice rooms, painting and pottery studios, recording and dance studios, and a darkroom. Game nights, talent shows, field trips, and movie nights on the quad are additional activities that turn acquaintances into lifelong friends and create fun times that participants never forget.

Facilities

Whether practicing new skills in the language lab, conducting experiments in the E. E. Just Environmental Science center, or taking arts classes in the state-of-the-art Flickinger Arts Center, KUA S.E.E. has a space for every academic need. The campus features a brand-new student center, indoor and outdoor turf fields, tennis courts, an indoor pool, and a gymnasium. The campus also neighbors an extensive trail network, including the oldest bird sanctuary in the country and miles of trails to the French’s Ledges overlook.
All boarding students live in spacious dormitories surrounding the campus. Dormitories are assigned by program, and rooms range from doubles to quads. Residential Counselors (RCs) live on the same floor and are accessible to the participants at all times. Each dormitory is overseen by a program faculty member (teacher or coordinator).

Staff

Program coordinators develop curricula, bringing a rich background of knowledge, teaching, and management experience to the oversight of individual programs within the KUA S.E.E. Faculty members are talented and enthusiastic teachers and professionals whose passion for learning is contagious. RCs are motivated, responsible, and energetic young teachers as well as college and graduate participants who have demonstrated academic excellence. They are carefully selected for their maturity and ability to work with young people. All S.E.E. staff members participate in an extensive training session prior to the start of each summer program.

Medical Care

Kimball Union Academy holds participant safety as the number 1 priority. The safe secluded campus is just a few miles from Alice Peck Day Hospital and minutes from Dartmouth Hitchcock Memorial Hospital. A fully staffed S.E.E. team ensures participants are always supervised and are hired and trained to follow important safety procedures. Full written policies are available on request.

Religious Life

S.E.E. welcomes participants from all faiths and religions. Participants may attend nearby religious services on weekends.

Costs

S.E.E. programs cost $900 per week plus a $100-per-week supply fee for boarders; $450 per week plus a $50-per-week supply fee for day participants. A multiple-program discount of 10 percent applies for participants enrolled in more than one program as well as for siblings. Boarders who apply by March 15 receive a $200-per-program discount; for day students, the early registration discount is $100 per program.

Financial Aid

Limited financial aid is available on an as-needed, first-come, first-served basis.

Transportation

Participants traveling by air should use Boston’s Logan Airport or Manchester Airport; those traveling by train should use White River Junction Train Station. S.E.E. staff members pick up campers at these stations between 1 and 5 p.m. on arrival day and deliver on departure day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at no additional cost.

Application Timetable

Admission to Kimball Union Academy’s Summer Enrichment Experience is on a rolling basis. Upon receipt of their completed application (including teacher recommendation and course deposit), participants are informed of acceptance to the program. Participants applying after April 1 should call the Kimball Union Academy Summer Programs office to confirm availability of places in the program and classes of their choice.