Learn more about programs offering Summer Opportunities

Alford Lake Camp
At Alford Lake, campers experience challenge and fun through a broad, individually elective program. Emphasis is on personal growth and development in a warm, supportive, and values-based community. Living in large, white tents in a simple setting promotes respect for the natural world. In addition, meeting campers and leaders from more than twenty-five states and twenty countries deepens the participants' respect and appreciation for others' differences and similarities. The staff-camper ratio of 1:3 allows for high-quality individual instruction and constant encouragement, inspiring tradition, loyalty, spirit, and integrity. Established in 1907, Alford Lake is one of the world's oldest girls' camps. Each season brings new friendships and adventures. Alford Lake Camp—where values matter and people thrive!

Camp Airy
More than eighty-four summers of full enrollment say Camp Airy and Camp Louise are doing something right. In addition, more than two thirds of participants are returning campers. Camp Airy (for boys) and Camp Louise (for girls) are brother/sister camps for Jewish children and are conveniently located in the beautiful mountains of western Maryland, only an hour from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. With outstanding and varied programs, top-notch facilities, and a warm, caring, fun-loving staff (college students and educators), parents are assured their camper is in the best of hands at the best of all places. Four 2-week sessions and two 4-week sessions (plus a one-week Rookie Camp for first-time campers) ensure a time frame to fit almost any summer schedule. These camps are summer camps that provide many choices for campers and are liberally sprinkled with an abundance of special guests, activities, and outdoor adventure trips. Our daily program offers a wide variety of activities that include swimming (Red Cross program), scuba, athletics (softball, basketball, beach volleyball, tennis, soccer, wrestling, boxing, archery, golf, lacrosse, weight training and conditioning, gymnastics, fitness training, and more), skate and mountain boarding, mountain biking, dance, crafts, ceramics, music, drama, photography, radio, video production, DJ'ing, outdoor living (ropes, zip lines, climbing wall, caving, orienteering, camping, rafting, kayaking, etc.), nature study, robotics, cookery, creative writing, and much more. Summer has never looked better at Airy and Louise!

The Gow School Summer Program
The Gow School Summer Program was created for girls and boys who have experienced academic difficulties or have learning differences but possess the potential for success. The program is composed of a carefully considered balance between academics, traditional camp activities, and weekend overnight trips. In short, the program balances learning and fun. The Summer Program provides the camper-students with the academic growth they need and the fun that all kids deserve in the summer. The goal is for camper-students to go home at the end of the summer feeling confident, relaxed, and prepared for the coming school year. The Gow School is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools.

Hillsdale College Murdock Summer Science Camps
The Hillsdale College Summer Science Camps program, sponsored by the Murdock Foundation, is primarily intended for high school sophomores and juniors interested in learning more about modern science. Three separate camps, in molecular biology, physical science (chemistry and physics), and mathematics, are offered at this beautiful liberal arts college campus, located in Hillsdale, Michigan. The science camps seek to promote scientific literacy among high school students and have been offered each summer since 1991. Sixty students are enrolled in the camps and receive hands-on instruction from college professors. The residential camp is free except for a $75 application fee.

MIT MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science)
Now in its thirty-fourth year, the MIT Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES) Program offers a rigorous 6½-week residential academic-enrichment summer experience to promising rising high school seniors, many of whom are from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds in the fields of engineering and science. The goal is to prepare gifted young men and women for careers in engineering and science by reinforcing the value of pursuing advanced technical degrees, the academic preparation and skills necessary to achieve success in these disciplines, and the national importance of increasing the diversity in science and engineering. This highly selective program also gives students the opportunity to experience MIT's demanding academic atmosphere and helps them to build the self-confidence necessary for success. The MITES Program is supported by corporations, foundations, and individuals. With additional support from MIT, the program provides each admitted student with full coverage of program living and educational expenses.

Oxford Advanced Studies Program
Each year in July, a group of talented young people gathers in Oxford to take part in a unique experience that combines the Oxbridge mode of individualized tutorial-style learning with a wide range of academic and cultural activities and visits. This is a stimulating and maturing four weeks, both academically and personally, that many previous participants have described as the most wonderful and rewarding experience of their lives. The course is intended for high school students who have completed their junior year, graduates, and students currently attending college; all have an academic curiosity and ability well above average.

Phillips Academy Summer Session
The nation's oldest incorporated boarding school, situated 25 miles north of Boston, offers a five-week summer session from the end of June through early August to students from all over the world. Students choose from more than sixty courses, including literature, languages, writing, natural sciences, computer science, mathematics, SAT prep, philosophy, social science, speech and debate, English as a second language, music, and the performing and visual arts. Summer Session students represent an extraordinary diversity of geographic, religious, racial, and economic circumstances. They are students who have strong school records and a serious desire to spend the summer in challenging, disciplined study. With a student-faculty ratio of 7:1 and an average class size of 14, the Phillips Academy Summer Session provides a highly individualized and intensive precollege experience, including an extensive college counseling program, on a beautiful campus with excellent facilities.

Summer@Rectory
The Rectory School’s exciting, coeducational five-week program, Summer@Rectory, provides a unique experience for boarding and day students on our beautiful 138-acre campus in northeast Connecticut. We offer an inspiring, customized curriculum for domestic and international students. The morning academic program provides choices for exploring an interest, challenging abilities, refreshing academic knowledge, improving study skills, and increasing English language proficiency. Students enroll in four courses, one of which is the Individualized Instruction Program, a benchmark at Rectory that addresses a variety of learning styles. Afternoon offerings include sports clinics, music camps, drama workshops, and recreational activities. Weekend field trips and off-campus excursions add to the enjoyment. Summer@Rectory is a successful, well-attended session that gives students an enjoyable educational and cultural experience.

University of Vermont Summer Engineering Institute for High School Students
Discover the Power of Engineering Thought! The UVM/GIV Engineering Summer Institute is packed with projects that stretch students' creativity and challenge the way they see the world! Learn how to think outside the box with hands-on activities, laboratory experiences, faculty presentations, and enlightening tours. See the links between technology and the human experience. Consider a career that could impact the twenty-first century with global environmental solutions. Experience the thrill of creating sand arches, and become part of a team to design, construct, and build prototype projects. For pictures and more information on this program, students should visit www.cems.uvm.edu/summer/.

Wilderness Ventures-Wyoming Mountaineering
For more than thirty-five years, Wilderness Ventures has been conducting exciting expeditions for beginners and experienced young adults, ages 13–20. Expeditions visit a variety of wilderness environments in the western United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Europe, Australia, Central America, and the South Pacific for extended periods. Students learn outdoor and group leadership skills as well as gain an appreciation for America's varied wilderness environments. The professional staff consists of outdoor educators, whose ages range from 21 to 32. Participants come from nearly every state and several countries. Enrollment is limited, and applicants must submit school references prior to admission. Previous wilderness experience is not necessary.