Dawson Summer Initiative Final Program

This summer, Phoebe was accepted to the Dawson Summer Initiative, “a unique, tuition-free program that provides enriching, intellectual opportunities for high-achieving public middle school students from Boulder County and surrounding areas. Enrolled students (“scholars”) are given the knowledge, tools and flexibility to pursue real-world concepts, projects, and ideas.”

To get in, she had to fill out a long application, including three teacher recommendations, a few written essays, and an essay written by a parent. We were proud of the hard work she did just to apply!

It’s no surprise that she enjoyed the 5-week program. She was gone every day from 8:30, when the free bus picked her up at a central spot in Lafayette, until 4:30, when it dropped her off. One of her friends from Peak to Peak also attended, so she felt comfortable right away.

Here’s a brief description of the breakdown of the five weeks (from the DSI website):

Weeks 1 & 2:

• Engage in thoughtful discussions with guest speakers/experts in the field
• Work within a single discipline: Inquiry, Analysis, or Communication with an instructor and peers to develop skills for project development
• Learn the ins and outs of video production and Photoshop
• Participate in daily physical activity, enjoying the outdoors and moving around 

Weeks 3-5:

• Re-group into multi-disciplinary project teams
• Identify and create projects that examine authentic solutions to local, national, and global challenges

On the final day, which was Friday, July 8, the scholars invited their families to a final exhibition. It was a lot like a poster exhibit at an academic conference—and the scholars were just as prepared! Dave, Benjamin, and I really enjoyed walking around. (For those of you who know how much I like interpretive signs, just imagine how much I like dozens of interpretive signs with free stickers!)

Here are a few photos from the exhibition.

Here’s a video of most of Phoebe’s presentation. She worked with a scholar named Luke, but he went on a campout with his scout troop, so she was on her own for the final exhibition.

Congratulations, Phoebe!