MARLBORO — Building on the success of a 2012 pilot program, Marlboro College is set to offer its second summer of weeklong programs for high school students. The college will offer nine programs, each combining an introduction to college level work with hands-on exploration, from mid-June to late July.
“Many other colleges run summer programs, but the opportunity to do both experiential learning combined with substantial, but not overwhelming, college learning is usually missing,” said Ariel Brooks, director of non-degree programs at Marlboro.
“I want these programs to be both wonderful academic experiences and social happenings and opportunities for growth,” she said.
Marlboro's summer programs offer young adults the opportunity to study with college faculty and to build relationships with a group of other students passionate about learning, inside and beyond the classroom.
Each summer program focuses on a specific subject area, with titles such as “DNA: Barcode of Life,” “Poetry on the Peaks,” “Eating Against the Machine” and “I Think Therefore I Make.”
“It's very cool for high school kids to be able to come to Marlboro, hang out with accessible college faculty and current students, and talk about subjects in the kind of detail they do not normally get to talk about in high school,” Brooks said.
Professor of philosophy William Edelglass piloted one of the first two programs last summer: “Philosophies of the Wilderness” (this year, it is “Exploring the More-Than-Human World”). With experience as a wilderness guide for various organizations, Edelglass wished to integrate theoretical readings with the opportunity for active experiences in nature.
“Last summer, the students bonded immediately over the practical tasks of preparing the gear, and playing fun games,” Edelglass said. “There's something about the time you have together as a group over meals, while you're cooking, while hiking and canoeing, in which deep discussions and teaching and engagement happen as a sort of grace, and I love that. Some of the most powerful times were experienced doing things that cannot be done in a classroom.”
Last year's students hold “Philosophies of the Wilderness” in high regard. One wrote, “It was the best thing I have ever encountered.” Another wrote that “It pushed me to excel outside my comfort zone.”
Politics professor Meg Mott, who piloted a program called “Eating Against the Machine” last year and looks forward to this summer, said, “I really wish for my students to begin thinking about food as a larger part of an economic system. The program last year was truly a high point of my teaching career.”