Pre-College Summer Programs

Little bit of: Politics, Social Justice
Instructor: Meg Mott
One-week course: July 17 – July 23
Possible college credits: 1

The way we describe a problem determines how we address it. When the language promotes shame, as is often the case in schools, prisons, hospitals, and rehab, the people being discussed become objects. But when the language promotes strength, the very same people become part of the solution. We’re going to use role play, close reading, and reframing exercises to switch out of shaming discourse and step into a vernacular of strength.

To do this, you’ll:
• Learn to identify shaming techniques.
• Reframe arguments to reduce stigma and increase action.
• Increase awareness of peer advocacy programs through web-based research.

Little bit of: Environmental Science, Botany, Agriculture
Instructor: Neal Taylor
One-week course: July 24 - July 30
Possible college credits: 1

This trip will be an investigation of food—how it's grown, how it gets from the farm to our homes, how we prepare and eat it, and its meanings for us individually and socially. We will learn through visits with farmers and organizations, videos, readings, short presentations, and sharing our own experiences and knowledge. We will also get to experience working with farmers, camping outdoors, and cooking our own food.

We'll form our own travelling learning community to:
• Become aware of our relationship to food.
• Grapple with the economic, ecological, health, and social challenges of our modern food system.
• Explore alternative approaches to food system issues, especially in the state of Vermont.
• Gain firsthand experience of growing, preparing, and eating healthy food.

NOTE: This is a travelling program that will visit a variety of farms in the region. Students in this program will be camping in the wilderness, on farms, and at campgrounds for two weeks. Marlboro can loan sleeping bags and other equipment to students, if needed.

Little bit of: Chemistry, Technology
Instructor: Todd Smith
One-week course: July 10 – July 16
Possible college credits: 1

Chemistry labs are often full of fancy, amazing devices and tech. But what’s inside those machines, and how do they work? We’re going to find out when we build a Lego spectrophotometer, a microfluidics device, and an Arduino-based data logger. To understand our mechanisms, we’ll discuss underlying chemistry concepts, as well as principles of electronics and some simple programming. This course will weave together classroom discussion, instrument design and construction, sample collection, and laboratory analysis.

Come into our lab to:
• Learn the basics of working with Arduino (circuits and programming).
• Learn to build simple but powerful instruments.
• Use your own instruments to explore chemistry concepts.

Little bit of: Ecology, Biology
Instructor: Jaime Tanner
One week: July 24 – July 30
Possible college credits: 1

In the natural world around us, what factors influence where organisms survive and thrive? We’ll find that out while we traipse through streams, walk in the woods, climb mountains, and stroll through meadows, observing the relationships of these environments to the species we find within them. We’ll identify local species using field guides and dichotomous keys while identifying ecological relationships using tools and methods employed by ecologists.

Come along and:
• Participate in hands-on research.
• Work collaboratively with other eco-venturers.
• Develop hypotheses and predictions to be tested.
• Report findings in a final presentation.