On Tuesday, January 12, the Upper School hosted a Summer Opportunities information session for all interested rising Form II, III, and IV students. During this session, girls were provided information on working at Hockaday, summer research, community service, and travel opportunities. Below is a summary of the information provided to students during this session. I hope you find this letter helpful as you help your daughter think about her plans for the upcoming summer.

Summer is a wonderful time for students to explore their interests. The summer after ninth grade can truly be a free summer since colleges’ expectations for summer activities focus more on later years. The summer after tenth grade, students might opt for some structured activity, and we recommend that the girls engage in an activity the summer after junior year, preferably one that relates to their interests for college. Summer activities can include a wide range of opportunities such as a pre-college program on a college campus, an immersion program abroad, an internship, volunteer work in the local community, or a job. While the choice of activity is up to each student, we encourage students to use this time to explore a personal interest.

 

Parents and students often ask if one summer program is better or “looks better” than another. It matters less what a student does and much more why she chose a particular activity and what she draws from her experience. Some programs are very expensive to attend, and they are not necessarily of greater benefit to a student than a local volunteer experience.

 

Many people point to summer jobs in high school as a key moment when life lessons are learned as students gain responsibility as well as earn their own money. College admission officers give as much “credit” to students who have a job as to those who attend an organized study or research program.

There are a number of opportunities for Hockaday students to engage in research in STEM-related fields in the Dallas area. These opportunities include:

There are also opportunities for students to engage in research at Hockaday. These opportunities are open to rising freshmen – seniors and will take place in the afternoons for four weeks this summer from mid-June to mid-July. These opportunities include:

 

Students may access a list of nationwide summer research programs by logging on to Sharepoint using the link below. https://hockadayorg.sharepoint.com/sites/Hockadaystudent/US-Students/Student_Life/SitePages/Summer%20STEM%20Research%20Opportunities.aspx

Once your daughter has decided that she would like to participate in any of the above options, she will sign a “Statement of Interest” contract, and Dr. Barb Fishel will help her find a place in a lab on a topic that interests her. Students should plan on being able to spend at least three-to-four weeks, five days a week, six-to-eight hours per day, if they want to work at SMU or UTD. If your daughter decides she wants to work in a particular lab, she will then sign a “Statement of Commitment” contract which will ensure that she has a spot and has agreed to join that lab for part of the summer. If your daughter is interested in learning more about any of these possibilities, she should contact Dr. Fishel at bfishel@hockaday.org.

Summer at Hockaday is Hockaday's popular summer program for boys and girls, ages 3 through grade 12. Camps and classes encompass a variety of themes, such as sports, STEAM, arts, technology, day camps, and more. Volunteer and paid positions available include camp counselors, teaching assistants, and lifeguards. Upper School students interested in learning more should contact Melissa Curtis, Director of Auxiliary Programs, at mcurtis@hockaday.org. Rising sophomores can apply to work as a volunteer counselor. Rising juniors and seniors can apply to work as a paid counselor. A six-week, full-day commitment from Monday, June 13 through Friday, July 22 is required.

There are many service opportunities in which to participate over the summer. A list of these options were sent via email to all Upper School students in mid-January. These opportunities include internships as well as working at camps and other national and international service organizations. Students interested in learning more should contact Laura Day, Director of Service Learning, at lday@hockaday.org.

There are several reputable programs which specialize in organizing and overseeing summer travel opportunities for students. The focus of these trips will vary from company to company and may include service, language immersion, or cultural exploration. The destination and duration of each trip is also program specific. The bulletin board outside of the Upper School Office contains information on many of these programs. Students interested in learning more may want to use this bulletin board as a resource and should contact me at esjones@hockaday.org if they wish to collect additional brochures or pamphlets on a specific program. In addition, representatives from these programs will visit Hockaday throughout the winter. I will notify students via email when these representatives are on campus and available to answer questions.

 

Sincerely,

 

Elizabeth Jones

Assistant Head of Upper School