Exploration of summer opportunities faire
On April 1, the fourth annual Summer Opportunities Faire was held during an extended lunch period and provided students the chance to explore a variety of different summer programs.
Elizabeth Stone, an education consultant, explains, “I started the faire four years ago. I’m an independent college admissions counselor and found that students had a very hard time even knowing where to look for summer experiences.”
From then on, Stone began gathering information and contacts of different programs. To the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), she later presented the idea of organizing a faire, which would display a wide range of programs with representatives from each organization available for students to talk to.
After receiving permission to host a summer opportunities faire, Stone and the PTO created a merit-based competition that would reward $500 scholarships for juniors to help pay for the program of their choice. This was done to encourage students to explore the opportunities presented at the faire.
This year, the competition was available for both juniors and sophomores and required a letter of application and a GPA of 3.0 or better.
A committee of one Aragon parent and two Aragon staff members review the applications and rank them. Only the top ranked students receive the scholarships.
In regards to the programs present at the faire itself, Stone explains, “I try to think of bringing in a wide variety so that Aragon students have a lot to choose from. My goal is to have something for everyone, and I do my best to achieve that. ”
Though the selection process may seem flexible, Stone adds, “The only criteria I have, is that all programs must offer financial aid…Because we are a public school and students come from a range of economic backgrounds, I don’t want any student to think that a program would not be possible for them to apply to.”
During this year’s summer opportunities faire, the lunch period was filled with over a dozen representatives from a wide variety of organizations. There, they advertised summer internships, jobs, enrichment courses and camps.
Some of the most popular booths were the Marine Science Institute, a hands-on program that educates students about marine life and offers a variety of camps and volunteer opportunities, and the Pacific Athletic Club, a sports resort offering summer lifeguard and retail associate jobs for students.
Sophomore Nicole Nasser says, “I had been thinking and pondering for a couple months about what activities I could pursue this summer, so I was pleased that a large variety of activities was presented to Aragon students.”
Sophomore Abby Arana says, “I thought that the summer faire was very helpful because I have been trying to look for volunteer and job options for the summer, which is hard doing on your own especially when you don’t know where to start looking.”
Though the general reception of the faire was positive, junior Meredith Charlson states, “I think that it would have been more beneficial to have had the faire in early March, which is right when directors begin advertising their programs. April is a little late since most applications for programs are already due by then.”
Nasser adds, “If possible, because I am 15, I would have liked to have seen some job opportunities available for students who are 15 years old since the only opportunities available were for older teens.”
Amongst the representatives of the organizations present, the reception of the Summer Opportunities Faire was also very positive.
From the American Institute for Foreign Study Summer Program, Michelle Walters says, “I think the summer fair is great because if all these programs are out here for them, then students can easily explore what is out there, and these things are always fun.”
Lauren Steindel, a representative from the Marine Science Institute, adds, “Back in high school, we never had these kinds of things, so I really like the idea of easily being able to find summer experiences right in their neighborhood. It’s also a great way for local organizations to share their programs with a lot of students at once.”
All in all, the Summer Opportunities Faire, this year and in the years past, has continued its success in giving students the opportunity to discover and gain valuable summer experiences.
