Several Super Senior Summers


Tour de France
Barrer Goes to Isreal
A Taste of Harvard


Tour de France

By Vanessa Algotsson

This summer marked one of the best times of my life. In late June, I packed my bags for a journey which I had been looking forward to for years: I was going to France for one month with an organization called World Learning. Along with fourteen other students from across America, I studied the French language during five hour classes, five days a week (okay, I know what you're thinking, but I really did learn a lot!). During my month long stay, I lived with an amazing host family in the small, coastal town of Lannion in Brittany. There, I learned to look past stereotypes, try new things (such as foods like escargots and bone marrow), and live in a culture much unlike our own.

Not only did I make many close friends, both French and American, and have a fantastic five days in the "City of Light," but I also learned about the ways others perceive us as Americans. My stay in France taught me a great deal about my own culture and even more about myself.


Barrer Goes To Israel

Adam Barrer

This past summer I went on a six week program to Israel sponsored by United Synogogue Youth, an organization for Jewish American and Canadian teenagers of the Conservative denonmination (more religious than Reform Jews, but less so than Orthodox Jews). What, exactly, did this group do, you ask? Well, I won't bore you with humdrum details, but basically I met a lot of great people, toured the country, did a lot of hiking, visited famous sights, swam, experienced the army for a week (which included shooting an M-16), and learned what it's like to be a Jew in the state of Israel. It was by far the most incredible summer I've ever had, except for the praying. Every single day, three times a day, not not to mention every morning before breakfast and after every meal, without exception. I know in the back of my mind it was probably necessary to get the complete Israeli experience (even though over half the people living there have never stepped foot in a synogogue). However, overall, I loved the trip and now I understand Israel much better than I ever would have otherwise, and I got in touch with my homeland. If you're a Jew (or an Arab), Israel is definitely an amazing place to visit.

A Taste of Harvard

By Gregory Wong '98

When most high school students think of summer, they think of summer jobs, relaxing on the beach, 3 fun filled months without worrying about pressures from school work, and, depending on what grade you're in, colleges. I, on the other hand, did something a bit more unorthodox than the average student, this summer. I took classes at Harvard University. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am a good student. It wasn't because I needed them. (Rest assured, I did not bomb one of my subjects last year.) Rather, I took the classes for my own edification. Students from around the country gathered for eight weeks to study at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The program gives Secondary School students a chance to sample college life. Classes were not mandatory, although, 10 hours per week seems trivial compared to school. The two classes that I took, the semi complete works of Shakespeare and a complete course in C++ computer language, were very intensive.. The computer course entailed 15-20 hours per week in front of a computer screen writing code. And the Shakespeare course had me reading 2 plays per week. If we weren't studying or attending classes, then we were having fun. The program was very unstructured, in that, nothing was really done to "amuse" the students. We had the city of Boston at our disposal. An 85 cent subway ride could take you to any place within a 30 mile radius. My dorm, a freshmen dorm, had all Secondary School students in it, so the company wasn't bad at all. The rules were minimal. Among them were no smoking/drinking/drugs, no conduct unbecoming a Harvard student (which to this day holds a great deal of ambiguity in its meaning), and no curfews. We also had full use of the gyms and the different facilities that the university has to offer. Above all else, I made a lot of friends. We still keep in touch, and I will always remember them. Believe it or not, I recommend this program, or a similar one to all students at GA. Many students have begun to show a great deal of interest in these programs, so perhaps in a few years, taking classes over the summer for educational purposes, won't seem so ludicrous. I certainly don't think so.