A Summer of Life Changing Experiences

The Kelly Campus became a home for nearly 40 high school students through the month of July. Three different long term programs, ranging from 3-4 weeks, were envisioned and led by three strong teams of Graduate Students as a part of their Summer Capstone, celebrating the culmination of year of learning and teaching. Two of our programs – Field Natural History and High School Field Ecology – continued a 20 year partnership with Summer Search – a program that brings students from low income urban environments into longer term summer programs. Our third program was envisioned and created for only Summer Search students. In its pilot year, we brought 10 Summer Search students to the Kelly Campus for a three-week program focused on ecology, leadership and service. After an inspiring month, In the last week of July, we saw the return of High School Field Ecology students from the alpine backcountry in the Tetons; Field Natural History students returned from the Teton Science Schools first ever canoe backcountry experience on Leigh Lake; and Teton Leadership Experience, our all- Summer Search student program, reveled in having just completed a week of service to partners throughout Teton County Wyoming and Idaho. On July 29th, we sent our nearly 40 High School students home with a different lens to understand their connections to nature and science, their commitment to community and a better sense of self.