Summer Programs Are Over!

Our core staff has been hard at work for the past two months carrying out our massive summer 2019 travel season! Since we first began our travel programs, each year has been busier than the last, and this year we welcomed our largest and most diverse batch of students yet! 

Now that the season is just about wrapped up and every student has returned home, it's time to take a look back at what we accomplished!

Some Incredible Facts and Statistics About Our Programs This Summer:

• We had over 300 participants across all of our programs!
• Boston Roundtable enlisted a total of 20 counselors for this year's staff - more than twice as many as Summer 2018!
• Our students collectively logged over 8,000 hours of direct classroom time!
  
• Between buses, boats, and planes, our groups collectively travelled over 11,000 miles across the United States!
  
• After 3 summers of working with international travel groups, this was our first ever summer incorporating American students via our Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp at Cheshire Academy as well as our American Language and Cultural Immersion (ALCI) Program!

This summer,  the majority of our programs were based out of the northeast, with some traveling as far south as Washington DC. Students across all groups enjoyed time in Boston, experienced life in an American school dorm, and participated in higher education-focused stops at top schools in the region. Across all journeys, students were patient, positive, and ready to learn!

In addition, two of our programs visited California, including our recurring NASA Camp (which also travels to Orlando, Florida) as well as the first run of our West Coast Study Exchange! Both programs utilized study-forward models to ensure students get the most out of their visits, and also included visits to Silicon Valley and the greater bay area!

Our Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp at Cheshire Academy started off with a bang as students from around the world got the chance to learn together. As Boston Roundtable's first full-program collaboration with a school, international stayed in dorms and got to experience classic New England town life in the gorgeous backdrop of Cheshire, CT. On weekends, international and domestic students alike travelled to Boston and Yale University to gain better understandings of higher education and US history. We hope this is the first of many cross-cultural programs we can run in the US!

Our other program to integrate international and American students was the American Language and Cultural Immersion (ALCI) Program based out of Boston University! For this group, our American students acted in ambassadorial language partner roles and helped visiting students in ESL courses practice their English skills in a natural environment. Together, they also enjoyed sightseeing visits to local universities and even a wale watch cruise! Later on, the international students visited New York city, along with Princeton and West Point. 

Our NASA Space Camp sojourned into its second summer with two exciting sessions! Students began their journey in California's Silicon Valley, where they visited various top tech companies and universities, as well as explored the city of San Francisco! From there, they journeyed two Orlando for visits to Universal Studios, the Orlando Science Center, and a centerpiece three days at the Kennedy Space Center where they participated in STEM-based astronaut training and met a real astronaut!

Our College Exploratory Camp, now in its fourth year of running, continued its journey across the northern corridor to learn more about top tier education in the United States. The program begins in Boston with visits to local top universities as well as rigorous curriculum on the American Revolution. From there, the group journeys to New York and Washington DC, with more university stops and supporting curriculum provided by Boston Roundtable. This summer's iteration brought students closer to the action than ever with a broader range of guest professors and admissions officers from ivy schools, as well as our most challenging curriculum yet!

Our West Coast Study Exchange ​closed out our travel season in mid-August. This closed program brought visiting students to Orange County on a residential exchange with the Elderberry School. While there, students gained a true understanding of the collaborative, holistic American education environment, but also got to supplement it with visits to Universal Studios Hollywood, UCLA, and more! Before leaving, the group also got to visit San Diego for a day, and wrap things up with a high-speed tech tour in the Bay Area's Silicon Valley!

As we close the door on this season of summer programs, it's a great time to reflect on the friends we've made and the lessons we've learned. We at Boston Roundtable would like to thank all of our amazing students and their families, as well as all the staff that helped make this summer happen! Here's to another great year in 2020!