Intersession is Upon Us!
Intersession is upon us, and Millbrook students have been busy participating in 35 courses.
Intersession is a required academic program in which students participate during the week prior to spring recess. For this hands-on learning experience, faculty design immersive courses that are extensions of our curricula, some with a focus on service learning opportunities.
A new aspect of the 2016 Intersession program is the opportunity to participate in half courses. Students participating in two half courses, rather than one full course throughout the week, are exploring two topics of interest. We are excited to offer this opportunity for students who have a strong interest in multiple topics, or, want to try something new.
Many students have chosen courses that allow for service learning opportunities. In Literacy Connections for example, students are learning about illiteracy, its root causes, and the effectiveness of large and small-scale efforts to address it. Over the last few days they have been trained to become literacy volunteers and have been working with youth in the surrounding areas to help them improve their reading and writing.
Students participating in the Lax for Life intersession course are taking their service efforts abroad to Guatemala where they are working with the organization Safe Passage. Safe Passage’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education. Millbrook students and Headmaster Drew Casertano are spending a week working with children and teaching them how to play lacrosse. Through lacrosse, Millbrook students hope to help the children have fun, find an enjoyable distraction from the hardships in their lives, learn lessons of sportsmanship and team play, and develop greater self-respect and confidence.
Other students are using Intersession as an opportunity to dive deeper into an area of interest. In the Aerial Fabric: Movement & Storytelling course, students interested in dance are learning the basics of aerial fabric choreography. Working with Hudson Valley Circus Arts and Only Child Aerial, students are spending the first days of Intersession developing a strong foundation in safety for rigging, inspecting, and spotting, with the goal of being able to tell stories through air moving choreography by the end of Intersession.
Beyond the courses themselves, Intersession also offers fun and educational evening events each night including guest speakers, a talent show, a dance, a knocker ball tournament, musical performances, and invitations to relax and enjoy snacks while socializing at various areas on campus.
These are just some of the many Intersession opportunities and evening events that students are enjoying this week. Visit our photo gallery and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more updates throughout the week.
