Parachutes, Short Stories, Chicken Parm, and more! Week 2 at Overlake's Summer Program
We wrapped up the final week of June with a dynamic mix of camps, involving interdisciplinary work in technology, design, arts, and athletics. This week campers made Angry Birds come to life, drew the Circle of Life (*cue Lion King song*), designed their own video games, crafted suspenseful short stories, toured Italy’s finest cuisine, and sharpened their hand-eye skills on the fields and courts.
In addition to hosting four middle school camps, this week marked the start of Overlake’s 3rd and 4th grade programs. Our youngest campers created game apps using Bloxels, designed popsicle bridges that could withstand the weight of books, and cut notecards to try and fit themselves through it. In their multi-sport camp, they learned how to play tennis, soccer, and basketball, and also enjoyed non-traditional sports and activities.
Middle school camps were equally as exciting. Along with catapults, campers built pinball machines and parachutes to carry marshmallows. They drew handmade placemats and sewed designs according to their own calculations. Their heist short stories pushed them creatively, in which they came up with characters like Mr. Tomatohead and Nightwielders. In the kitchen, they kneaded pasta and made Chicken Parmesan with their own Tomato Basil sauce.
Our summer camps are not only fun for the campers, but also for Overlake interns, a collection of upper school students who support the summer program. Interns support faculty in each camp, often working with individuals and small groups on their unique projects. They are quick to become friends with the campers and provide a welcoming environment, such as greeting students with a smile as soon as they get to Overlake or playing hide and seek with them. This week, we were excited to have Tara, Adi, Aisha, and Annie. Hear from their own words why they enjoy being here below.
Tara (’19): I interned for the short story camp, and I wanted to do this because I wanted to work with kids who were excited about English and storytelling.
Adi ('20): I wanted to be an intern because I needed something to do with my summer and being an intern for this Overlake camp sounded very fun.
Aisha ('21): To try something new, to step out of my comfort zone, and to have fun with kids. I’ve always loved kids and had amazing experiences interacting with them so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to do what I love and put myself out there!
Annie (’22): I wanted to be an intern because I love working with children and having a leadership role!
Tara: I love getting to see the smiles on everybody's faces every day, and play fun games together.
Adi: My favorite part was interacting with the kids and helping them achieve their goals. It was a lot of fun helping them out.
Aisha: There are so many benefits of being an intern, but the part I love best is being a role model for the kids. I love having someone look up to me and follow me in everything that I do. I love the opportunity to serve not only as a role model, but also as a friend and I absolutely love when kids come up to ask me questions about school or engage in conversation with me.
Annie: My favorite part about being an intern is how excited all of the kids are to come to camp. They are all very excited to try new things which I love!
Tara: The campus is so quiet and peaceful, a nice contrast to the hectic vibe during finals week. Overlake is always a beautiful place to be, especially when it is sunny!
Adi: Overlake has a great campus, and I enjoyed returning to the place I spend half a year and sharing my love for Overlake.
Aisha: It’s relaxing to enjoy the beauty of the campus without having to worry about rushing to class. Also, it’s fun to be outside and to walk around freely without many people around.
Annie: My favorite part about being on campus in the summer is that Overlake is such a beautiful campus especially in the summer.
Tara: Lays BBQ Chips!
Adi: Fruit snacks.
Aisha: Tree Top fruit snacks all the way!
Annie: My favorite snack is chocolate chip cookies!
