The Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth (SEAD) Program celebrated its progress and growth yesterday afternoon, as 25 rising juniors from underfunded public high schools in Boston, Canaan N.H., New York and Philadelphia graduated from the SEAD II program Monday afternoon in Filene Auditorium.
The graduation ceremony marked the completion of an eight-day program during which the students " who attended the original SEAD program last summer " learned to develop their individual skills and apply them to effect change in their communities.
The original SEAD program, which completed its second session earlier this month, brings students to Hanover for classes in English, math, and computer science, athletic, cultural and community-building activities, and a discussion of post-secondary options.
The academic portion of SEAD II focused on heroes and heroines. Each student in the SEAD II program wrote a short research paper on a hero or heroine of his or her choosing. In the paper, each student attempted to answer three main questions: "What is a hero/heroine?" "What makes my hero/heroine a hero/heroine?" and "So what?"
As part of the graduation ceremony, each student gave a short presentation on his or her chosen hero(ine) to one of five groups, each of which met in a different room in Moore Hall.
For Mark Kissling '02, the Academic Director of SEAD II, helping the students with their research was a highlight of his involvement with the program. According to Kissling, it is a moving experience"When the students have a chance to sit down, and think through things, and reflect."
During their stay in Hanover, the SEAD II students participated in several different community service projects. One group of students worked with COVER (Corps of Volunteers Effecting Repair), a second group worked with Blankets for Bangladesh,and a third group worked as mentors with children from the Lebanon Housing Authority.
In addition to their community service in Hanover, the students in SEAD II worked together to develop service projects to undertake in their own communities. The students then presented their plans as part of the graduation ceremony.
The students from Philadelphia have created a program called "Philly Coming Up: A New Genesis," which will attempt to fight littering and promote recycling in Philadelphia.
The students from Mascoma High School (located in Canaan) are working on a youth activity project entitled "Problems Solved by Kids Involved." One Mascoma High student described the mission of the project as to "involve more young people in projects and activities in order to keep them off the streets and get them to appreciate their region."
The Boston/New York group designed a project with the slogan, "With Communication and Participation, We Will Achieve." The students' program will focus on preparing the youth of the community for employment, both by researching available jobs in the community and by helping others with the job application process.
After the community project presentations, the students heard remarks from both Carol Fuchs, a member of SEAD's Executive Board, and Program Director Jay Davis '90.
Fuchs told the students, "Dreams come true ... My hope for you is that each one of you will have the courage to dream dreams of warmth, and the tenacity to follow those dreams."
Those dreams will bring the SEAD II students back to Hanover next summer for SEAD III. According to Davis, the SEAD III program "is still in design, and our plan is to use it to help kids both get into college, and then, equally as importantly, if not more, get them through their first year of college."
If the sentiments of Boston student Earl Grant are any indication, the students of SEAD II will be more than happy to return to Hanover for SEAD III next summer.
Grant enjoyed "the whole experience, because I don't really get a chance to do anything like this. I'm from Boston, the urban city where kids don't really get to get out much, so I enjoy the whole thing. There is no 'highlight.' It's just being here, this whole experience, being with kids from Philadelphia and New Hampshire."
Grant and his SEAD II classmates will have that "whole experience" once again next summer, as SEAD grows once again.
