From small details to over-arching, conceptual development plans, it is a program that has involved hundreds of people since its 2001 launch, according to director Jay Davis '90. Dartmouth students, especially members of the sophomore class. Professors and administrators. Volunteers from in and around the Upper Valley region. Businesses and corporations, too, have made Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth a reality.
Now in its third year, SEAD has not yet achieved the rank of a full-fledged success story --participants of its pilot program, dubbed SEAD III, are still in the process of completing their college applications, not receiving acceptance news -- but its strides have been steady and significant.
Twenty-one students in SEAD III, who first came to Hanover as rising high school sophomores from Boston, Philadelphia and nearby Enfield, New Hampshire's Mascoma High School, graduate today from a rigorous academic and college preparatory program taken roughly 10 days at a time over the course of three summers.
In that span, the high school students have designed web pages, hiked Mount Mousilauke and volunteered in community projects, among other activities. Sponsored by the Education Department and the Tucker Foundation and reliant on private donations and gifts -- like all other summer programs hosted by the College, it is not exempt from paying room and board fees -- SEAD operates at no cost to participants, all of whom qualify for federally-subsidized free lunch programs at their individual, under-privileged public schools.
Early morning wake-ups for three straight summers have been packed with courses in English, math and computer science. Capture the Flag, stargazing, kayaking, salsa dancing and scheduled study halls have filled SEAD participants' afternoons and evenings.
"These are kids who most people would disregard for a plethora of different reasons," said student co-director Alejandro Cruz '04. "However, they are here succeeding and getting ready to take on the world."
The first step: getting ready for college, which has been the focus of this year's SEAD III experience. According to Cruz, every participant has been paired with a "college coach" -- a Dartmouth sophomore who will be in touch with them throughout the upcoming academic year, counseling them on the admissions process. The past nine days have included extensive SAT preparation, mock interviews with the College's senior interviewers, and public speaking work, he added.
With the help of counselors and computer software, the students have made their top picks, applying to schools that vary geographically and academically. Two of the scholastically stronger SEAD III participants are applying to Dartmouth, Cruz said.
"All the kids are just putting so much energy into it," he added. "You see them and don't think that these are kids who come from under-resourced high schools."
Still, one major problem still exists: dealing with funding -- or a lack thereof.
"One of our big projects right now is to get more long-term corporate donations," Cruz said, noting that the program's short length.
In the 2001-2002 academic year, SEAD incurred $95,000 in expenses, with funding coming from a $27,000 Bildner Foundation endowment, the Tucker Foundation, and individual, family and alumni class gifts.
The Bildner Foundation is a College organization dedicated to improving inter-group relations and promoting inter-racial understanding.
"It costs the program about $2,000 per student," Davis noted.
Currently, much aid comes from "fraternities, sororities and other, non-Greek campus organizations who provide us with meals," Cruz added. "This group has really been our guinea pigs for three years -- the key is to see where they go from here."
Despite the budgetary shortcomings, over the last three summers, an incredible amount has been accomplished, Davis said. "It is astounding the level of trust they have -- the unwavering support."
Also crucial, he added, is the mix of urban and rural perspectives. While individual situations differ widely, many students come from homes where education is not a priority and schools that lack rigor and focus.
"The students have gone from being reluctant to eager," Davis said. "There's very little interest in making judgments about anyone's situation."
Graham MacDonald, 16, of Mascoma High School, for one, appeared much more interested in furthering his future as a scholar.
With newfound knowledge about how financial aid works, he named as his first choice Manhattan's New York University.
"I don't necessarily know if I'll get in, but I'll shoot for it anyway," he said, adding that at Mascoma, only a short drive from the Green down Route 10, the college search process was "very mechanical" and abrupt.
With most educational funding derived by local government, Mascoma -- with only a small, rural tax base to draw on -- is one of the Upper Valley's seriously under-funded schools.
Two hours south, Dorchester High School in inner-city South Boston -- populated largely with black and Latino students -- represents another, different sort of struggling environment.
Former Dorchester student Lazano Delgado -- he has since moved and changed schools -- said that what's hardest in returning is overcoming the pervasive, negative images of attaining a solid education.
"You have bad influences at home," Delgado said. "I just try to keep a straight path -- being [at Dartmouth] gave me a bigger opportunity to broaden my horizons."
With the help of his fellow SEAD participants, he said, his personal and academic growth has taken off.
"When I came here, I'd never met so many people striving for success," Delgado added, noting that the Dartmouth mentors have also had a significant role in his SEAD evolution.
"By learning from us, we learned from them," he said. "It was a two-way street."
