For many students, summer is a time to get as far away from stressful University life as possible. There are some, however, who opt to spend seven weeks of their summer vacation in first-year dorms. These students are not attending some sort of summer school -- they are counselors for the University's Summer Enrichment Program, designed for children in 5th through 11th grade.
To learn more about how to become one of the 40 counselors involved in SEP, students can attend today's information session in Newcomb Hall room 389 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
SEP is designed to foster children's problem solving, creativity and critical examination skills. It also introduces them to other fields of study as determined by their counselors, according to SEP's Web site.
The children attend SEP for two-week sessions, although the counselors are required to spend seven weeks with the program. These seven weeks include a weeklong orientation and three two-weeklong sessions with different sets of children.
The counselors are on the job 24/7 according to Barbra Rogers, a program organizer. They are, however, allowed one day and one night off per session, as well as some down time in between sessions. Counselors also are required to go well beyond the normal requirements of a summer camp counselor.
"[Counselors] are expected to create their own curriculum for their students as part of the program, but it is only about a two-hour session at a time," Rogers said. "Usually students base this activity around something they are studying in school, such as an arts and crafts architecture project."
Although a job as an SEP counselor is very time intensive, Rogers said that by the end of the program, all counselors involved in SEP have claimed that it is the best summer they have ever had.
However, a starting salary of $2,200 and an opportunity to gain valuable job experience in a fun and relaxing environment has made competition tough for the counselor position. Rogers said that although it is not an absolute requirement, SEP recommends that those who apply have some sort of previous experience with children.
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