Summer Campers Make the Most of MSSD's Summit 2006: Learn, Lead, Achieve

From: Gallaudet - Aug 4, 2006

For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Flanigan
Telephone: 202-651-5340 (Voice/TTY)
E-mail: Susan.Flanigan@gallaudet.edu

Summer Campers Make the Most of MSSD’s Summit 2006: Learn, Lead, Achieve

From June 19 to June 30, 41 students gathered at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) for Summit 2006: Learn. Lead. Achieve. This two-week long summer camp event brings together deaf and hard of hearing students from across the nation for Advanced Placement (AP) preview classes, leadership discussions and simulations, a journey through deaf history, and a weekend tour of Washington, D.C.

“The exciting thing about the program is that it truly is a gathering of some of the brightest deaf students from across the country,” said Daniel Dukes, coordinator of Summit and MSSD’s honor’s program. This year’s attendees represented a diverse group of students, from deaf schools and mainstream programs alike, attending from as far away as Wyoming and Maine. Participants were housed in the MSSD dorms for the duration of the event.

This is the second year that MSSD has run the camp since its conception in 2005. Attendance rose this year from 33 students to 41, with 18 of the students returning for a second experience.

Returning students were privileged to take place in special Summit: Extreme activities, including an “Exploration of Psychology” course and several other special activities. The returning students were especially fond of the psychology course. “Many of the students informed me that they enjoyed this part and hoped to take the class again next year,” said Dukes.

All of the 41 attending students participated in a rotating schedule of classes taught by MSSD staff, including AP US History, AP Biology, AP English, Literature and Film, and Introduction to Filmmaking. Students were also treated to a nighttime tour of Washington D.C.’s monuments, a day at Six Flags amusement park, a trip to the National Aquarium, and a trip to Arlington National Cemetery.
“It was a wonderful camp with some very intelligent and motivated future leaders who will be successful in whatever they choose to attempt,” reflected Dukes at the end of this year’s event. Dates for Summit 2007 have not yet been set, but with students already excited about returning, it is sure to be another huge success.

For information on Summit 2007, check back this fall at the Summit website: http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Honors/summit-2006.html.

The Clerc Center at Gallaudet University comprises two federally mandated demonstration schools for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. It provides training and technical assistance to families, professionals, and programs; identifies, develops, evaluates, and disseminates innovative curricula and materials; and improves education for deaf and hard of hearing students throughout the United States in collaboration with schools and programs from around the country.