Taft is hosting a summer camp for incoming juniors (current sophomores), who are curious about what it’s like to take an IB or AP level class. The camp will help future students feel comfortable in their ability to take these classes by working on studying, research, and note taking skills.
These camp sessions will be student-led by juniors and seniors who have experience with taking AP and IB classes. They will be sharing their personal experiences in order to better those who are going to take these classes in the future.
Mentors are getting training in room 216 after school on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:00 to 4:00. Mentors will have the opportunity to gain CAS credit hours and volunteer hours, in addition to it looking good on college applications.
Snacks will be provided at the meetings as well. Mentors will hand out helpful resources, set up activities and put together ideas to support future students. For those current sophomores the camp will allow them to work on any projects they’re interested in. While working on these projects they will develop skills for their upcoming IB and AP class.
To sign up for the camp, you can go to the Taft website. The camp is listed as “Accelerated Connections” and it is found with other Taft summer camp opportunities.
The summer camp will be hosted at different times during the summer:June 17-21, June 24-28, July 15-19 and July 29-Aug. 2. The meetings usually last from 11am to 1 pm. There is a 25 dollar fee to sign up for one of the four weeks.
Taft History teacher Abigail Cozariuc will be hosting the camp and will be in charge of its procedures. “Students will be given the opportunity to explore social issues that they care about and in the process learn valuable research skills, note taking skills, presentation skills and collaboration skills while having fun,” said Cozariuc.
Cozariuc stated how the point of the camp is not to give homework over the summer, it’s simply to prepare motivated students to gain the skill set they need to succeed in the future. “Think of it as Freshman Connection but for students going into accelerated classes,” said Cozariuc.
AP and IB classes can be a big change from regular classes or even honors level classes. This camp gives students an opportunity to be prepared for the rigor and challenge of their junior year, said Cozariuc.
Accelerated Mentor and Taft junior Skylar Daquilante said, “I want to teach students that their first IB or AP class is more challenging than a regular class but I want them to feel prepared and ready.”
Daquilante continued, “I wish that it was a thing that I knew about when I was a sophomore and I wish that I had the opportunity to join so that I could have received tips and support, because it was a big switch.”
Daquilante is going to try to make it to the summer camp and support students. She is currently attending after school meetings to create flyers, lesson plans, and ideas for the camp. She recommends that incoming sophomores use their time wisely especially in accelerated classes. “Procrastination is your worst enemy in an AP or IB class,” she said.
Sophomore Riley Laurich is excited to hear about this opportunity. She is going into the Diploma program next year and will be taking a majority of IB classes. “I took AP Government during freshman year. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought. It is more fast paced which was my downfall since I tend to procrastinate,” she said.
Laurich continued, “It would be in mine and other sophomores interest to join the Accelerated Connections summer camp because it sounds like it would help prepare us for IB and AP classes since it’s a big change from regular or even honors classes.”
Laurich went on to explain how she hopes to see work examples from IB and AP classes and to get a run down of that schedule to see what the class will be like and feel like.
In addition, talking to different IB and AP teachers and students who have taken those classes to understand the lesson plans of a variety of teachers to be better prepared for higher level classes.
(Update: The summer camp will now be a club in the fall of next school year 2024-)
