Although it will be a few months before winter gives way to spring, high school and middle school students can get a jump on their summer plans by attending Phillips Academy's 20th annual Summer Opportunities Fair on Sunday, Feb. 7.
This event is open only to Phillips Academy students from 11 a.m. to noon, and is then open to the general public from noon until 2 p.m. It will be held in the Cage on the Phillips Academy campus, which is the gymnasium building off Route 28, south of the intersection with Salem Street. Admission is free.
The fair gives students and their families a chance to meet with representatives from more than 80 local, national and international summer programs as well as gap-year programs. Among the wide range of programs at the fair are those that focus on academic enrichment, outdoor adventure, international homestay, travel, internships, community service, camps, arts and sports for middle and high school students.
One Phillips Academy student who took advantage of a summer opportunity last year was John Ingram class of 2011, of Andover, who traveled to Los Angeles to participate in a three-week filmmaking program sponsored by the School of Cinema and Performing Arts.
"During the day," Ingram was quoted as saying in a release, "we had classes on filmmaking techniques, writing, learning how to use the video cameras, and editing. Although there are classes, they were fun. Each week, we wrote, shot, and edited our own movie."
He also got the chance to see some of the sights in Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Pasadena, including visits to studios such as Dreamworks and Universal.
"All the people at the camp, the councilors and students, were extremely nice, and I am still in touch with the friends I made there," he said. "I would definitely recommend this program for those who, like me, are new to filmmaking."
The event is sponsored by the Phillips Academy Summer Opportunities Office and the Parents of Students of Phillips Academy.
For more information, call the Summer Opportunities Office at 978-749-4480, or visit the Summer Opportunities Web site at www.andover.edu/summerops/fair.
