PA Invites Students and Parents to Summer Opportunities Fair

Fair to be held at the Cage on Feb. 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

January 19, 2010 —Although it will be a few months yet 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, February 7. The event, which will be held in the Cage on the Phillips Academy campus in Andover, Mass., is open to PA students only from 11 a.m. to noon, and is then open to the general public from noon until 2 p.m. 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 that will be represented at the fair are those that focus on academic enrichment, outdoor adventure, international homestay, travel, internships, community service, camps, arts, sports and more for middle and high school students.

One PA student who took advantage of a summer opportunity last year was John Ingram ’11, 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,” said Ingram, “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.”

Beyond the classes, he also got the chance to see some of the sights in Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Pasadena, including visits to such places as Dreamworks Studios and Universal Studios.

“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 Cage is located off Route 28 near the intersection of Salem Street on the Phillips Academy campus in Andover, Massachusetts. The event is sponsored by the Phillips Academy Summer Opportunities Office and the Parents of Students of Phillips Academy (PSPA).

For more information, call the Summer Opportunities Office at 978-749-4480. Or visit the Summer Opportunities Web site at http://www.andover.edu/summerops/fair