REACH Summer Program
The Colorado Springs School (CSS) launched REACH in 2012 as an innovative three-week summer program to prepare middle school students to gain entry to and succeed in college. The challenging summer program emphasizes 21st century learning that will increase their ability to enter and succeed in college. In its first year, REACH enrolled 33, 7th grade students from Atlas Preparatory School (District 2) and Pikes Peak Prep. The program tripled in 2013, serving 6th, 7th and 8th graders.
Mission
The Mission of REACH is to provide middle school students who typically don’t have access to a college preparatory experience with a challenging summer program emphasizing 21st-century learning that will increase their ability to enter and succeed in college.
REACH Summer Program: Preparing Kids for College
Our program engages students in real-world challenges that build their skills in written and spoken communication, creative critical-thinking, collaboration and healthy patterns of living. A different theme ties together each grade level’s activities in academic workshops and field trips. Our teachers are innovative professionals with an average of 10 years teaching in a college prepartory, experiential learning at The Colorado Springs School.
- Sixth graders engage in hands-on activities to learn more about the brain, the body, exercise physiology, wellness and personal learning styles.
- Seventh graders turn to the larger world for exploration and discovery, from programming Lego robots to exploring caves and climbing rocks.
- Eighth graders focus on innovation and design as they use "design thinking" to create new products and solutions, and develop writing skills to support their learning and future.
- In addition to theme-based academic workshops, all students choose from a wide variety of elective courses in areas such as art, theater, basketball and poetry.
- Courses are taught by experienced and innovative teachers.
- Twelve high school students from CSS build their leadership skills as they assist in the workshops, co-lead electives and serve as mentors for small groups of REACH students.
- REACH participants remain in contact with mentors and teachers during the year through several Saturday programs.
