In the summer of 2021, Lower School Expedition will be entering its fourth year!

Each week, a team of Nueva educators will learn alongside our campers as we embark on thematic, interdisciplinary study designed to be immersive and fun while providing skills that campers can add to their life-long learning toolbox.

The program consists of four unique weeks of content, rooted in Literature Club, Community Building, Dance and Movement, Ecology, Scientific Deep Dives, Design Thinking, and Mathematical Exploration.

In 2020, campers in Lower School Expedition participated in four individual hour-long classes each day, including:

·      Humanities (Lit Club/Writing/Comic Book Arts)
·      Theater/Movement
·      STEM Sessions (Math/Design Thinking)
·      Physical Education Class

If you have questions, please email our team at summer@nuevaschool.org.

Week 1: July 6–10

The Magic of Summer

For many of us, summer is the season of joy, play, and exploration a time full of quintessential experiences that one will recall fondly for a lifetime. Join us as we enter the adventure land that is Nueva. Students will get the opportunity to experience multi-subject deep dives into wizardry studies and fantasy stories, as our focus during this week will be an interdisciplinary celebration of summer. Campers will use all of their senses to gain new cultural, scientific, and experiential perspectives inspired by the Magic of Summer. Students will be able to infuse their love of nature and literature into superpower activities and group projects.

 

Week 2: July 13–17

The Wonders of Ecology

– What is “wilderness”?
 
– Why are animal species ascribed personalities?
 
– Who names these trees, and why?
 
– What left these strange footprints on the trail?
 
– How can I help preserve nature for others?

Embracing Ecology is about exploring and participating in hands-on learning and experiences, and therefore feeling a little more at home in the woods. Campers will experiment in and move throughout some of the known and hidden areas of Nueva’s 33 acres of foothills, trails, and creeks, beholding the beauty and learning about the complex web of life. They will also complete deep research dives into environmental centered literature and current events research connected to global warming or climate change. Throughout this week, our interdisciplinary studies will be tied the natural world as we reflect upon our connection to the environment and study the interdependent systems that surround us.

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Week 3: July 20–24

Friendship and Endurance

This week at Nueva Summer is all about the power of our connections, relationships, and friendships. Through conversations and activities inspired by literature, our own personal experiences, and a continual unpacking and examination of our SEL-toolbox, campers will explore themes related to empathy, kindness, and friendship. Students will research and study social justice issues, while completing hands-on learning projects on possible topics such as ableism, racism, and ageism. Students will grow in their ability to communicate their own passions and hopes for the future of the world.  

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Week 4: July 27–31

Champions Week!

Join us as we champion the spirit of growth and endeavoring side by side. During the final week of Nueva Summer, we will redefine what it means to be a champion – a game-changer – as we study the lives of athletes, individuals, and characters who have pushed themselves to great heights. By immersing themselves in research, projects, and activities centered on those who pushed themselves to achieve, campers will gain a better understanding of the human mind, body and spirit while experiencing the magic of clowning and humor.

Our Middle School Expedition program is designed to be rigorous and engaging, showcasing the best of Nueva's "learn by doing" philosophy. Each offering aims to provide campers unique opportunities to explore academic passions in greater depth while working with Nueva teachers, students, and visiting college professors. Campers will experience Nueva's constructivist, project- and inquiry-based learning environment, and cultivate new skills and interests.

If you have questions, please email our team at summer@nuevaschool.org.

In this third year of Upper School Expedition, we are thrilled to offer two weeks of our Parliamentary Debate camp. The course will be held July 13–24.

Participants can join either offering for one or two weeks. Our Upper School Expedition classes provide students entering grades 8–12 with an opportunity to take an immersive deep-dive inspired by Nueva’s mission to instill life-long learning skills in our all of our learners and community members.

July 13–24

Upper School Parliamentary Debate Camp

Sam Timinsky & Les Philips

What does our program offer? 

Our Upper School Parliamentary Debate Camp is designed for high school students (rising ninth through twelfth grade) who are interested in competitive parliamentary debate. We welcome beginners — we delight in introducing debate to new students, and we give them our very best attention. We also welcome strong, experienced students who are ready to extend themselves and move to the next level, guided by our deeply experienced coaching staff.

Nueva has developed a sophisticated remote learning system currently being used to support daily instruction of our 940 PreK–12 students. Debate staff and coaches have been teaching daily classes remotely, including judging online parliamentary debate rounds. And we are supported by Nueva’s superb seven-person Tech Office, which has supported one of the earliest one-to-one laptop technology programs in the country (now in our second decade).

We’ll provide rigorous training in debate research, the use of philosophical arguments in debate, debate theory, case writing, strategic thinking, and speaking tailored to both professional and lay judges. Newer debaters will spend more time developing foundational skills. This track involves a series of workshops, lectures, and practice sessions to drill specific skills, such as locating evidence and ad-libbing refutation. More advanced debaters will spend more time in sophisticated reading groups, writing sessions, and mini-debates. They will also take part in mini-topic lectures and practice debates that emphasize strategy development.

Ideally, students will attend for the full two weeks. However, the course is divided into two week-long blocks (five days of instruction), and students are welcome to sign up for either or both weeks.

Here is the schedule for Upper School Expedition:

·      All morning sessions will meet via Zoom for hour-long classes at 9 and 11.

·      All afternoon session will meet via Zoom for hour-long classes at 1 and 3.

·      In addition to our previously scheduled classes, we will host a half-hour PE class each day at 12:30.

The hour-long breaks in our morning and afternoon classes will be programmed with asynchronous content and break times.

If you have questions, please email our team at summer@nuevaschool.org.