The Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies is looking forward to a summer that looks more like those before the pandemic. Preparations are now
well underway to host up to 2,000 students for a variety of summer enrichment programs. For more than 30 years, the Glasscock School’s School Literacy and Culture program has partnered with Writers in the Schools to offer Creative Writing Camp. The annual camp enrolls about 1,000 students each summer in grades K–12. This year, the camp will be hosted at four in-person locations around Houston as well as online camps, offering students the opportunity to receive high-caliber creative writing instruction, team-taught by professionals with writing, publishing and teaching experience. “Creative Writing Camp works because it provides professional instruction with the freedom to explore,” said Karen Capo, director of School Literacy and Culture at Rice. “In a matter of days, a child can go back in time, discover a new planet, create a three-act play with friends, publish their first poem and engage in any number of other adventures powered by their imagination. Children don’t just learn the foundational skills of writing; they discover the writer’s voice inside themselves.”
The calendar is also full of opportunities for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Through a partnership with WorldStrides, the Glasscock School is offering four immersive career exploration Envision camps: Aerospace and Aviation Academy, National Youth Leadership Forum: Engineering, National Youth Leadership Forum: Medicine, and Urban Sustainability Academy.
These seven- to 11-day campus experiences provide high school students with insights into their career aspirations. In the past, students in these Envision summer programs represented 44 different states. Also, a whopping 94% of Envision camp participants were accepted into their top three colleges. These camps are not just a great experience for students, but they also offer an opportunity to expose bright, young minds to Rice University.
“These immersive learning camps open the gates to the Rice experience for so many students in Houston and all across the nation,” said Robert Bruce, dean of the Glasscock School.
“A high-quality camp experience, like everything we do at the Glasscock School, introduces the excellence of Rice to a broader community. And, as champions of college readiness, we believe that higher education begins long before matriculation. These opportunities are the first steps, propelling students to giant leaps.”
— Kim Raptis
Assistant Director
Glasscock School of Continuing Studies