A Sensational Opportunity For EHS Sophomores

Everett High School (EHS) has launched a formal partnership with an innovative summer program that offers transformative experiences and invaluable mentoring to students from low-income communities.

Summer Search, which was established in 1990 and has an extensive track record of helping students become leaders in their communities, has added EHS to the list of its 30-plus high school partners in Greater Boston. By way of introduction, Summer Search Director of School and Community Engagement Martina Durant met with sophomores on Monday morning to go over the specifics of the program and the application process.

“This is a tremendous opportunity, far beyond what most high school students could realistically hope to do over the summer,” said Guidance Director Kathleen McCormack. “We are very fortunate to have a relationship with Summer Search, and we look forward to expanding it in the years to come.”

Summer Search Director of School and Community Engagement Martina Durant visited EHS recently to briefly but thoroughly explain the specifics of the program.

Summer Search is built around three main themes: Summer experiences, mentoring, and college advising. The organization is staffed by professional, full-time mentors who are carefully matched with students with similar interests. Students and mentors communicate once a week through senior year of high school, including help with college applications and the financial aid and scholarship process. Summer Search then pairs students with a professional mentor who works with them for six years after their high school graduation.

 Summer experiences include travel and community service opportunities and internships. All sophomores take a two- to three-week “wilderness trip” that involves any number of activities, including canoeing, rock climbing, and backpacking. All costs are associated with the trip, including airfare and any necessary equipment, are paid for by Summer Search.

Juniors have several options to choose from, including internships and community service trips to locations across the country and abroad. There are also opportunities at New England colleges and boarding schools for students who are interested in a subject or a course that isn’t offered at their high school.

The eligibility requirements are not overly strict — students must be sophomores in high school and be eligible for free or reduced lunch — but only 10 or so EHS students will be admitted to Summer Search this year, although the Guidance Department is hoping to expand that number as the relationship grows.

Interested sophomores are encouraged to visit Guidance for an application. This is a one-time opportunity, as Summer Search only admits sophomores as new members of its program.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *