All summer long, our Mission Society educators have filled our students’ days with adventure and exploration. From enriching trips across the city to curiosity-igniting experiments, the last two months have been full of fun-in-the-sun and invaluable learning for all of us. We’re so excited to provide educational experiences for our students throughout the summer, ensuring a place where young people can go to expand their skills and social emotional well-being even after the school year is over. It’s our joy as an organization to have opportunities to spark creativity and fun for all of our students year-round.
Today, we want to celebrate the staff, students, and families that made our 2023 Summer Rising experience so extraordinary by reliving some of our favorite moments from July and August. Join us as we dive back into summer, and check out this round-up of our most radiant memories from the season!
Our incredible staff came together for an epic training session in preparation for the Summer Rising program. They dove headfirst into a series of engaging activities–team-building challenges, arts and crafts, and practical deep-dives into how to effectively facilitate programs. Our staff had a blast becoming students for the day!
We took advantage of the warm weather and spent a lot of time outside with our participants. Our days included nature observation in Central Park, outdoor fitness days, and weekly water games. It’s important to us that we give students opportunities to be active, and what better way than to head out of our classrooms and soak up the sun with a variety of fun activities.
Prepare to unleash your wild side! Our Power Academy students went to the Central Park Zoo and Adventure Aquarium to experience the wonders of nature and interact with wildlife. They had a great time getting up close and personal with some of our favorite animals, including sea lions and captivating starfish.
Throw on your lab coats and safety goggles, because we’re looking back on all of the innovative experiments that our young participants performed this summer! We created active volcanoes, constructed flying paper kites, and even made our own models of the Earth, integrating lessons in science, reading comprehension, and collaboration in all our activities.
Students explored exciting New York City institutions like the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, where students stepped aboard a time machine of history and innovation, and the Liberty Science Center, where we embarked on a journey of ocean exploration and scientific wonders. These fascinating exhibits made history and science come alive!
This year we held a Mission Cup Basketball Tournament, where students across our program sites came together to dribble their way to victory. We couldn't be prouder of our superstar players who showcased their skills and sportsmanship on the court, and a big congratulations to our winning teams. We’re cheering in the stands about this memorable tournament, and for our amazing staff who made it all possible.
We ended our summer with our yearly Cranium Crunch extravaganza! Students across our program sites took everything they learned over the summer and applied it to fun challenges including a Jeopardy trivia game, spelling bee, science experiment, and dance competition. Staff served as judges, celebrating all of our young peoples’ summer progress and the knowledge and creativity they shared to close out a successful season of learning.