A World of Summer Fun at the PTA Summer Activities Fair

The much anticipated Scarsdale High School Summer Activities Fair was hosted by the PTA on Wednesday night December 3rd. Over fifty vendors participated in the event in the hope of wooing students to their summer and gap year programs at the PTA's biggest fundraiser of the year. They offered every type of activitiy and adventure imaginable including travel, college experiences, sports, community service, drama, language immersion, art and more.

Walking through the throngs of people, I was amazed at all the different ways one could spend their summer. The first vendor I stopped at was The Barat Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Chandri Barat. This summer program brings high school students "from all over the country and sometimes, even from all over the world" to Aix en Provence, a city in southern France, to enhance their French language skills and understanding of French culture. Students take art history classes and French language classes taught by native French speakers during the day. Some days, after their lessons, students teach English to French students ages three to eleven. Other days are blocked out specifically for excursions to places like the Camargue nature preserve or the city of Arles. Rachel Haber, a junior at Scarsdale High School who spent her summer in Aix en Provence with the foundation last year said she had learned "many wonderful lessons on this trip and had memories that she knows she'll never forget. "More than anything," she said, "I learned and gained an appreciation for French culture which gave me motivation to keep taking French classes in high school. In Aix en Provence, we were literally living in the most luxurious place and we had mountains surrounding us and we got to do art all the time. Also the food was amazing and it was just a dream experience!"

Next, I stopped at the table manned by Brian Kooperman, the owner and director of Bridgton Sports Camp for boys. Mr. Kooperman told me about his mission to help his campers improve their athletic skills alongside expert coaches and counselors. Located in Bridgton, Maine, campers can run around on the fields, lounge in the dorms, and even go waterskiing and swim in the lake. "While at camp, boys can major in a specific sport: either basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, or lacrosse. So, they get good instruction in that sport, but they can also minor in all the other sports and enjoy the water and other activities. The boys get a traditional camp experience but with a higher level of sports instruction."

Aside from summer programs, there were also many gap year opportunities available. As I wandered around the cafeteria, I came across a table in the back, filled with African tribal masks and huge notebooks with detailed accounts of individuals' stories of their times in Africa and Haiti. As I stopped to take a couple pictures of his table as well as of some of the people poking around his table, Jay asked me if I was a photographer. I told him, no, I'm only a high school senior who hopes to be a journalist. As soon as he heard that, he started telling me about the summer and gap year programs run by his family's non-profit organization called "Leadership Exchange". First, Jay told me about a summer photography and conservation workshop held in Botswana. "The trip works with everybody from beginners to experts," Jay started, "and we work on everything from shutter speeds to lighting. We teach you everything about being a photographer; not just how to take a picture but how to think like a photographer." Both my friendand I thought this sounded like such a good time, we had to let him tell us about the gap year program. "For high school graduates, we offer a year-long program to learn how to be a safari guide. You spend six weeks learning the training and then you spend six months in the field, actually being a safari guide. Following that, there are opportunities for employment, where you then can become a safari guide in South Africa. So, you would actually be driving tourists around and teaching them about the animals. It's definitely a big adventure program."

As I was leaving the event, I stopped by the Youth Employment Services (YES) Table where my mother and her friend, Ronnie Hersch, were working. "Capable Scarsdale students" that sign up with the Scarsdale High School Yes Office are matched with employers within the community based on their skills and interests. Students can even find jobs through the YES Office once they have graduated from the high school, as a YES Office membership lasts until students turn twenty-five. Mrs. Hersch and my mother, Jane, were both thrilled at how many students and employers were signing up with the Scarsdale High School YES Office. Mrs. Hersch told me that the YES Office has some "wonderful jobs available: computer work, babysitting, and summer jobs like camp counselors, mothers helpers, lifeguards, and so on. So, people should register with us. Our website is https://scarsdale.ny.hs-ses.com. We are staffed by parent volunteers and community volunteers and we have no financial support from the PTA or the Scarsdale village, so if anyone would like to support our organization or donate, either are greatly appreciated."

It seemed like there was an endless amount of summer and gap year possibilities to explore. To see a list of all the different organizations that were present or just to ask questions about the summer activities fair, contact the Scarsdale High School PTA at [email protected]