Summer@Rectory

Summer@Rectory is Rectory School's summer program for boys and girls ages 9-14. The program offers program-specific morning sessions based on student interest combined with an afternoon of recreational activities utilizing Rectory's abundant campus resources. 

The Summer@Rectory daily schedule provides a balance of individually selected pursuits and group activities. Each day begins with the entire group gathered to celebrate peers, showcase talents, and develop lasting relationships with fellow students. And things only get better from there as students pursue topics of interest in the morning, enjoy a little rest in the afternoon, and take full advantage of the many activities offered on our vast campus. We then close as we began—with the whole group assembled for a great evening of fun.

Program-Specific Morning Sessions Include:

Academic Power-Up will help you understand who you are as a student and how you best learn. Once this is determined, you will focus on developing skills and strategies to aid your academic success. In a relaxed summer setting, you will explore different note-taking methods, practice organizational and time management strategies, and learn to be an independent learner and self-advocate. Understanding your own set of superpowers allows you to soar and find success.

In this Introduction to Cooking course, you will be immersed in the world of cooking and all that is necessary when creating and building a recipe. Learn the importance of the food pyramid, how to make healthy choices, how to plan a meal, and how to shop on a budget. Hygiene is of the utmost importance when cooking; therefore, you will learn how to work with food and prepare for cooking safely. Learn to measure, read, and convert recipes. The course will culminate in students creating the recipe they have prepared.

In the Creative Writing course, you will learn to engage with your creative side. Learn about narrative structure, genre, point of view, and world-building through instruction and examination of creative texts. Putting instruction into practice, you will have the opportunity to write a short creative piece to share with your peers. 

The English as a Second Language course will help you build a basic understanding of the English language, focusing on vocabulary, comprehension, acclimation, language structure, and proficiency. Develop and improve listening comprehension and spoken English, learn academic vocabulary and the expressions you need to communicate effectively in the classroom, and increase fluency and confidence when communicating your thoughts in English. Conversations will present you with interesting, focused grammar points.

As a participant in the Broadway Bound (Musical Theater) experience, you will explore all aspects of theater, including music, acting, and movement. Through daily improvisation games and scene work, you will develop the skills and confidence to participate in a short production performed at the program's conclusion. In addition, some time will be devoted to learning about the "behind the scenes" aspects of theater, including light and set design, costumes, marketing, and much more. Whether you are an experienced singer or actor or just someone who enjoys watching theater, there will be a role and opportunity for everyone.

Rectory Behind the Lens will give students the chance to learn the basics of a DLSR camera. Further instruction will include depth of field, framing, and intermediate editing techniques. While working with the STEM classes, photography students will work around the campus to create truly special photo sets involving film themes and an introduction to nature.

Sports Explorations includes a series of clinics that include: soccer, basketball, tennis, and mountain biking. We will start each session with some strength training and conditioning. Then we will move on to specific skills for each sport. We will end with a competition or contest where you can put what you learned into practice on the field, court, or trails.

STEM@Rectory is an immersive program that puts you in the cockpit, driver’s seat, landing capsule, or wrecking ball. Through a structured planning phase, you will have the opportunity to build cars, planes, and spacecraft with LEGO, all while contributing to a group build. STEM participants can choose, build, and launch multiple model rockets when not constructing buildings and vehicles of their dreams. The build stages will teach construction processes and important parts of flight, while the launch sequence teaches electric current and safety protocols, all while having tremendous fun. The class will choose a large project that will encompass multiple days, with the opportunity to be displayed year-round at Rectory. Each participant can enter a piece into a contest at the end of the session.

Music Technology is about creating and capturing sounds and then using technology to manipulate, edit, and produce a final product to achieve specific artistic and functional goals. In this course, you will discover how technology is used in music production. Learn how to use the Soundtrap application to create projects such as ringtones, movie scene soundtracks, original beats, and other musical compositions.

Wolfie's Workshop allows you to step into our woodshop and innovation lab to explore and create, from building in our workshop and racing pinewood cars—or maybe a boxcar—to crafting a puzzle box to keep your special trinkets. You will also work in our innovation lab, learning to create a functional tool or gadget using our 3-D printers. By the end of the week, you will walk away not only with the items you have built, but also with the knowledge and curiosity to continue to design, build, and discover.