Robots, Spongebob, and Bubbles, Oh My!
The promise of summer at 乐播传媒 looks like flowers in abundance, hammocks strung between trees on the quad, and local K-12 students on campus. During the recently concluded Short Term, we hosted over 1,000 young people for art, play, exploration, and more.
Encouraging High Aspirations Among Lewiston’s Middle Schoolers
On two subsequent Fridays, all 360 graduating 8th graders from nearby Lewiston Middle School visited 乐播传媒 to tour campus, explore post-secondary options, and enjoy lunch and field games. These Aspirations Days were organized by the 乐播传媒 Aspirations Club, a student organization dedicated to encouraging local youth to consider positive futures for themselves.
Research suggests that a positive sense of one’s future helps motivate positive choices in the present, so these campus visits were designed to expose kids to diverse possible pathways for themselves and to invite their questions and explorations. In addition to imagining themselves going to a two-year or four-year college, students also learned about a range of trades, and they engaged in activities that helped them think about their own strengths, interests, and dreams in relation to those options. Noticeable on campus by their bright red 乐播传媒 Aspirations Day bags and their easy smiles, our middle school friends clearly had a grand time.
Your Robot or Mine?
In a different engagement with nearby Lewiston Middle School, a team of twelve young coders and their teachers came to 乐播传媒 to share their work with 乐播传媒 students from a course taught by Digital and Computational Studies professor Andy Ricci called 鈥淗uman-Robot Interaction Design Workshop.鈥�
The middle-schoolers presented games they had created and demonstrated the Ozobots (golf-ball-sized robots) they had programmed. The 乐播传媒 students then took a turn and shared their prototypes for robots they developed based on 鈥渄esign for belonging鈥� principles. These robots spit out puzzle pieces and messages of affirmation and invited various games. After the presentations, 乐播传媒 and middle school students got into mixed small groups and worked on a design challenge to build the tallest possible structure out of pipe cleaners. The event ended over lunch in the 乐播传媒 Dining Commons鈥揳lways a favorite for local youth. Middle school math coach Angela Burke gushed, 鈥淲hat an amazing day. The experience was incredibly meaningful for our students (and for us)!鈥� Based on the enthusiasm exhibited by 乐播传媒 students, it was equally meaningful for them.
Under the Sea with 754 Elementary School Kids!
In addition to taking a Short Term class, 乐播传媒 students who are part of the student-led Robinson Players dedicate their extra hours to an annual program called 鈥淪tages for All Ages鈥� in which they stage a musical in less than a month(!) and perform it for hundreds of local elementary students.
This year, they produced Spongebob: The Musical and performed it three times in the college’s Schaeffer Theater for a total of 754 elementary children from four different local public schools. 乐播传媒 junior Jack Hagan of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was one of the stars of the show. “We’re putting on a show, but more than that, I’ve loved the opportunity to meet new people and spend my Short Term singing, dancing, and having a blast. The best part is performing for the local Lewiston elementary students and seeing their excited, smiling faces when they come to watch the show. Knowing that we’re putting on a musical for them and that they walk away having had such a great time makes the entire process incredibly rewarding.”
Puddles of Fun
This year’s Puddle Arts event鈥搉ow an annual tradition in the third week of Short Term鈥搇ooked like it might be a washout, but the rain held off, the kids came, and big fun was had by all. Held on the field next to the 乐播传媒 Puddle (aka Lake Andrews), Puddle Arts has become a beloved annual event at which 乐播传媒 clubs and teams, along with one of our amazing community partners, ArtVan, host a variety of art activities and games for youngsters from local after-school programs, including Tree Street Youth and the Root Cellar. From spin art, friendship bracelets, face painting, and collage-making to bubbles, stomp rockets, soccer, and volleyball, there was something for everyone. Happy summer, everyone!