After three summers of guidance, 16 rising high school seniors graduated from the Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth program Monday night at a ceremony held in Dartmouth Hall.
This year's graduates were the second class to complete the SEAD program since its inception in 2001 after area resident Carol Fuchs approached Tucker Foundation Dean Stuart Lord with the idea of creating a summer program for high school students.
According to Jay Davis '90, SEAD's director, the program's mission is to help disadvantaged youth by developing their personal strengths and promoting growth and learning in many areas.
"We want to expand their conceptions of what's possible in their lives," Davis said.
Those who graduated from SEAD's third year last night said they felt this goal had been accomplished. Anthony Estes, 17, of Philadelphia said that SEAD had increased his confidence and determination, inspiring him to apply to several colleges.
"I always knew that I wanted to go to college. Now, I know that I can go to college," Estes said.
Dartmouth student involvement is essential to the program's success, according to Davis, who believes students here possess a unique ability to influence high school students and inspire them to undertake new challenges.
"Many of these students have a relatively small number of adults in their lives who they can trust. We want to add to the list," Davis said.
Approximately 250 sophomores will be involved in the ongoing SEAD program this summer, taking on a variety of roles to ensure that the students have a positive experience, SEAD program coordinators said. A number of student organizations and Greek houses have provided meals for the program, and groups have committed to supplying food until SEAD ends on July 30. Students have also contributed by acting as tutors, taking part in outdoor activities such as basketball and scavenger hunts and acting as mentors.
Dartmouth participants in SEAD encourage high school students to raise their expectations by providing a positive example of the success that can result when appropriate risks are taken, Davis said.
SEAD mentors are also an important component of the program's success.
Mentoring involves the greatest time commitment, including an extensive application and interviewing process. After applying to the program this spring, mentors who possessed strong interests and a sincere desire to volunteer were selected to interact on an individual basis with SEAD high school students, Davis said.
During SEAD I, which begins July 19, Dartmouth sophomores are paired with rising high school sophomores. These Dartmouth students are dedicated to providing academic assistance, accompanying the SEAD kids on outing trips and acting as a continuing influence by writing to the students throughout the school year, according to the program's website.
After completing SEAD I, students return to Dartmouth campus the following summer to complete SEAD II. Dartmouth students serve as team leaders for small groups of high school students as part of SEAD II, which focuses on the discovery of a personal hero as well as the importance of community service.
Individual mentorship is revived during SEAD III, which concentrates on preparing students for college through review for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, completion of the Common Application and practice admissions interviews. Mentors function as personal college coaches and also commit to spending a significant amount of time engaging in outdoor and other leisure activities.
Despite the potential challenges involved in balancing volunteering with academic obligations, many Dartmouth students have found participation in SEAD to be the most meaningful experience of their Dartmouth career.
"It makes ideas like equity and inequity -- the things you learn about in class and hear about in the news -- tangible," SEAD student director Jason Medeiros '05 said.
Medeiros is living in the River dorms this summer and acting as a full time advisor to SEAD participants staying in the cluster. Medeiros said he believes that the SEAD program offers immeasurable rewards both to its participants and the Dartmouth students involved
"What you can learn from someone from an extraordinarily different background is incredible," Medeiros said.
SEAD graduated its first class last summer, and this fall, those graduates will enter their freshmen year of college. Of the 24 students who completed SEAD III last year, 20 are enrolling in college and 2 are joining the military.
Program coordinators plan to monitor their students' progress through college and have formulated strategies to work with students and their school administrations to ensure their success.
SEAD has inspired similar programs at several other schools, including Harvard. Last summer, a Harvard representative came to Dartmouth to observe the program and create a curriculum modeled on SEAD.
Although SEAD III has finished, SEAD I will begin July 19, bringing 32 new students from all over the country to Hanover and creating an opportunity for students not yet involved in the program to volunteer their time.
