Parents Can Put ‘SPARK’ in Lives of Fifth-Through Ninth-Graders with Summer Program at Rutgers for Kids

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Come summer, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, won’t be just for college students anymore.

      Students in grades five through nine will be sharing educational and fun experiences with the usual college-age crowd if they enroll in “SPARK,” the Summer Program at Rutgers for Kids. Registration has opened for the two-week sessions designed for youngsters to explore and learn in an exciting, diverse and academically inspiring atmosphere. The weekday programs will run July 7 to July 18 and July 21 to August 1.

      The University Inn and Conference Center, 178 Ryders Lane on the Douglass Campus in New Brunswick, will serve as the hub for activities. Parents can leave their children between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. and pick them up between 4:45 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuition will include breakfast, lunch, books and supplies.

      SPARK also is inviting applications for staff positions, especially from middle and high school teachers, until March 15, said Rosa Salgado-Rodriguez, assistant director of Rutgers’ Summer Session. Information, including fees, is available at www.spark.rutgers.edu, by calling 866-640-0162 or sending e-mail to spark1@rci.rutgers.edu.

      Unlike their school-year regimens, fifth- and sixth-graders (“Squires”) and seventh-, eighth- and ninth- graders (“Knights”) will have no tests, quizzes or homework to deal with. “Children will select from a wide range of academic courses stimulating and encouraging curiosity, interest and a passion for learning – inside and outside the classroom,” Salgado-Rodriguez said. “Our emphasis is on fun-filled, hands-on learning.”

      Students can choose from a wide range of grade-appropriate courses, from soccer, Web design, digital photography and sculpture to “DNA and You,” volleyball and creative cartooning. Day trips also are an integral part of the SPARK experience, Salgado-Rodriguez said. “We will introduce students to historical sites, and rich cultural and recreational experiences. We hope to offer at least one trip per session, enabling participants to explore locations throughout our campus and the tri-state metropolitan area.”