The “Releasing the Butterfly” Summer SuperLearning Camp is an intensive six-week college-preparatory series. UTHSC, located in downtown”s Memphis Medical Center, volunteered to host the camp.
Christopher Dean is known to millions as the affable young man who helped his high school win the White House Race to the Top competition. That win earned the school the appearance of President Barack Obama as the commencement speaker at Booker T. Washington (BTW) High School in May. Dean”s introduction of the Commander in Chief — a deft blend of humor, youthful exuberance and sobering personal reflection — catapulted him onto the world stage and opened a bevy of opportunities. Now, the Christopher Dean Education Foundation has established a special initiative designed to help him and 20 of his college-bound peers from BTW prepare themselves for academic success. The “Releasing the Butterfly” Summer SuperLearning Camp is an intensive six-week college-preparatory series. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), located in downtown”s Memphis Medical Center, volunteered to host the camp, donating supplies, space, lunches and printing services.
“When we learned about Christopher”s foundation and his desire to better prepare for the challenges of a college career, we immediately contacted him to offer our support,” said Ken Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, executive vice chancellor and chief of operations at UTHSC. “Our university community is committed to providing Christopher and the other camp participants with moral, as well as material support. These young men and women have much to offer our community. We want to help them realize their full potential,” he added.
Five facilitators and staff members from Intu Education, an academic enhancement system, will gather from July 11 through August 19 on the UTHSC campus to facilitate and guide the young adults. Dean will serve as a student coordinator, as well as a participant in the camp. The focus of the coursework will include:
Improvement and mastery of reading, writing and language skills;
Increased performance in logic and critical thinking through emphasis on arithmetic and mathematics; and
Empowering participants to make choices and value judgments that contribute to improved social skills.
During the Summer SuperLearning Camp students will meet five days each week from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The program”s morning hours will be used to conduct academic instruction. Afternoons will be spent reviewing plans and confirming details for attending college, learning about health science careers, as well as participating in media-based team-building activities that encourage group interaction and communication. Participants will also engage in Friday field trip activities with younger students. For more information about the summer camp, visit intued.com.