Summer Academic Challenge

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2023 Program Dates: June 29–July 27

Summer Academic Challenge (SAC) is a tuition-free four-week enrichment program for Tacoma and greater Pierce County students in grades 7 to 12. With an innovative Project-Based STEAM curriculum, students explore themes in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, and see how the subjects they study in school play out in the world around them. Classes are project-based and require teamwork and collaboration. In addition to time on campus, whether in the classroom, lab, outdoors, or in the library, students attend workshops on writing and oral presentation skills, and participate in field trips and special events. Students participating in the program gain confidence, expand their interests, and become better prepared for the next school year and to meet their long-term academic goals. In fact, over a six-year period (2014–20) at Puget Sound, the one-year retention rate for former Summer Academic Challenge participants (89%) was significantly better than the rate for all other first-year students (83%), including 100% retention of students who participated in two or more Challenges.

Eligibility:

Students must be currently attending a public school.
Students must be from underrepresented minoritized groups, first generation college students, and/or from underrepresented socio-economic status as determined by the Federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program.
Students with an interest in developing their skills in science and technology study material centered on a theme that changes from year to year.
Students must be able to attend at least 90%, or 18 out of 20 days, of Summer Academic Challenge (Summer Academic Challenge is from June 23-July 21). Full attendance and participation is important, as this program is collaboration and project-based.

Themes from past years have included robotics, salmon survival, flight, and sustainability. Students study specific mathematical and scientific topics that support the theme and relate those topics to larger questions. Over a four week period, they attend classes, build models, execute computer programs, conduct laboratory experiments, and participate in field trips.

Teachers are drawn from both the community and the university. Current university students serve as mentors and teaching assistants to the middle and high school students participating in the program.

Financial Aid Opportunity for College

Puget Sound will provide a package that meets the full financial need of Summer Academic Challenge students who wish to attend the University of Puget Sound if they meet the following criteria: 1) Successfully complete Summer Academic Challenge or participate in 100 hours of access programming like Tuesday Night Tutoring; 2) Graduate from high school; 3) Apply to, are admitted, and enroll at the University of Puget Sound.

See the short video created during the 23rd year of the Summer Academic Challenge for student reflections on the program and to learn more about what participating in this program can do for you.

If you have any questions, please email achallenge@pugetsound.edu or call 253.879.3927.

Summer 2022 In Review

Summer Academic Challenge was fully in-person in 2022 following two years of virtual and hybrid programs! We introduced two new curricular themes - Hot Mic: Climate Science Communication, and Coding and Highlights on Activism in the Puget Sound. The opening and closing ceremonies were in person again this year, as was the Bar-B-Que. Returning students were excited to be back on campus full time, citing the science labs and field trips as their favorite parts of the program. In their post program survey, 100% of parents rated themselves as satisfied or very satisfied with the program overall and cited the return to a fully in-person experience as the highlight.

One parent shared this moving letter with us following this year's program:

My son is profoundly obsessed with technology, science, and math. He is also autistic, and struggles with social anxiety. I had the pleasure of watching my son from his very first day two years ago, being welcomed openly and enthusiastically into the program, and into the family of SAC. At the end of last summer’s session, my son had gained a considerable amount of self-confidence, made special connections with both students and counselors, and was deeply inspired by being surrounded with like-minded individuals, passionate about their education, learning, and STEM in general.

The immeasurable gifts he walked away from directly affected his junior year of high school. He joined clubs, began engaging with students he felt he had things in common with. He ran for and was elected for a leadership role in the STEAM club. His involvement within the community grew, teaching elementary students computer programming. It was like watching a flower that had been deprived of sunshine and water re-planted into a garden where he started to thrive, and grow.

He was so excited to learn he was selected again to participate in this year’s SAC program. This time, he hit the ground running, engaging with peers, and strove to be an eager and active participant from day one. SAC is where my son felt safe and encouraged to be himself, engage with subject matter he is passionate about at full-throttle, and go beyond collaborating with other students... For the first time in his academic years, my son came home on the last day of this year’s session and shared something quite remarkable with me. He told me that he made friends. While to some, that may not seem related to what SAC is here for, to my son, that was a profound and life changing gift.

As a family, we are eternally grateful for every moment my son has had the opportunity to learn, grow, and bloom thanks to the experiences he has had with SAC. It was just the right catalyst he needed to experience life in a whole new way.

In this section

See the short video created during the 23rd year of the Summer Academic Challenge for student reflections on the program and to learn more about what participating in this program can do for you.

Contact Information

Doris Tinsley - Assistant Director for Access Programs

Summer 2022 In Review