I had the opportunity this summer to attend the GRACE Program which allowed me to spend time with my friends and get ahead for the year to come.
GRACE. Alternatively, summer school when done right. And I got a cool shirt out of it. GRACE is a summer program intended to help you push yourself academically but not be under too much stress and strain. As Mr. Maqubela says, “it's GRACE, not grades.” I decided to get ahead in Chemistry. Other popular choices (you can take two classes) included Latin, languages, history, and Art. Most days, my day would start around 10 in Dr. Kelley’s Classroom. We would have one class before and one class after lunch, 5 days a week (and one class on two of the four Saturdays), in which we covered an incredible amount of material, roughly akin to the first year of chemistry. After classes, my day would continue with an activity, whether the pool, the gym, or a ‘murder mystery party.’ This would be typically followed by dinner, hanging out with some friends, and then a night study hall to finish the homework from classes. Finally, a night time dorm check in, in which we talk about the day. I would then often stay up into the late hours of the night, discussing life, the universe, and Barbenheimer with one of my TA’s, Yash ‘23.
There were, as well, a bunch of outings to a variety of different places. My personal favorite was Bowling. Ms. Chica, who helps run the program, set up deliveries of pizza, and it overall was a solid two hours of fun and banter. Another favorite was visiting Canobie Lake—an amusement park roughly an hour away from Groton. I spent a Sunday being flipped around and being happy/utterly terrified. Indeed, GRACE is not just about learning and the classroom, but also spending time with your friends and making new ones.