Here’s a situation: every morning during the summer, camper Jonathan wakes up, brushes his teeth, eats his breakfast, and prepares his bag for an exciting day at Jesuit High School’s Academics Plus camp.

Jesuit’s summer program was created more than twenty years ago. At the camp, boys entering the 5th through 8th grade get to enjoy Jesuit’s school campus, meet with current students, and strengthen their academic skills.

Academics Plus director Mr. Palone was part of Jesuit’s graduating class of ‘99. He has been the director for five years.

“[Academics Plus] is really designed for the guys in the camp to have fun in the classroom [and] keep their skills sharp over the summer,” Mr. Palone said. “But it’s really designed to be a fun environment on our campus where they can meet some of the current Jesuit students and learn leadership skills outside of the classroom.”

For example, in the past few weeks, students enrolled in the camp have been working on their own newspaper articles.

“I really enjoy Newspaper Class,”said Jonathan. “Our teacher, Mr. Pavelchik, has really encouraged us to write creatively. He has also helped us learn the formatting of a newspaper article.”

Academics Plus offers not only newspaper classes but also courses on math, computer science, and ELA.   At the same time, kids have a fun time in the pool and on the field playing exciting sports activities.

Back in the classroom, Jonathan is putting the finishing touches on his article on the World Cup. Once finished, Jonathan calls Chazel, the teacher aide, over to help edit his article.

“With the help of teachers and counselors like Mr. Pavelchik and Chazel,” says Jonathan, “Academics Plus has taught me what it really means to be a ‘Man for Others.’”