Every summer, Rainier Scholars – Tacoma creates unique opportunities for experiential learning. This year brought an expanded Mini College, a Summer Stretch program overflowing with joy, and a brand-new partnership with Tacoma Public Utilities.
Mini College
In Tacoma, scholars spend three summers building the academic and leadership skills that carry them through the program. The third and final summer has always been special. “The third summer has to be the most fantastic thing they’ve ever done,” said Jennifer Ward, Executive Director of Rainier Scholars – Tacoma. “We call it Mini College. We host it on the campus of UW Tacoma. We want it to have a real college feel.”
This year, that feeling grew. “We went from two majors to three,” Jennifer said. “We brought back Lawyers Lab and Sports Business, and we added a Medical Lab for the first time.”
At Mini College, scholars chose between majors, learning about relevant areas of study, and hearing from staff on their career journeys. Additionally, College 101 classes help students learn more about the basics of college life.
This year, the Medical Lab was made possible through a renewed partnership with St. Joseph Medical Center, along with a network of healthcare leaders of color that has been building curriculum to bring more young people of color into healthcare careers. Scholars in the Medical Lab path learned to bandage wounds in a Stop the Bleed workshop, studied public health crises like the Flint water contamination, and toured St. Joseph’s, where staff from a dozen departments brought out an EKG machine, radiology equipment, and even a pig’s lung for scholars to examine. “It was phenomenal,” Jennifer said.
Lawyers Lab returned to Tacoma Community House and followed a familiar face: Judge Joseph A. Evans, who scholars met last year at the juvenile detention center, now presiding over adult court downtown. He welcomed them back for a Q&A. Sports Business scholars toured the Kraken practice facility again and added a new stop at the Seahawks practice facility, where they heard from professionals about the winding paths that led to their careers in sports.
A New Community Partner
Jennifer has spent recent years working to make Rainier Scholars feel less like an outside program and more like part of the Tacoma community, bringing in volunteers to help with interviews, inviting community leaders to the first-day high five line, and building new local partnerships. This summer we were able to add a notable new partner in Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU).
Our partnership with TPU brought chemistry to life through hands-on water science activities. Scholars collected water samples from around the school and tested them for elements they had been learning about in class, including fluoride and chlorine, while also testing the pH of different liquids. They also simulated the water cycle to explore how pollution can move through and impact our water systems. Throughout the experience, scholars applied chemistry concepts and practiced the scientific method by making observations, testing samples, analyzing results, and connecting their findings to what they had been learning in class. We are grateful to TPU for helping our scholars see how the science they study in the classroom connects to the water systems and communities around them.
The idea grew out of a Seattle program tradition, where scholars tested water samples from home and presented their findings to the community. Jennifer pitched a similar idea to TPU, and the utilities team joined the summer science unit, bringing instruments for scholars to explore. “These are real-life things that you’re dealing with, that you’re manipulating,” Jennifer said. “It was something we’ve never done before.” It’s the first partnership of its kind for the program, and Jennifer expects it won’t be the last.
Joy at Summer Stretch
Summer Stretch, Tacoma’s program for our youngest scholars, found an extra dose of joy this year under director Isolina Campbell-Cronin. “She’s brought a lot of fun and joy to Summer Stretch,” Jennifer said. Scholars spent 5 days a week for 6 weeks building college-going habits into everyday routines. Each table in the room was named after a college, with a new theme each week: private versus public schools one week, HBCUs the next, etc. These themes were often paired with a guest speaker. “They’re getting inundated with this college information that, for people their age, just isn’t a normal thing,” Jennifer said.
The program added summer camp-style games like color wars, a parent-and-staff basketball game, and other touches to make being in summer school extra special. “The students were sad on the last day,” Jennifer said. “They wanted it to be longer, which is a great sign for how we’re positioned heading into the school year.”