Chemistry. Theatre. Geometry. Physics Class. Poetry. Shakespeare. Forensics. Learning about learning. Psychology. Spanish Class. Genetics. Acting Class. Math Class. Chinese. Writing. Bill of Rights. Ancient Civilizations. Musical Trio. Architecture.
I was in our first year of campers in 1982, and now it’s been 25 years and it’s really grown. It’s really touched a lot of kids’ lives. When you’re here with a lot of other interesting kids and they’re all interested, you almost feel like you can be yourself for pretty much the first time. So what I see these kids doing, they may be from different states but they get to know each other here and they connect. I still remember a lot of the campers from when I was twelve; I still keep in touch with them.
All the subject matters, they teach you at school, but you don’t really have an opportunity to delve into the depths of the subject matter.
You get to learn with people that share the same interest with you.
You learn that you don’t have to act like you’re not smart because these people don’t care if you’re nerdy or if you’re geeky or if you have something wrong with you and you just get to be yourself no matter what.
We kind of connect because we think similar and get to know each other really well.
At my school there are a lot of different people, but here there are more people that are like me. You’re with students that want to learn just as much as you do and it makes your experience so much better because you come and there aren’t people that act up in your class and you get to learn as much as possible.
It seems like at school I’m different from everyone else and here it feels like you’re part of a larger school.
It’s just really great to see all different kinds of people, it’s very diverse.
I came back because the environment is just wonderful. There are so many cool people here and the classes are so interesting. They’re all great teachers and you can tell they care about what they’re teaching and the kids that they’re teaching to.
There’s a lot of hands-on things and since the classes are small, we get to interact with each other more and the teacher.
It’s a really relaxed environment; you work at your own pace and you tell them when you’re ready for a test and you learn how to pace yourself and divide your time into learning what you need to know.
Before I came to VAMPY, I just studied for half an hour for a test, but here, it actually teaches you to give more time to your studies. Even if you’re a straight A’s student they teach you to get even higher.
The counselors are great; they strive to make your time the best it can be here.
The support system here is so amazing; we have so many traditions.
I really like doing the optionals, some people call it mandatory fun. There’s some sports stuff if you like sports, creative stuff if you like art, and there’s something called Naptime USAwhich I heard was fun.
The activities after we got through with classes like bowling, swimming, the talent show, a dance, a banquet.
I think the most important thing that I’ll take away from this experience is having a network of friends who support me and our intellectual pursuit and our education.
The highlight of this summer has definitely been coming back and seeing my friends that I’ve made over the years.
I actually had six people from my city come and I haven’t spent more than about 15-20 minutes with them a day.
Coming to VAMPY has really opened me up and I can share my ideas with being afraid about what others think about me.
I’ve met kids from China and Indonesia; I’ve learned some of their customs and their traditions from a talk over lunch.
The people I met here have all been gifted as well, so they’re a lot more accepting of being smart or of being different than the normal.
I learned that I can learn new things as well anyone else can.
I’ve actually gained a lot of confidence. My first year I was a timid, shy, hide-in-the-corner-with-a-book girl, and now I’m one of the people who’s dragging people out of their room to get them to join in.
I’ve learned that it’s okay to be smart and that you don’t have to dumb yourself down for people and there are smart people who are also fun and entertaining as well.
I’ve learned that I can be independent and live on my own for two weeks without my parents.
Learning how to be independent, like I did my own laundry.
It’s, being away from your parents, getting sort of that freedom, but also getting just a walk to class and feeling ‘oh, I’m a big kid now.’
Well, it helps you to learn to break the ice with new people, to get to know other people and you learn new ways to talk and start conversations, just social skills.
I think it’ll help me in college because I’ve gotten experiences with the college teachers and college level course work and living in a dorm, I mean because that can be a really tough experience going away from your home for the first time.
I enjoyed eating away from home for a couple weeks; I enjoyed learning new things in a different way.
I spend the six months after VAMPY thinking about it and the next six months looking forward to it.
This is really something I’ve looked forward to ever since the first time I went in sixth grade.
It’s a whole lot of fun too; it’s not just going to class hour after hour, feeling like you’re not getting anything done.
I plan on coming back next year, ‘cause it’s a whole lot of fun and I like the experience of meeting new people.
I would come back for the people and the environment.
It’s different because you learn at the same time that you’re having fun.
Yea, it’s a lot of fun.
There’s no main thing that’s the highlight, it’s all one big highlight. It’s like a highlight of my summer.
It’s definitely the most fun thing I’ll ever do all summer.
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