Summer Leadership Academy

In July, BJP students attend a four-week Summer Leadership Academy at Fairfield University in Connecticut. The experience builds on students' academic work during the school year and provides necessary and fun summer programming. See below why camp is such an integral part of the BJP experience:

• Academic Enrichment: Camp allows students to continue their academic growth in small classes with plenty of individualized attention. Additionally, students benefit from camp's controlled environment and consistent routine. "A summer away is often what a wayward student needs to buckle down," says Irene Locario, BJP's science and math teacher of 15 years. "Camp shows students what good studying looks like," helping them form habits that they can take home and use during the school year.
• Leadership Skills & Formation: During camp, BJP students develop their leadership skills and continue their character formation. Camp homerooms mix students from different grades, which fosters relationships between younger and older campers. This format sees the older students become mentors for their younger peers and encourages younger students to interact with their older peers as equals.
• Summer experiences: Camp provides students with much-needed programming over the summer, much of which our students may not have experienced before. Studies documented in National Geographic and the Center for American Progress have documented the rise of a "nature gap" between white neighborhoods and Black and Brown neighborhoods. Black and Brown families are three times more likely to live in nature deprived areas. Many of our students have never been hiking or swimming before. Many have never been away from home for so long before. Through these new experiences, our students develop their independence and make lifelong memories with their friends.

‍"Hiking, swimming, climbing, and not to mention the ropes course! That’s a rite of passage for all BJP students. The ropes course, and all of camp, encourages you to push yourself and try new things. That’s how you grow.” - Kim Philander (BJP '10)

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