Learning really IS fun!

“I don’t want to be a vet….I’m going to be a vet!” said the exuberant young lady from Spokane. From all appearances, Sydney Hemmert had a good start on her dream during this week’s Cougar Quest workshop on research animals led by Donna Lewis, clinical veterinarian in the Office of the Campus Veterinarian.

Hemmert was one of a group of 235 high achieving students taking part in the seventh annual Cougar Quest academic camp. For one rigorous week, 7th through 9th grade students attended three workshops of their choice — all taught by WSU professors and full of high-tech, hands-on activities meant to be fun as well as challenging.

About 125 students will be arriving for the 9th through 12th grade camp, to be held  next week, July 22-27.

With classes running the gamut from poetry writing and “monsters in literature” to jazz improvisation, comedy, “batty about bats,” “designer genes” and Lego Mindstorm Robots, there is truly something for everyone.

No small thanks to the people behind the scenes. Linda Schoepflin, director of Summer Session and Cougar Quest, had been running on four hours of sleep to make sure the students made it safely through their itinerary: breakfast at 6:45 am, then workshops, meals, recreational activities, “Hall Homies” meetings and finally room checks in the residence halls at 10 pm.

“We work all year to plan and organize this,” said Kim Mueller, pre-college programs manager in Summer Session. “Beyond setting up classes and registration, there are the food and housing to arrange as well as night time activities to plan. We also line up all the faculty and WSU student counselors and make sure they are all paid. This year we interviewed 250 potential counselors and finally hired 24 — it’s a time consuming process.”

But it all seems to be worth it judging by the focused and happy looks on the campers’ faces. Counselor Cody Moore, WSU senior in political science, said, “It’s great working with the kids. Yeah, we get paid well, but after two days you realize the bigger reward is in working with the kids and watching them grow in this close-knit camp atmosphere.”

Indeed. Mueller reports that follow-up statistics show that 45 percent of students who attend Cougar Quest camp list WSU as their first choice for future college. And 32 percent of college-eligible campers (high school seniors) do go on to attend WSU.

In addition, 50 percent of camp students come from underserved groups such as low socio-economic background, minority or potential first generation college student. “We feel the camp is a great recruitment tool,” said Mueller. “It’s like experiencing a slice of college.”

For more information, see online @ http://www.cougarquest.wsu.edu/

Professor Horace Young emphasizes a beat during Jazz Improvisation workshop.