Counseling Corner: Willowbrook Guidance Department shares summer enrichment opportunities for students

Summer break is a wonderful time for students to relax and enjoy time off, but it also is a chance for them to take classes to get ahead in school and prepare for the future.

The Willowbrook Guidance Department shares the below list of summer enrichment opportunities for students.

STEM Camp
District 88, along with its associate elementary districts (Addison School District 4, District 45 and Salt Creek School District 48), will once again offer a STEM Camp for middle and high school students. This will be the third summer for the camp, which allows students to work on coding and robotics skills. Participants will create apps for Android devices, as well as program robots to perform specific functions. The deadline to register is May 4, so be sure to sign up today at https://tinyurl.com/yddsoyum.

Camp College
Camp College offers students an opportunity to learn about the college search and application process firsthand from college admission professionals and high school counselors. The camp is provided by the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), and participants will learn about navigating a college fair, essay writing, identifying the best college fit/match, financial aid and more. Students also will visit multiple colleges/universities and experience a college campus. For more information, go to www.iacac.org/camp.

Pre-college summer programs and camps
Pre-college summer programs and camps are offered throughout the country to provide high school students with experiences in areas such as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); health care; art; music and more. A directory of national educational programs and camps can be viewed at www.studenteducationprograms.com, http://tinyurl.com/jehkwmb or www.iacac.org/summer-programs.

Engineering college-credit courses
Students have the opportunity to take intro to engineering courses at Aurora University and earn undergraduate credits. Students will focus on the design process cycle and interpersonal skills and will gain an understanding of STEM careers. For more information, go to https://tinyurl.com/y7bk4blp.

College of DuPage (COD)
COD offers classes for high school students, along with ACT/SAT prep and a College Success Series. See details at https://tinyurl.com/ya83cbup.

For more information about the programs listed above, as well as other summer enrichment opportunities, go to https://tinyurl.com/yb4hcfcs. The Guidance Department recommends checking the links above as soon as possible, as registration deadlines are approaching.

For questions about District 88 summer school classes or credit recovery, contact the Guidance Department at 630-530-3421.