The promise of summer at Bates looks like flowers in abundance, hammocks strung between trees on the quad, and local K-12 students on campus. During the recently concluded Short Term, we hosted over 1,000 young people for art, play, exploration, and more.

Encouraging High Aspirations Among Lewiston’s Middle Schoolers

On two subsequent Fridays, all 360 graduating 8th graders from nearby Lewiston Middle School visited Bates to tour campus, explore post-secondary options, and enjoy lunch and field games. These Aspirations Days were organized by the Bates Aspirations Club, a student organization dedicated to encouraging local youth to consider positive futures for themselves. 

Research suggests that a positive sense of one’s future helps motivate positive choices in the present, so these campus visits were designed to expose kids to diverse possible pathways for themselves and to invite their questions and explorations. In addition to imagining themselves going to a two-year or four-year college, students also learned about a range of trades, and they engaged in activities that helped them think about their own strengths, interests, and dreams in relation to those options. Noticeable on campus by their bright red Bates Aspirations Day bags and their easy smiles, our middle school friends clearly had a grand time.

Your Robot or Mine?

In a different engagement with nearby Lewiston Middle School, a team of twelve young coders and their teachers came to Bates to share their work with Bates students from a course taught by Digital and Computational Studies professor Andy Ricci called “Human-Robot Interaction Design Workshop.” 

The middle-schoolers presented games they had created and demonstrated the Ozobots (golf-ball-sized robots) they had programmed. The Bates students then took a turn and shared their prototypes for robots they developed based on “design for belonging” principles. These robots spit out puzzle pieces and messages of affirmation and invited various games. After the presentations, Bates and middle school students got into mixed small groups and worked on a design challenge to build the tallest possible structure out of pipe cleaners. The event ended over lunch in the Bates Dining Commons–always a favorite for local youth. Middle school math coach Angela Burke gushed, “What an amazing day. The experience was incredibly meaningful for our students (and for us)!” Based on the enthusiasm exhibited by Bates students, it was equally meaningful for them.

Under the Sea with 754 Elementary School Kids!

In addition to taking a Short Term class, Bates students who are part of the student-led Robinson Players dedicate their extra hours to an annual program called “Stages for All Ages” in which they stage a musical in less than a month(!) and perform it for hundreds of local elementary students.

This year, they produced Spongebob: The Musical and performed it three times in the college’s Schaeffer Theater for a total of 754 elementary children from four different local public schools. Bates junior Jack Hagan of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was one of the stars of the show. “We’re putting on a show, but more than that, I’ve loved the opportunity to meet new people and spend my Short Term singing, dancing, and having a blast. The best part is performing for the local Lewiston elementary students and seeing their excited, smiling faces when they come to watch the show. Knowing that we’re putting on a musical for them and that they walk away having had such a great time makes the entire process incredibly rewarding.”

Puddles of Fun

This year’s Puddle Arts event–now an annual tradition in the third week of Short Term–looked like it might be a washout, but the rain held off, the kids came, and big fun was had by all. Held on the field next to the Bates Puddle (aka Lake Andrews), Puddle Arts has become a beloved annual event at which Bates clubs and teams, along with one of our amazing community partners, ArtVan, host a variety of art activities and games for youngsters from local after-school programs, including Tree Street Youth and the Root Cellar. From spin art, friendship bracelets, face painting, and collage-making to bubbles, stomp rockets, soccer, and volleyball, there was something for everyone. Happy summer, everyone!