Academics

 

 Come to Sedona and experience a VVS Summer!

In 2007, VVS is hosting its fourth Summer English as a Second Language (ESL) Camp. From a humble beginning in 2004 with six campers, our summer program grew quickly to fifty campers in 2005. Our camp gives students a quality English-immersion experience while engaging them in four major principles of the school’s mission:

• Environmental Stewardship
• Inter-cultural Understanding
• Creative Expression
• Intellectual Curiosity

The students learn English through learning about the environment, history, and culture of the American Soutwest (specifically, Arizona). The learning occurs formally in the classroom, and experientially with many field trips to local points of interest.
Classes: In class students learn about the environment, culture, and history of Arizona. They also design their own website to communicate and share their experiences with their families. The classroom lessons were designed specifically for VVS by a Ph.D. in ESL instruction. The lessons focus on teaching English writing and grammar. Our teachers are graduate students from the Intensive Language Institute of Northern Arizona University. They are each assisted by a teaching assistant so each student receives individualized attention. Our residential assistants are current VVS students or recent alumni who are very creative in organizing afternoon and evening activities for the campers. They also provide supervision and support for the campers in the dorms.

Field trips: 

Students go on a variety of field trips lead by their classroom teachers. The entire camp will also go on trips chaperoned by VVS adults. Some of our weekend trips in 2006 included a professional baseball game, the spectacular Grand Canyon, and the Verde Valley Amazing Race. Students went on many other teacher-designed field trips to local points of interest like the Out of Africa wild animal preserve and Montezuma’s Castle.

Activities:

There are always a variety of outdoor activities and sports in which to participate at VVS which is set in one of the most beautiful surroundings in the world. Campers are divided into “houses” for actvities and friendly house competitions during the afternoons and evening, including sports and games. When not competing, the campers can enjoy other activities outdoor activities - like swimming, soccer, hiking, tennis, horseback riding.