STEP -
Summer STudies Enrichment Program

STEP offers students entering Grades 6-9 the chance to keep their academic skills fresh and further develop foundational skills (writing, math, critical thinking, etc.), while exploring new and fun interests and topics in one-week sessions!

Campers are taught by dynamic teachers, including school-year Sidwell Friends School instructors, and supported by counselors who share campers’ passion for learning.

During each week, participants will attend three workshops, which they will select at the time of registration. The day will consist of three 80-minute workshops with a supervised morning activity break (card and board games) and a lunch break with group movement and games.

Dates, Hours, and Fees

STEP Weekly Workshop Schedule

Below is the 2025 schedule.

*You select your workshops during the registration process. Once registered, if you would like to change a workshop email summer@sidwell.edu.

2025 Weekly Workshop Descriptions

• Art: China and Japan: Students will explore Chinese and Japanese art and culture through drawing, painting, and sculpture. They will learn about bamboo painting techniques, create anime characters, and build a mini Japanese Zen Garden. This workshop is taught by the director of the Stephanie Chang Studio. (Week of July 7) 

• Art: England and France: Students will explore British and French art and culture through drawing, painting, and sculpture. Projects may include a pastel drawing of a cityscape in Paris, a seascape watercolor painting inspired by British artist William Turner, portrait drawings inspired by John William Waterhouse, and a 3D model of a landmark in England or France. This workshop is taught by the director of the Stephanie Chang Studio. (Week of July 14)

• Art: Spain, Portugal, and Italy: Students will explore Spanish, Portugal, and Italian art and culture through drawing, painting, and sculpture. They will create a drawing inspired by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, paint a Portuguese landscape painting, and create a Spanish-inspired flamenco dance project or mosaic. This workshop is taught by the director of the Stephanie Chang Studio. (Week of July 21)

• Building New Perspectives: Developing the ability to adopt new perspectives is key to navigating our surroundings. It increases our agency at school, at home, and eventually at work. This workshop series, facilitated by an ICF Master Certified Coach, will use conversation and small, curated LEGO® sets to help students lay foundations for new habits of mind that will expand their range of thoughts and actions. Curious students who excel at listening to peers and advocating their own ideas will come together to consider real-life ethical problems. As individuals and as a group, students will build LEGO® models to help construct unfamiliar perspectives that offer new avenues for cooperation and growth. Note: Each week focused on a different skill; students can enroll in this workshop for multiple weeks. (Weeks of July 7, July 14, and July 21) 

• Chinese Culture: This workshop, taught by a Sidwell Friends Upper School Chinese teacher, will incorporate both movement and light cooking. Students will learn a Taiji Kungfu Fan dance and have the option of performing it for their peers at the end of the week. They will also prepare and sample a variety of Chinese xiaochi (snacks or street food), such as youtiao (fried dough sticks), boba tea, green onion pancakes, and mooncakes. (Weeks of July 14 and July 21)

• Comics Making: Bring your ideas and imagination to this Comics Making workshop. Students will learn to set up a visual story, use frames and layout, and develop characters and dialogue. They will review examples of existing works in the form of single-panel comics, comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels. No experience needed! This workshop will be taught by a professional comics artist and illustrator. (Week of July 14)

• Debate: Learn how to use your voice, body language, and gestures to convey your message powerfully. This class can help you build your confidence, improve your critical thinking skills, develop your leadership skills, and advocate for topics you care about—all while enjoying yourself. (Weeks of July 7, 14, and 21)

• Food Writing:  Taught by Jen Lin-Liu, author of the culinary travel memoirs On the Noodle Road and Serve the People, this workshop will teach students the fundamentals of how to become a food writer. Through preparing basic dishes, reading the works of professional food authorities such as Ruth Reichl and Anthony Bordain, and drawing on their own eating and cooking experiences, students will learn how to write recipes, restaurant reviews, and literary culinary articles. (Week of July 7)

• Improv Basics: Got Game?: Like to play games and have fun? Then this is the class for you. You’ll get to play theater games, story games, musical games, guessing games, gibberish games, and more while practicing improv. You’ll learn to trust and support your fellow teammates, build scenes together out of thin air, and think fast on your feet. Improv boosts your confidence, imagination, teamwork, creativity, and communication skills. You’ll even have the chance to test drive your new improv skills by performing a few games together as a troupe at the Friday showcase! Join us and learn how to “Yes, and—” your way through life! (Weeks of July 7, July 14, and July 21)

• Memoir Writing: Taught by Jen Lin-Liu, author of the culinary travel memoirs On the Noodle Road and Serve the People, this workshop will teach students to write in first person in a vivid and memorable way, using examples from the students’ daily lives. Students will read examples of memoir writing by authors such as Malala Yousafzai and Ta-Nehisi Coates. (Week of July 14) 

• Social Psychology: How do humans behave in social groups? In this workshop, taught by a Sidwell Friends Upper School History teacher, we will learn about how we think about, influence, and relate to one another. In studies examining conformity, attitudes, persuasion, and more, you will examine the role of social pressure and how it affects human behavior! Will you conform and join the crowd, or will you become a hero and join this workshop? (Week of July 21)

• Storytelling: This hands-on, highly interactive first-person storytelling class will show students how to turn their unique life experiences into compelling true stories. There are no lectures. Students will learn the ancient art of storytelling by diving into dynamic activities, imaginative games, and explorative exercises--all designed to help them discover and develop interesting story material from their own lives. The instructor, a renowned DC story coach, will teach students tools and tips for sharing their stories in relatable, meaningful ways—ways that will enable them to make genuine, human connections with their listeners.

  Students will have the chance to put their new story skills into action on Friday afternoon, when Storytelling students will perform their stories in front of their STEP peers in a final (optional) showcase! (Weeks of July 7, July 14, and July 21)

• The Supreme Court and You: In this workshop, taught by a Sidwell Friends Upper School History teacher, we will explore Supreme Court cases that have defined student rights! Yes, what rights do you have? What kind of education are you entitled to? What can teachers and administrators do and what can’t they do? Come and learn about how the justice system works, how your rights have been defended in courts, and learn how the constitution has directly impacted your school! (Week of July 21)

• Writing for Social Justice: In this course, taught by the founder of Change the Narrative, which works to further antiracism, students will examine the lives of inspiring young people---such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and The Sunrise Movement--who fought, and fight, for positive social change. Through looking at a variety of art forms, including music and writing, students will learn about ways that creativity fuels activism and moves people. Students will have opportunities to further develop their own writing, and voice, around social justice issues that they are passionate about. (Week of July 7)