An active 3 weeks at academic camp

Over the summer, I attended CTY (Center for Talented Youth), a three-week academic camp in Lancaster, Pa. The program is run by Johns Hopkins University.

In order to be able to attend this program, kids who are going into eighth grade and up have to take the SATs. At the camp, you get to live in college dorms. I stayed at Franklin & Marshall College.

I took the Mathematical Logic class and learned how to write proofs. I met a lot of different people there. One of the girls in my hall came from Singapore and

another girl was from Hong Kong. I also met people who live really close to me. In my class, I met a student who attended Great Neck South High School. I am glad I met so many people there.

There are many different traditions at CTY Lancaster. We had a dance every Friday and Saturday night. At each dance there was a series of traditional dances called canon. There were special chants and dances for each canon. There also was something after the dance called the Afterdance. At the Afterdance, CTY students gathered in a circle and chanted, over and over, each time faster than the last.

Another special part of CTY Lancaster is an activity called raving. You have glow sticks on ropes, and you spin them around so it looks like a circle of light. At every dance, there is a special performance by students who know how to rave. At the performance, they show off tricks, and it is amazing to watch. Since it is dark at the dance, when they rave, it lights up the gym with circles of colored lights.

Overall, my experience at CTY Lancaster was awesome, and I would definitely go there again if I can. I am so glad I was able to go and have so much fun.

For more information visit the website: cty.jhu.edu