New Student Orientation: The orientation extravaganza was held on Saturday, June 7 in Fawcett Hall. Over 25 students and their families attended this annual pre-Summerbridge Dayton event. At this time, parents and students were able to meet the 2008 staff. Students were also given an opportunity to select their academic and elective classes for the summer program. To assist in making these decisions, families were given an Orientation Booklet which provided a brief course description and summer schedule.

Staff Orientation: Staff training began on Monday, June 23. As part of training, staff members were given an opportunity to get to know one another by using team-building exercises.

Spirit Week:  During the first full week, students got together in clubs to participate in activities which included Hat Day, Club Day, College Day, Baby Picture Day, and Wacky Tacky Day. This year, club names included Show me the Green, the Hot Tamales, Blue Ice and Purple Luau. During the afternoon students showed off their club spirit with chants, claps, dances, and skits as well as the infamous Summerbridge Dayton clap. Two non-Summerbridge Dayton judges were drafted to help make the final decision on which club would win the coveted Spirit Stick. On Monday, Shoe me the Green was awarded the Spirit Stick.

Olympics Day: This event took place on Friday, July 3. Due to inclement weather, clubs participated in a Wright State scavenger hunt through the University’s tunnel system. Olympics Day is always a good way to give students a break from their rigorous studies.

Culture Day: This year's Culture Day activity included student presentations and a taste of a variety of ethnic foods.

Parent/Teacher Conferences: On July 19, Summerbridge Dayton held its annual parent/teacher conferences in the Millett Hall atrium. Each family of teachers was available to meet parents and discuss their child's progress in the program.

Field Trips The first trip was a tour of the Montgomery County Juvenile Justice Center. The purpose of this event was not to "scare the students straight", but to make them more aware of the consequences to their actions, how important it is to make good decisions and to choose their friends wisely. This trip proved to be an eye opening experience for the students and staff. Students were under the direction of the Center’s staff for the entire trip and were told they would be following the same instructions as the juvenile residents. At the end of the tour, students were locked in a pod to give them the full experience that the juvenile residents have every day. All Summerbridge students said they did not want to return to the facility in any capacity.

The second field trip was to Buck Creek State Park in Springfield, Ohio. The personnel at Buck Creek went above and beyond what was expected. We were greeted upon arrival by Assistant Park Manager, Bill Crump and taken to a shelter where we met Naturalist, Tom Weigel. Students learned about the history of Buck Creek and participated in a tree identification scavenger hunt. There were able to touch animal furs and bones, and they made plaster casts of animal footprints.

After lunch, students took a hike to the beach where they were able to swim. The students were concerned about the water being "clean" and some were reluctant to participate, but once they saw the lake, they couldn’t wait to get in the water. Most of the students brought their swim gear, but even the ones without gear decided to get in the lake in their clothes. After seeing what Buck Creek had to offer, there is the possibility of returning next year for an overnight with the students and participating in additional water activities.

The final field trip of the summer was to the Dayton International Airport to participate in the SOAR (Students Open to Aviation Research) program. This free event provides summer programs an opportunity to participate in hands-on aviation related activities and preview a practice session of the Dayton Air and Trade Show.

Graduation Celebration: The end of the summer came quickly. The program’s grand finale was organized by the language arts teachers with much assistance from all staff members. Our Graduation Celebration took place in the Creative Arts Center’s Recital Hall with a potluck dinner being served in the Millett Atrium before the ceremony. A special thanks to all parents and family members who brought in some wonderful dishes to share.

After a resounding university welcome from Associate Provost, Dr. Bill Rickert, the students began short monologues. Dr. LaCreta Clark, a Wright State graduate and current Department Chair for Educational Leadership and Services at Saginaw Valley State University, was the guest speaker. Her words and songs inspired everyone to reflect on their lives and how to make themselves and their communities better. Students elected a new SBD president and vice president – Bria Battle and Chase Dixon respectively.