80 students from Omaha’s Lewis and Clark Middle School are spending the week at UNO, learning college and life skills.
The four-day program, which began Tuesday, incorporates arts, music, activities at UNO’S HPER building, and academics. The middle school students spend the week with UNO faculty, staff, and College of Education students.
Connie Schaffer, Coordinator of Field Experiences in the College of Education, says the program often changes young people’s outlook on college. “They are a little skeptical, a little rebellious, a little disinterested, but they have that curiosity that’s still there at middle school. So we really try to capture the curiosity, and it’s fun really to watch that middle school shell sort of erode away.”
Schaffer says the program also gives College of Education students additional real-world experience. Students in the TAP Program are leading the writing courses. TAP is a program for college graduates pursuing teaching certificates.
The program ends Friday with a commencement ceremony for the Lewis and Clark Students.