It's not too early to prep for college

Young students hone their academic skills in the summer Student U. program in Durham

DURHAM -- Jayda Henry scrapped a Disney World vacation this summer to stay in Durham and do homework. The 10-year-old told her parents she needed to prepare for college.

It might seem early for rising sixth-graders to think about college, but a new, free program called Student U. has 49 Durham students polishing their math, science and reading in middle school so that they're really ready when it counts most -- in high school.

At the end of the month, Jayda and other students will have spent six weeks in small core classes taught by college-age instructors in classrooms donated by Durham Academy, a private school.

They will have written poems and plays, read about genocide in foreign countries, participated in a science fair and taken electives that include music, martial arts and the art of debating. The program continues during the school year with weekly tutoring and educational field trips. To participate, the students have committed to continue with the program through eighth grade.

"It will be an equal amount of funness that we would have had at Disney World," Jayda said.

Appreciation from the students comes as reassurance to Student U.'s founder, Dan Kimberg, a recent Duke University graduate who started with a belief that the best way to change the world was to start by teaching children. At the time, he lacked teachers, students, a curriculum and the $110,000 it would take to run the program for one year.

"It took me awhile to show the parents that a program run by a 21-year-old is worth considering," Kimberg said.

Kimberg has won support, especially from donors. Durham Academy agreed to host the sessions and cover several costs, including transportation. The Durham Public Schools have provided breakfast and lunch each day, and public- and private-school teachers have volunteered to mentor the college students teaching the classes, in which the student-teacher ratio is 3-to-1.

"They know the children really well," said Lisa Lord, a teacher at Club Boulevard Elementary who is serving as a mentor. "And they give each child a chance to pursue a strength."

Jayda's teachers are helping her focus on math, she said. Rahiem Gatling's interest is in the trombone.

Lucky for Rahiem, his English teacher, Terry Hsieh, plays the instrument. In the afternoons, during "Cheza Time" -- which means to play or dance in Swahili -- Hsieh teaches Rahiem the basics of the brass instrument. Hsieh, a college freshman, used part of his teaching budget to fix up a used trombone for Rahiem.

Even standing around in the summer heat, Rahiem clutches the heavy instrument in its cumbersome black case, rarely putting it down.

The rules at Student U. are stringent. Students can't miss more than three days of school. If they fail to do their homework, they skip recess and go to "Responsibility Time," or study hall.

The regimen is tough on teachers, too. Every morning, a few board school buses at 6 a.m. to pick up students. The day doesn't end when all the students are home at 6 p.m.

"You're constantly thinking about, 'What could make my lesson plan better?' " said Alexis Crumel, a rising senior at N.C. Central University who is studying education. Her summer job as a Student U. teacher gets her a $2,000 stipend for eight 60- to 70-hour work weeks. "You're always thinking about, 'What can I do for my students?' "

The grueling pace is one that only young people can sustain, some organizers said.

What ensures that they will continue is their passion, Kimberg said. Some might think he and his comrades are naive, he said, but he maintains that they are simply passionate idealists.

"We all get our place in the world and do think we can do something special," he said.