距离开学已过去一周，回顾暑假历历在目，孩子们在各大优秀夏校经历了独一无二的夏天。当然，我们也收到了他们陆续提交的参赛作品，接下来会和大家一起分享孩子们记录的夏校生活！

今天让我们一起来看看刘同学在卡迪根山中学度过的夏天，她是如何从最开始的想家到享受夏校生活的——

I can fairly say that participating in Cardigan Summer Session was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me.

I was dragged away from the comfort of my bed, dragged away from all the electronic devices, and most importantly, I was dragged away from Chinese food. I was put into a strange place called Cardigan. To be honest, Cardigan was the first Foreign summer camp I ever went to, so it was the longest time I’ve ever been away from home alone. So, naturally, I took a very long time to adapt to this new lifestyle. I was homesick, my stomach was feeling “moody”, but after a week or so, I began to enjoy life in Cardigan. I took pleasure in all of my classes and activities, especially wilderness survival. I’ve never even heard about such a class before, and was very curious of what it was about. It turns out to be very intriguing, building shelters out of natural materials like branches, twigs, bark and pine needles; making rope out of dried grass, building fires and so on. It truly altered my concept of real fun.

CSI:Forensics was totally fine too. We learned many impressing knowledge like analyzing people’s personalities through their hand writings, investigating the truth behind all those seemingly impressive magic tricks, studying blood cells and DNA... You just can’t imagine anything cooler.

As the teachers say, lots of people are attracted to Cardigan by it’s appealing waterfront, so not swimming in it will be a huge pity. For this reason, I firmly chose swimming as my first activity, simply for experiencing how it felt to be swimming in a natural lake, but ended up in the top level. Most of the time, I prefer just floating on a plastic “noodle” and chatting with my friends and meanwhile enjoying “the leisure of life.” As if this isn’t enough, Cardigan has a lake activity that everyone can join, including faculty members. It is called “Polar bear.” You have to wake up early and be at the lake at about six forty-five a.m. and jump into the school lake. I think it is refreshing and will help you start a sober day.

But the most important thing in Cardigan is none of the above. It is a deciding factor and an important tradition in Cardigan: the Green And White. Every year, students and faculty members will be divided into two large groups: the Green group and the White group. There will be all kinds of colourful competitions between the two groups, but the most vital competition is called “the great race.” It includes many weird but fun matches, like jumping in a sack, instructing blindfolded people to run around cones, spinning twenty circles then sprint across the field, etc. The great race occurs every session, and, in my opinion, it is the spirit of Cardigan.

Besides classes and activities, I want to express more about the enthusiastic and amazing people I met at Cardigan. Before really reaching Cardigan, I actually thought there were going to be lots of bullies and spoiled girls whining about bugs and not-so-delicious foods, but as it turns out, I’m more of a spoiled little “princess” compared to the “citizens” of Cardigan. Also, they were pretty kind and patient to newcomers like me. They explain my questions on Cardigan rules, lead me to my classroom when I’m getting lost, and so on. I made some lovely friends there, and they helped me get over my difficulties, meanwhile subtly assisting me to adjust to the school environment and to blend in with others. I am genuinely thankful to all my friends in Cardigan who has helped me pass various difficulties and become a better student, friend and partner in Cardigan.

But as the old saying goes,“The happiest things often lead to the saddest endings.” Somehow, I didn’t need the things I often craved for in Cardigan when I went back--neither my cellphone nor Chinese food. I missed Cardigan. I missed the classes, my friends and the laid-back way of living. Three weeks seems to pass like three days, and yet, the change in my soul is unquestionable. I turned braver, more outgoing and more independent in the three weeks in Cardigan--the most special three weeks in my whole entire life. At last, again, I miss Cardigan!

卡迪根山中学 ▪ 夏校项目简介

卡迪根山中学创建于194年，位于罕布什尔新州，是一所男子初中寄宿学校，提供6到9年级的课程。学校提供了一个结构严谨，如家的环境，帮助学生掌握基本的学术、社交和体育技能，和正确的精神价值观。学校给学生提供有挑战性的学术课程，重点强调学习基础技能，学习内容和学习技巧的掌握。学校的活动项目旨在为男孩们提供体验成功的机会，为他们的闲暇时间和周末提供健康而愉快的活动，以促进他们在体质和运动上的发展，教导他们学会队友间的合作和信赖，激励良好的运动精神。

暑期学习项目：

卡迪根山自1951年开始举办夏令营，每天上午是丰富的学术活动，下午是传统夏令营活动，整个暑期课程中还设置了 "Green and White"比赛，所有学生被分为两队，参加周三晚上的活动。还有2011年开设的CORE户外冒险计划，参与者可以体验长达一周的户外旅行，包含徒步、露营、独木舟等户外活动。这个夏校可以报名两期三周的项目，也可以连报六周的项目，8-15岁的男生或女生都可以报名。

课程设置：

上午可以在以下课程中选择五门上课

艺术类课程：黏土的奇迹；木工工坊；戏剧；舞蹈；绘画基础；从艺术概念到作品；艺术的探索；混合媒介绘画；摄影；版画。

英语学术类课程：读者的车间；作家工作坊；莎士比亚；艺术创作；在书的世界旅行；乌托邦的毁灭；时代的故事；新闻入门；先进的新闻；英雄之旅；荒野的冒险故事；全球问题与当前事件。

基本的学术技能：学生社团组织；书法；记笔记的技巧；公众演讲；SSAT和英语；SSAT和数学；SAT与写作；面试技巧。

数学课程：加和减；乘法与除法；小数和分数；分数的运作；pemdas和整数；几何入门；绘图；数学难题；多步方程；线性函数；方程组；二次多项式；几何证明三角形；三角函数入门；统计与概率。

科学课程：环境和侦探；环境科学入门；地面的交通工具；空中的交通工具；神秘科学；犯罪现场调查取证；天文；机器人学；选择你自己的科学探险；自然灾害；营养品；野外生存；编码。

历史课程：希腊和罗马神话；罗马帝国；艺术史和达芬奇；体育心理学。

世界语言课程：法语；拉丁；韩语；汉语；日语；西班牙语；德国。

英语作为第二语言（ESL）：阅读与词汇；写作和语法；谈话技巧；美国史专题；面试技巧。

适用年龄：二年级-九年级

申请材料：申请表、成绩单、推荐信、文书。