Rowan program CHAMPions academics to S.J. youth

July 17, 2008

Forget the summer slide.

For middle and high school students from five South Jersey towns, summer is the time for improving academics, getting a feel for college life and even learning a bit about themselves through Rowan University's annual CHAMP Summer Program in Glassboro.

Altogether, 240 students from Camden, Millville, Bridgeton, Vineland and Glassboro are participating in three components of the CHAMP pre-college program, a summer staple at Rowan since 1988.

Seventh- and eighth-grade students are involved in the Junior CHAMP program, while ninth-12th-graders attend Senior CHAMP. A group of rising high school juniors and seniors are living on campus from Sunday to Wednesday each week for the Residential CHAMP program.

CHAMP (Creating Higher Aspirations & Motivation Project) provides students with academic classes such as English, mathematics, computer literacy, engineering, environmental science, music and dance. Additionally, career exploration courses and SAT preparation classes are offered. Students in the junior and senior program spend two days each week camping throughout the state-from Belleplain State Forest in Woodbine to Bass River State Park in Tuckerton.

The program, which runs through Aug. 8, is designed to improve the students' performance in school and to prepare them for college through mentoring, tutoring, counseling and enrichment activities, according to CHAMP director Winona Wigfall.

"CHAMP keeps their minds going. It keeps them motivated to stay on top of their academics," says Wigfall, who got involved with CHAMP while a Union College student in 1989 and never left the program. "A lot of our projects are group-oriented and we do a lot of team building."

For the first time this year, Rowan, through a federal Upward Bound grant, is offering a summer program for English Language Learners at the Camden campus. The 32 participants are bilingual students from Camden who will live on the Glassboro campus the week of July 28 and will also camp with the Senior CHAMP group, according to Wigfall.

Students involved with CHAMP receive a stipend for successful completion of the six-week program. CHAMP is funded by Rowan, the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, the Campbell Soup Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education and Glassboro Public Schools.

The program will hold a closing ceremony on Friday, Aug. 8, from 10 a.m.-noon in the Eynon Ballroom of the Chamberlain Student Center. Students will display the knowledge they gained this summer through demonstrations of engineering projects, PowerPoint presentations, poetry and dance. Students also will receive certificates for outstanding performances in individual classes.