The Lights Are On

The air in the Kwok Engineering Lab at the Lindsay Center for Mathematics and Science was buzzing with the weight of a deadline.

 

On a July afternoon, 19 students in the St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program (ASP) Engineering class worked in teams to modify six ride-on electric cars for Go Baby Go, a program that provides children with disabilities a way to move independently. A day and a half away from presenting the toy cars to their young drivers, the ASP students were focused, though not without some frustration.

 

“This is stressful,” said Brianna Waldron of Raymond, trying with her teammates to get the wiring just right in order to change the power source from foot pedals to the steering wheel.

 

SPS teacher William Renauld and co-teacher Chris Ginty circulated the lab with the calm assurance that their students would succeed. ASP students, according to Renauld, have donated about 60 cars over six years to Go Baby Go.

 

The ingenuity of the class reflects that of the summer program, which was restructured to allow students to take advantage of its offerings in spite of COVID-19. This summer, ASP returned to the grounds after an abbreviated virtual program in 2020 due to the pandemic. Representing 60 New Hampshire public and parochial high schools, 171 rising seniors took part in the hybrid program that this year was divided into a two-week online Leadership Institute followed by three weeks in person at St. Paul’s. Of those enrolled, 142 students attended both segments. Forty-three percent of the 2021 cohort received some form of financial aid.

 

The Leadership Institute, which kicked off on June 21 with a Zoom address by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, featured leaders with New Hampshire ties. They included retired NBA player Matt Bonner; Kate Bergeron ASP ’88, vice president for hardware engineering at Apple; Mark Zankel, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire; Julian Jefferson, staff attorney in the New Hampshire Public Defenders’ office; and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.

 

ASP students take two courses: a required Writing Workshop and a college-level class chosen from options ranging from astronomy to biomedical ethics to film studies. Founded in 1957, the program combines coursework with extracurricular activities, college counseling, and the experience of living away from home.

 

“Our focus on New Hampshire students makes us different from any other program I’m familiar with,” ASP Director Alisa Barnard ’94 says. “It’s an incredible population of students who have self-selected into doing rigorous academic work.”

 

The learning at ASP is accelerated and multi-layered, as each teacher mentors a college-age intern who assists with classroom and dorm duties and, more often than not, is a graduate of the program. The days are long for everyone, with Chapel, classes, athletics, clubs and activities, feeds, dances, and serenades, but they go too fast — graduation is never far away.

 

“This is flying by,” said Mass Media student Evan Power of Northfield in mid-July. “It’s cool to come here and have everyone be interested in what we’re talking about. The classes are more in-depth and have a real-life application. I’ve made so many connections and explored topics I’m passionate about, and I’ve had so many genuine conversations. You don’t have a lot of opportunities to go somewhere where you don’t know anyone. We all want to stay longer.”

 

Caleb Hagner of New Boston chose to explore Molecular Biology, a topic with which he had no previous experience. Taught by SPS Laboratory Technician Scott Betournay, lectures set the stage for lab exercises, which included students extracting DNA from their own saliva samples. Hagner was not alone in relishing the chance to be surrounded by peers who wanted to learn — especially in a year that brought so much uncertainty.

 

“There’s a lot of very bright people,” he said. “And they chose to be here, to take these challenging courses.”

 

Back in the engineering lab, the electric cars were still silent despite all the work that had been done. “We added an [emergency] kill switch on each car for parents,” said Michael Schoff of Portsmouth, “and built pipe frames to support the drivers.”

 

Nearby, Waldron muttered something about a wire connection while tinkering under the hood of one of the vehicles. But a moment later, she made the connection, and the car’s lights came to life.

 

Over the sound of a revving engine, high-fiving a classmate, Waldron said, “I’m such a good problem solver!”

 

An example of success after modification — just like the 2021 ASP itself.