The Summit Summer Olympics began yesterday for almost 400 students from Milwaukee's near South Side!

Each grade school student is placed on a team of 10-12 students lead by a Counselor, who is a university student on summer vacation, and 2 Junior Counselors, who are Summit high school students that have come up through Summit's programs and act as peer leaders for the younger students.

Students attend the program from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, which is jam-packed with activities!

Academics

Half of the day is spent reviewing academic concepts in Math, Reading and Character classes. Teams of 4th and 5th graders and teams of 6th - 8th graders review what they have learned during the school year with fun practical lessons led by their counselor. In Character class, students learn about a different virtue each day, and how they can practice that virtue in their daily lives.

Athletics

As an incentive for the hard work students put forth in their academics, students are rewarded with a half day of athletic skills training and competitions. Students learn different skills and compete in soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, dance (for the girls), and other sports with their teams. In addition to physical exercise for 2 1/4 hours each day, the students bond with their teammates, peers, counselors and junior counselors to form lasting friendships and personal growth.