Collier Miller, a rising sixth grade student from Bolton Academy, is usually pretty shy according to his mother, Dr. Veronica Collier, but the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Xanadu summer program provided an opportunity for him to explore outside of his comfort zone and shine as the lead in the Triple Threat theater class production of “Aladdin Jr.”
“This is our first experience with Xanadu, but we definitely will return because we love it,” Dr. Collier said. “I found it to be very intellectually stimulating. I think this was good for him to be able to just be exposed to the arts and sciences and everything all together in one program.”
(Photos by Jessica Mynatt)
Xanadu is a four-week, summer enrichment program hosted at Hollis Innovation Academy, where students have an opportunity to engage in learning experiences that they may not have access to during the regular school year. This summer, 500 students enrolled in Xanadu, the most the summer program has ever had.
“It’s been a really exciting summer to see what these kids have been doing,” said APS Gifted and Talented Education instructional coach and site administrator for Xanadu, Andrew Nichols. “Students from rising grades first through eighth have been engaged in both academic enrichment classes, fine arts classes, sports, and P.E. classes. We’re all about student engagement, interest, and choice at Xanadu.”
Xanadu students had a wide variety of class choices to choose from this summer, including cooking, STEM, digital photography, martial arts, music, and more.
“One of the things that’s really important when we’re thinking about the education of gifted and talented children is that they need to stay engaged and motivated just like any other student does over the summer,” Nichols said. “We want to keep these kids engaged in a highly rigorous, creative way so they can start the next grade level ready to continue on that trajectory, build the skills that are critical to their long-term success, and really go out and make a real impact as leaders in the world.”
Around 120 teachers and staff members curated the courses to blend their passions with student interest and created memorable experiences like the Big Show, where parents had the chance to witness what the students had learned and produced.
The Big Show brought everything together and was highlighted by the art gallery and two feature theater productions by the Triple Threat theater production class. The middle school students performed “Aladdin Jr.” during the morning show, and the elementary school students performed “The Lion King Jr.” in the afternoon show.
In just four weeks, the students learned their lines and delivered an impressive performance of the Disney classics for a live audience. The productions also included performances by students from the piano and guitar classes and the Kemet Warriors martial arts students.
“The Xanadu program is absolutely amazing,” Xanadu media specialist June Nero-Jackson said. “Students get to shine here at Xanadu. The whole summer is a memorable experience because it is not just school, it is genuinely a summer camp.”