December 6, 1999
Awestruck schoolchildren enjoy campus tours
By Jennifer McNulty
When technical director Joe Weiss shows groups of young schoolchildren around the
campus's theater arts facilities, he often sees "little lightbulbs going off"
as they grasp the wonder and magic of theater.
"Because kids don't get introduced to theater and music in school as much as
they used to, just exposing them to an artistic outlet that's greater than what they've
seen is important," said Weiss. "Plus, I love kids."
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| Social Sciences dean Martin Chemers enjoyed being interviewed by students from
Starlight Elementary School in Watsonville as part of the Kids on Campus program. The initiative is bringing more than 1,000 students to UCSC this year to introduce them to all aspects of college life. Photo: Katy Stonebloom |
Dubbed Kids on Campus, the new program is bringing more than 1,000 students in grades four through eight to UCSC this year, introducing them to the academic and social aspects of college life. It's all part of UCSC's ongoing efforts to make college a goal for all young people in the area, said KATU project leader Katy Stonebloom.
"I'm having to turn away schools and classrooms right now because there's such a need for this kind of program," said Stonebloom, who is working closely with ten schools in four counties to prepare students for their visit to the university.
The students break into small groups of eight to ten kids before they head out for their prearranged campus appointments with UCSC students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The idea is to expose the children to all aspects of university life, said Stonebloom, who is always recruiting campus participants who can spare "just a tiny block of their time." Sometimes, she catches profs on the fly.
"We ambushed (associate professor of biology) Martha Zuniga in the hallway one day, and she did an impromptu presentation," said Stonebloom.
Typically, visits are scheduled in advance. So far, facilities the kids have toured include campus laboratories, art studios, libraries, and music rooms. "Any time someone says 'Oh, the kids should see this,' they're probably right," said Stonebloom. "Kids are really interested in the behind-the-scenes things that make the university work. No matter how obscure you think your job is, there's a kid who wants to know about it."
Some stops are particularly captivating, said Stonebloom, recalling a tour last spring of the Anthropology Department's laboratory during which lab manager Richard Baldwin asked the kids if they wanted to see a human brain.
"They all said 'Yes!,' and before I knew it, he'd unzipped the cadaver bag, flipped back the face and pulled the brain right out," said Stonebloom. "They loved it. I'll never forget one of the girls saying in Spanish, with complete awe, 'Look, there are all his memories.' It was a wonderful moment."
As part of their preparation, the children draft interview questions for their subjects, and they take notes during their visit. "They are expected to share the information they gather with their school when they return," explained Stonebloom. "They have a mission, and they are very serious."
During a recent interview with Martin Chemers, dean of the Social Sciences Division, youngsters from Starlight Elementary School in Watsonville quickly found common ground with their subject.
"I told them that my grandparents were immigrants to America and mentioned that they came from Russia," said Chemers. "It turned out that they were reading a book about Russian Jewish immigrants in their classroom curriculum. It was a great connection."
John Schechter, an associate professor of music, enjoys meeting the children and telling them about the life of a university professor.
"I show them what a professor does and that it's not an impossible dream for them to have," said Schechter. "I tell them that if they do their work, go to school, and are conscientious, they can be a professor at a university, if that's what they wish."
Schechter has hosted three or four school groups. "They're very well-behaved," he said, noting that he usually shows the kids how to play an Andean panpipe and then passes it around for them to try.
Bruce Tanner, a staff research associate in the Earth Sciences Department, has fun demonstrating a technique geologists use to study rocks, which he calls "The Julia Child School of Thin Section Making."
"There are always a few kids who are really fascinated by the whole thing," he said. "Who knows, we might get a few geologists out of this."
The children get a real thrill out of the visits. "Kids remember the personal connections they make with students and professors," said Stonebloom. "They want to know who their teachers will be--they want to talk to you."
If you're interested in participating in the Kids on Campus program, call Katy Stonebloom in the UCSC Educational Partnership Center at (831) 460-3046 or send e-mail to katu@cats.ucsc.edu.
