Duke Splash Builds Great Community
February 20th, 2010Today was Duke University’s first Splash, and what a program it was. One hundred and twenty students from all over the area, with most coming from Durham Public Schools. It was a program that very successfully built a community. Before the first class, students and “counselors” were playing games together and meeting one-another. Before lunch, everyone took part in either a puzzle-solving or bridge-building team competition for Duke-themed prizes. At (the free) lunch, everyone ate together in one room at large tables to get to know each other.
The end result was an amazing community. You could tell how much everyone enjoyed meeting each other. We all bonded, and that’s in an environment where the focus was learning.
In the end, of the 90 students that turned in surveys at the end, 80 said that they would recommend the program to their friends. Four left the question blank, five said they wouldn’t (sad, but something to improve on!) and one — when asked to circle “yes or no,” circled the “or.” Whatever that means!
I’m really looking forward to see what Duke does next time they run a program. Hopefully, I’ll also get to post some pictures once they come in and we sort out photo releases from the students. And to all the students I met, thanks for coming to my class and I hope to see you next time!