The South Lawn SPARK Previews Academics & Campus Life
Left: SPARK students talk with Associate Professor Fernando Gomez in his office during a campus-wide “treasure hunt” that familiarized them with Knox people, places, offices and services.
College is a four-year-long marathon —whew! Each year also includes more than a dozen “sprints”—finals, papers, etc.—whew again! Does it help to show up two weeks early, spend several hours a day working on academics, especially writing and math? Does it help if you can also get to know the campus, the offices, the people? Yes, according to students who took part in Knox College’s new SPARK Program. After completing the program prior to the start of the regular academic term this past fall, participants say that SPARK does exactly what it says—Student Preparation and Readiness for Knox—and more. The students worked with faculty on academics, receiving a half-creditcourse on their transcripts. They took part in workshops with library staff on research skills. The students also crafted collages in the art department
and went on field trips to Knox’s urban farm and 700acre biological field station. For two afternoons, they fanned out across campus to meet Knox faculty and key personnel in campus offices. Giving students an in-depth preview of how a liberal arts college “works” is one of the goals of the faculty and staff who organized SPARK. Daily classes focused on academic challenges—math, writing, critical reading, analysis, and discussion. “For me, the challenging part was also the fun part,” says Aziza BentsiEnchill of Matthews, North Carolina. “There was a lot of work that had to be done at the same time, and you had to figure out how to get it all done on time. The sense of accomplishment that I feel is really great.” At the same time that students are running a four-year marathon, they’re
EVAN TEMCHIN ’10 (2)
Below: another team of treasure-hunting SPARK students walk between buildings.
also running a balancing act, according to SPARK faculty member, history professor Konrad Hamilton. “Knox students are famous for wanting to work in the community, and they also want to balance their activities— academic, extracurricular, and in the community,” Hamilton says. Several upperclass Knox students also served as peer mentors, working with the SPARK students in their academic and campus activities. “It gave me a head start on what college is about, especially here at Knox,” says Van Johnson III of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I knew Knox was a lot different from colleges across the country, and I thought, this might be the place for me, for the things I’m interested in. I’m definitely glad I did it.”
KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2016
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