SquashWise Summer Camp Teaches More than Just Squash

While students in the SquashWise Summer Camp, held June 28 to July 2, spent plenty of time perfecting their serves and returns, they also took on the acclaimed Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. The story recounts Greg Mortenson's climb up the second highest mountain in the world, K2 in Pakistan, as part of an endeavor to build schools in remote Afghanistan and Pakistan. Through his journey, he sees up close the limiations of schooling in rural villages—and sets out to make a difference.

"The book generated a lot of deep discussions with students," explains Abby Markoe, the executive director of SquashWise. "We talked about the struggles people face accessing education in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and it got them thinking about education in our own country."     

Along with reading Three Cups of Tea, students learned about chemistry through an experiment making homemade ice cream and organic gardening and taking care of horses at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland.

"The week-long camp was full of really great opportunities for students," Markoe adds, explaining that camp slots were awarded to students for their academic improvement, attendance and commitment to SquashWise during the school year. A number of students also won expense-paid slots in sleepover camps across the nation, including Squash Smarts in Philadelphia, StreetSquash in New York City and squash camps at Princeton University and the U.S. Naval Academy.

SquashWise students attend Civitas Middle/High School and Booker T. Washington Middle School.