<p>Our son was a life guard at the community beach down the street throughout hs. He got to hang out with friends, get the summer tan and most importantly have fun as a teenager. Yes he took the SAT's in middle school and qualified for the CTY programs but never opted to take any summer courses for precollege students sponsored by JHU.</p>
<p>These laid back summers allowed him to relax and decompress from the hs grind, reinforce friendships, make new friends, participate in our church's youth mission projects and be a carefree teenager.</p>
<p>Sure, his summers were not about resume building. But that would not have been a genuine picture of him at this time in his life. He loved the overnite hoot-n-annies with friends, gigs with his band, hiking the AT and nitetime canoe excursions on another nearby lake.</p>
<p>This summer he is at the "Tute" taking a summer course and working with a prof on several OSP projects gratis. These choices has allowed him to experience a relatively stress free youth directed by his primary interests at the time. And yes, he intends to return home in July to resume work with the band.</p>