THEY’RE READY FOR THEIR NEXT GREAT ADVENTURE

We knew them when the only red car they drove was the one on the Serendipity playground. Look at them now!

Two very special guests stopped by our little cul de sac today: Alumni Zach Brousseau and Matthew Covington (Class of 2013). Zach and Matthew came to take one last look at their old elementary school before heading off to college. Zach will be attending McGill University in Montreal, and Matthew will study at UCLA this fall. It was wonderful to see that, while their voices are now deep and they easily stand a head above Ms. Meaghan, they are still Serendipity kids at heart. We have always been proud of these young men, and know that they are off to do great things in the world.

Below you will find one of the essays Zach wrote for his college admissions process. It is about his experiences attending and later working at Serendipity’s Summer Program. Due to COVID restrictions, this was the first summer that Serendipity School Alumni were not a part of Summer at Serendipity School. We look forward welcoming Alumni back to our summer program in the future.

Since third grade, I’ve been involved with Camp Serendipity, a summer day camp run by my elementary school, Serendipity. Permitting drop-ins and lots of free play, camp exists in a state of ‘controlled chaos,’ held together by the group leaders. After attending a variety of camps, I especially enjoyed my time at Camp Serendipity, as its focus was on pure fun. In middle school, I volunteered at camp, exchanging my blood and sweat for pizza. I’d tag along with a group leader, setting up and playing games, learning the craft of positively controlling the chaos.

Entering high school, I upgraded from pizza to dollars and worked my first paid summer like before. The next summer, I was asked to lead a group. I realized that to lead my group successfully, I needed my campers’ trust. Sharing myself –personal stories, games, and “pearls of wisdom” with the kids– built trust and deep connections in a fun way, between me, my volunteers, and my campers. Those connections enabled my campers to share their unfiltered perspectives of what’s fun: games like Lava Monster or Hula Hut Wars. That led to deeper connections between us and a feedback loop, enabling everyone to have fun, the whole point of camp. 

Before junior year, I continued leading groups at camp, and created and taught two courses in comic book design and LEGO engineering. I shared my lifelong love for comics and LEGOs with my students, seeing their creativity via their comics, and problem-solving skills as they built structures to withstand various “natural” disasters. As I shared more of myself, they did too, and we forged even closer bonds than in regular camp. Doing this, I created two new fun experiences for campers. 

Working at camp is meaningful to me because, as a group leader, I’m giving back to my community and helping the campers discover, like I did, who they are through play. I’m paying it forward and re-creating for others the growth I experienced, and the absolute blast I had.

Well said, Zach!

Zach and Matthew, best of luck on your next adventures. Over the years you have each shown what it means to be a Serendipity Student: growing, caring, stretching yourself and being true to yourself, having fun, and giving back.