Summer at Serra

Although it’s an all-boys Catholic school during the year, Serra welcomes girls and boys ages 3-18 during the summer. In addition to summer school, Summer at Serra has eight camps that focus on musical theater, technology skills, swimming, aquatics, rowing, wrestling, athletics and fitness, and classic sports and recreation. Whether your child is looking to hone a skill he or she already has, try a new hobby, or get ahead academically, Summer at Serra offers it all.

Founded in 1944, Serra celebrates its 75th anniversary next year. “Serra is so much more than just a high school,” said Sandy Brook, the school’s director of marketing. “It’s a community asset.”

She’s right. Ninety-percent of campers who attend Serra during the summer reside within San Mateo County. Current Serra High School students work as coaches and camp counselors. Many camps provide opportunities for prospective students to build relationships with Serra teachers and coaches and get to know the campus and culture of the school.

Talking Technology

As one of the premiere college preparatory high schools on the Peninsula, Serra has a long and storied history. The school’s core principals are faith, wisdom, service, community and leadership. Serra alumni include distinguished artists, writers, photographers, sports stars and politicians, as well as leaders in the fields of business, health and technology.

Speaking of technology, an exciting addition to the Serra summer lineup is the Tech Camp. Led by technology education professionals from TechLX, Tech Camp is for kids in grades 5-8. Through lessons in Javascript coding, programming and Minecraft, campers will learn how to develop original games for iPhones, tablets and desktop computers.

"Our new Tech Camp is a great addition to our summer programs," said Serra's Director of Summer Programs Miguel Martinez. "It will introduce students to coding and game development in a structured and fun way. The coding class will use Minecraft to teach students the logic and process of computer coding. The game development class will allow students to channel their creativity to create a virtual world of their own. Both classes also will help students to develop skills including time management, organization, collaboration and project completion. I'm excited to be offering this program at Serra for the first time and look forward to growing it in the future."

On the Stage

After its wildly successful debut last summer, Serra Theatre Camp is back! Designed for boys and girls ages 12-18, the camp will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for five weeks, June 18-July 21.

Students will flourish under the direction of Tri-School Productions' professional staff. Tri-School Productions is the renowned theatre company of Serra, Mercy and Notre Dame High Schools. Theatre campers will attend morning acting, singing, dance and technical theater workshops, followed by afternoons spent in rehearsals for the classic musical, Beauty and the Beast. The show will be held in Serra's Gellert Auditorium on July 19-21.

"Students will have a fun, well-rounded theater experience," said Theatre Camp Director Lawrence Long. "Beauty and the Beast is a challenging play to perform for both actors and stagehands. It will allow students to take the skills they learn at camp and immediately put them into practice in the show.”

Awesome Academics for Boys and Girls

The Serra Summer School Program is open to pre-high and high school students from all public and private schools. They can choose to take a wide range of courses– ranging from geometry to Spanish to PE–for advancement, remediation or enrichment.

Teens can get ready for the road by enrolling in Driver’s Education. Although students can take the course online, Brook describes it as something that is “so important, it deserves in-class support.” New drivers will learn from experienced instructors, watch educational videos, and take practice DMV tests so that they will be victorious on the big day.

Serra, Mercy and Notre Dame students can get a jump start on one of the most vital steps of the college admissions process by enrolling in the College Essay Boot Camp. Through five, three-hours workshops, Tri-School rising seniors will work in a small group setting, polishing their prose and brainstorming compelling stories that will get them noticed by college admissions committees.

Summer Sports for All Ages

The oldest summer camp at Serra is the Sports and Recreation Camp, which is celebrating its 46th year. Kids ages 5 to 12 years will spend their days in playing a wide variety of sports and games, including swimming and arts and crafts. Campers will be grouped by grade, and their activities will foster creativity, social skills and overall fitness.

The second longest-running camp is the Serra Swim School, which has been around since the 1980s and is held in the high school’s Aquatics Center. Taught by Red Cross-certified staff, Swim School is for campers ages 3 to 14 who want to hone their swimming chops and have fun in the water.

For the more advanced swimmer, there is the Golden State Aquatics Camp, which has also been around for decades. Campers ages 5 to 18 will engage their competitive spirits and improve their skills by participating in swimming meets or water polo tournaments against other local San Mateo teams

A unique aquatics camp, Padre Rowing Camp, is the only activity located off campus. Students will meet at Bair Island Aquatics Center in Redwood City. The Padre Rowing Camp, taught by Serra crew coaches, will introduce students going into grades 7-9 to the basics of this popular sport. They will learn the technical and physical skills required to row on water in state-of the art racing shells. Since it’s a sport that’s usually only taught at the high school level, Padre Rowing Camp is an excellent opportunity for prospective students to see if rowing is a sport they would like to pursue in the future.

Another Summer at Serra opportunity: Peninsula Wrestling Clinics. This camp is open to students entering grades 5 through 12. Taught by Serra’s varsity wrestling coach, Mike Klobuchar, it will provide and introduction to the sport of wrestling. The camp will offer three different clinics that teach basic and advanced folk-style wrestling techniques.

Next Level Sports Camp, the only program that caters solely to boys, is perfect for the young athlete who wants to spend his days playing a variety of high-intensity sports, including football, baseball and basketball. This camp also includes speed and strength conditioning that will have kids boasting about their newly-acquired muscles by summer’s end!

As you can see, there’s something for everyone this summer at Serra. From the arts to academics to sports, your child or teenager is sure to find activities that will enrich his or her life and result in a memorable summer experience. Serra’s convenient mid-Peninsula location and array of programs for girls and boys makes it an excellent choice for scholars and athletes alike