Summer Come Back

Summer Session is nearly over, but there’s still plenty of time to note that many NMH alumni return to campus to work for the season. The program, which began in 1960 and is headed by Director Greg Leeds, saw 18 alumni return to campus this year to fill roles as faculty and staff. From assistant director Jeff Neill ’97 to Nelson Lebo ’56 who teaches chemistry, graduates can be found all over NMH. The majority of those returning, however, are younger alumni that fill positions as summer interns whose duties include teaching, advising, coaching, and chaperoning.

Summer Session provides an academically rigorous boarding-school atmosphere without the yearlong commitment. Students attending the program focus on one class and complete a yearlong course in just five weeks. Inside the classroom, interns have the opportunity to teach their favorite subjects with other alumni or their own former teachers. Peter Evans ’05, the teaching intern for US History, says “It makes it easy to be passionate about my material, when I remember what a joy it was to learn it here.”

A majority of the interns intend to pursue teaching as a career. “I chose to come back based on a love for teaching and a love for NMH,” said Eli Lovely, ’06. “NMH provided me with great opportunity, and the internship has allowed me to give back in a unique and rewarding way.”

Interns spend five weeks on campus living among students and interacting with them outside of the classroom. Sarah Messer ’06 explains, “You develop relationships here with people that genuinely care about you and want to push you to become a strong and well rounded person in many areas of your life, not just academically.” It is those rare connections that keep NMH alumni coming back. “Hiring alumni who are committed to working with young people has been an important objective for me,” Leeds says. “This is a very valuable way for alumni to remain connected to NMH. Serving in our program enhances their total NMH experience.”

Amanda Kusek ’06, a student in creative writing at the University of Iowa and a teaching intern at NMH Summer Session, wrote this story.