Super Summer050

The only complaint we ever hear about Southwest's fantabulous Super Summer programming - offered by the Southwest Community Education department of the Minneapolis Public Schools - is that it's not offered all summer!

The informal, inexpensive half-day mini-camps are offered Monday through Thursday at Southwest High School for six weeks each summer - mid-June through July - and include sports, arts, academics, computers, and environmental recreation. Each camp has a specified age range, with a plethora of offerings for kids entering kindergarten through eighth grade. Combine a morning (9:30am-12n) and afternoon session (1pm-3:30pm), send your camper in with a bag lunch, and you're set for the whole day! There's no additional charge for the supervised lunch/play hour between sessions, and pre-program drop-off is allowed for a nominal fee ($12/week).

The program's horseback riding camps may be the best deal in town: $72 includes two days of learning about horses, and two days visiting a ranch - one to practice grooming and saddling, and one to ride. There are also reasonably priced mini-camps for other higher-end activities such as photography and Red Cross babysitter training classes. Full-day Trek programs for ages 12 to 14 include canoeing, rock-climbing, and biking, as well as an environmental education component.

Expect to pay about $45 per camp per week and register early to avoid disappointment - the camps are open to all kids (not just Minneapolis residents), and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis starting in April. Most camps are limited to 10 children.

Register by mail or in-person; contact the program office to receive a brochure, or find out more about registration and cancellation policies. Extended-day care is not available "officially," but ask in the office for referrals to high school and college students who might be available.

Summer Opportunities: Programs are staffed primarily by high school and college students - many of whom probably participated in the program when they were younger. Teens looking for summer jobs should contact program director Tom Neiman.