Summer Sailing Exposure

Scholars have been busy this summer! They participated in art workshops, learned to code, and went on exposures all across the city. One favorite summer exposure and new Schuler tradition is the sailing exposure. For the third year in a row, Scholars had the opportunity to sail on Lake Michigan through Sail Chicago, an organization committed to making sailing accessible for the Chicago community.

This exposure began when Tom Simms, a former Schuler College Connections Coach and volunteer captain at Sail Chicago, had the idea of teaching Scholars to sail. This year 70 Scholars from nine different partnership schools participated.

For many Scholars, this was their first time on a sailboat. According to Marco Barcenas, a sophomore Scholar from Round Lake High School, “sailing was fun, but a lot of work-- your hands get tired from all the reeling! I got to put my feet in the water. I thought I almost fell, so I had to hold on extra tight to the bar. It was a fun, new experience. I would have never gotten to go sailing otherwise, because my parents don’t like the city or water.”

Overall it was a great way to spend a summer day and we are excited for even more Scholars to go sailing next year. Special thank you to Tom Simms for coordinating the boats and volunteers, and to the 13 volunteers who taught our Scholars to sail!