Wait. We are in vocal and DC will attend the three-week intensive in July but no one has ever, not once mentioned another summer program. This is the first I’m hearing of it. Oh well. If it’s really Aug 3 week our family will be away on vacation.

Anonymous wrote:I dont have a kid at Ellington but they really have required attendance events basically a month away that they havent notified you of yet?? How are you supposed to plan your summer?

Recommended, but rarely required. And most departments are actually NOT doing intensives this summer

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont have a kid at Ellington but they really have required attendance events basically a month away that they havent notified you of yet?? How are you supposed to plan your summer?

Hahahaha welcome to Ellington . . .

+1. Wait until your kid starts gigging. The talent and opportunities at this school are unequaled, but always remember, it's run by artists.

Anonymous wrote:I dont have a kid at Ellington but they really have required attendance events basically a month away that they havent notified you of yet?? How are you supposed to plan your summer?

Hahahaha welcome to Ellington . . .

I dont have a kid at Ellington but they really have required attendance events basically a month away that they havent notified you of yet?? How are you supposed to plan your summer?

I believe Bridge will happen the week of August 3 based on what my kid (current Ellington student who might be volunteering that week) reports. That being said I would confirm with the school to make sure.

OP here - this is super helpful. Thanks!

Welcome to Duke Ellington! Most if not all departments do a focused intensive summer day camp -- it is low cost for non-DESA students, free (and generally required) for admitted freshmen, and compensated (service hours or YEP) for rising upperclassmen who work as counselors. Contact your department head for the specific dates for your program.

We had already committed our rising freshman to a sleepaway camp before we learned the dates of our department's summer intensive. Fortunately, the camp was also focused on the same subject matter as the department, so DESA gave our freshman "credit " for the sleepaway camp (no actual academic credit, but the kid was allowed to arrive late to the summer intensive).

After all the summer intensives are over, there is a freshman class summer bridge program also. All freshmen, all departments, lots of school spirit, the one you don't want to miss. Our kid was a little lukewarm on the school after the summer intensive, but fell in love with it during the pre-frosh week.

Different departments have their summer intensives at different times, and then there is an all-freshman summer bridge in early August after the summer intensives are complete

Does anyone know if/when there will be a summer bridge for Duke Ellington rising 9th graders? Someone told us this might happen in June (!) but we haven't heard anything since being accepted and don't want to plan family vacations that might mean our kid misses their first chance to meet their new classmates. It may also be possible that different departments host them at different times. I can always call or write to Ellington, but my sense is that they don't always have a plan and communicate things very far in advance so I don't know if they've even nailed it down yet. If parents whose Ellington kids went through this in the past few years and have intel on historic timing would be super helpful.