<p>Outside of school can include: MIT SPLASH</p>
<p>1000+ 6th grade through HS student attend classes taught by MIT students and faculty on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Hotels are jammed as folks come in from all over. Its like a tribal gathering of smart kids. </p>
<p>Programs like SPLASH and CTY can keep a kid going through the dry spells; one New Yorker article used the analogy of a camel; kids drink in these special programs to sustain their souls in the social desert of regular public school. Far beyond the subject matter taught, the kids come away knowing they are not alone; there are other smart kids like them and current tortures/boredom will pass.</p>