HWS News
24 May 2024 HWS Hosts Campus Visits for Geneva City School District Students
Annual campus visits bring Geneva students to a day of college and career exploration.
Hobart and William Smith welcomed Geneva City School District’s second graders to campus on Tuesday, May 28 and will host sixth graders on Monday, June 3. What has become an annual tradition coordinated by Geneva 2030 brings every second, sixth and ninth grader to campus for a day of inquiry, exploration and envisioning what students’ individual futures hold.
This year’s second-grade visit carried the theme: “Love what you do. Do what you love,” encouraging students to turn their passions and interests into a career. The sixth graders will have a day focused around “FutureU (university) — envision yourself on a campus! The pathway to an exciting career.” During both days, students have an opportunity to participate in activities led by faculty, students and staff from Hobart and William Smith and Cornell AgriTech, take a tour of campus, and eat in the dining hall.
“Offering opportunities for our middle school students to see firsthand what the next steps in their learning journey can look like is essential for each student’s individual development,” says Geneva Middle School Principal Matt Heath. “Early exposure to college and post-secondary pathways is a crucial component of the Geneva Middle School student experience.”
While the sixth-grade visit and second-grade visit are programmatically themed around STEAM and literacy, respectively, the day’s activities provide students with new experiences to spark a passion for learning.
Administrative intern Bobby Bement of West Street School says, “Former second graders have appreciated and valued this day of inquiry and learning that has been provided to them. We look forward to participating in these activities alongside them, once again. As a building and district, we value the importance of building positive relationships. Hobart and William Smith students have always had a unique ability to connect with our West Street School students.”
“We believe our Geneva youth have the potential to achieve incredible things. We hope these visits are a small first step in that self-actualization,” says Assistant Director of HWS’ Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning Peter Budmen ’15, who serves as Geneva 2030 Literacy Action co-chair and helps to organize the visits.
Hobart and William Smith welcomed the Geneva High School Class of 2027 in October 2023 for a day themed “The Evolution of Work.”
Geneva 2030 is a collective impact initiative working with resources from the entire Geneva community, including nonprofit organizations, businesses and individuals to support the education of Geneva’s children from birth through high school and beyond. Since its founding in 2011, Hobart and William Smith has served as its anchor institution. Geneva 2030 is funded by Hobart and William Smith, the Breitfeld Group, the Wyckoff Family Foundation, the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation, the ESL Charitable Foundation, the Rochester Area Community Foundation, the City of Geneva and the Town of Geneva. These visits are supported generously by our local Wegmans store.
If you wish to support these visits, be a part of them, or have other ideas for supporting Geneva youth, please reach out to Geneva2030@hws.edu to inquire!
Pictured above, second-grade students take a break for lunch during full day of exploration on campus.
