Saint Andrew’s School Celebrates a Landmark First Summer with CTY

This summer, Saint Andrew’s School transformed into a bustling hub of curiosity as it hosted the inaugural South Florida session of the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. As CTY’s first host site in the Southeast, and one of only 10 in-person summer locations nationwide, the program welcomed students in grades 2-8 for three weeks of rigorous, hands-on advanced learning and vibrant community-building. The program's seamless launch was in part due to the strong presence of Saint Andrew’s community members, including five Saint Andrew's faculty members—Shahida Boykin, Marshall Carroll, Paul Cornett, Michelle Dubin, and Kristofer McCullough—and SA student Shirley Hu '27, who worked at the camp as a program assistant.

Steering this landmark summer was Marshall Carroll, Saint Andrew’s Library & Research Specialist, who, as site director, embraced the responsibility of setting a positive, high-energy tone. 

"Being selected as the founding site director carries a level of responsibility for not only how the program runs this year, but setting the tone for the site going forward," Mr. Carroll shared, adding that he loved guiding the camp culture to be "as academically focused, positive, and fun as it can be."

CTY has nearly 50 years of experience educating advanced pre-college learners. CTY Program Manager Ailish Hopper noted that Saint Andrew's welcoming and respectful culture created an ideal ecosystem for high-level learning “that meets students at their biggest questions and desires to experiment, all in a very sociable and fun way."

Inside the CTY at Saint Andrew’s classrooms, all six courses included curriculum that prioritized active, hands-on discovery. Instructor Paul Cornett led rising third graders through the Cloudy with a Chance of Science course, using children's literature like The Lorax to spark engineering challenges. 

Mr. Cornett said that when he learned that Saint Andrew’s would be hosting a CTY site, he was eager to get involved. 

“I was familiar with CTY through former Saint Andrew's students of mine who shared positive experiences with the program in the past. It was a great way for me to continue to grow as a teacher, and the location made it very convenient!”

For Saint Andrew’s student and CTYer Rascha Patel ’36, the opportunity to learn was pure fun. "I love learning things... I like doing science," Rascha shared. Her favorite assignment was dissecting an owl pellet. "You get to see all the bones and skulls that you can find. It's like a mystery, and you don't know what's inside first." She looked forward to the exhibition on the final day of camp, where she would be able to show her parents all that she had learned over the three weeks.

The program also gave advanced learners a rare opportunity to embrace academic struggle. Academic Dean Kristofer McCullough emphasized that the curriculum intentionally challenged advanced learners to try, even if it meant making mistakes. "Students may struggle or even fail... and they have the time to tinker, alter, or completely change prototypes, and try again," Mr. McCullough observed, noting how rewarding it was to watch students build resilience.

This environment of shared challenge quickly united the diverse student body, comprised of 55 children from across the U.S. and around the world. Dean of Students Shahida Boykin’s goal was to "bring the fun" through movement and laughter. Her favorite memory from the three-week session was when a quiet student visiting from China built a complex marble run, making him an overnight celebrity among his peers. “To see the other students engage with him and shower him with awe and praise melted my heart,” she said.

With the successful inaugural summer now concluded, organizers from SA and CTY are already looking ahead to summer 2027 and beyond.