Summit Student Conferences: Our Family’s Experience

Students have the option of earning college credit for their time at Summit, but doing so means writing essays and research papers when they aren’t in class and turning them in for a grade. Although my kids might have benefited academically had we taken that tack, I don’t think they would have enjoyed their two weeks in Manitou Springs nearly as much had they not been able to use their free time to forge friendships, participate in organized sports and group outings, explore the town, and go on some of the challenging excursions Summit offers such as rock climbing, zip lining, and white water rafting.

Images courtesy of Jennifer Flanders

[So I simply waited until my kids got back home to assign any supplementary reading, then gave them a semester’s Worldview credit on their high school transcript.]

Trail at Sunset
Images courtesy of Jennifer Flanders

Where is Summit held?

Summit’s primary campus is nestled between Pike’s Peak and the Garden of the Gods in Manitou Springs in Colorado. The location provides a breathtaking backdrop for an unforgettable two weeks. Students stay in a renovated hotel that is packed with character and charm.

From the moment students step through the door, they are welcomed by enthusiastic staff members, many of whom — like my daughter Rebekah — are Summit alumni themselves. After signing in at the front desk, students are shown to their rooms where they can park their luggage and pick their bunks.

Signing in at Summit
Images courtesy of Jennifer Flanders

I didn’t see any of the rooms on the girls’ floor, but I took a peek at Daniel’s room on the boys’ floor when I dropped him off. The room slept six: Daniel and his friend Ezra (who’d both put in a request to room together that Summit was happy to honor), plus four others guys they didn’t meet until they got there.

[Update: To view even more pictures from Summit and to read Ezra’s take on the two weeks, follow this link. Daniel and Ezra will also be discussing their experience at Summit during an Instagram Live in March along with my dear friend — and Ezra’s mom — Abbie Halberstadt of M is for Mama fame.]

Dorm Room at Summit Student Conferences
Images courtesy of Jennifer Flanders

In addition to its Colorado location, Summit also offers a student conference in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, on the campus of Covenant College.


Jennifer Flanders
Jennifer Flanders
Jennifer Flanders is a homeschooling mother of 12 and grandmother to 20. She and her husband of 35 years live in the piney woods of East Texas, where she shares lots of homeschooling tips and free printable resources at www.flandersfamily.info. An award-winning author, she also blogs on faith and family at lovinglifeathome.com.

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