By Sylvia Vukosavljevic and Jennifer Wright
Edited by Amy Crelly

Academic summer camps offer students an edge in the college application process, but more importantly, they give kids the chance to explore subjects they love and to connect with peers who share their passion. For local parents raising talented young artists, one of the best programs to check out is InnerSpark—California State’s summer school for the arts.

InnerSpark gives kids (ages 14–18) a four-week taste of their dream job. It's a coed residential arts program offering California students in grades 8–12 a choice of pre-professional courses in Visual Arts, Film & Video, Music, Theater, Dance, Animation, and Creative Writing. Each course offers students college-level instruction in their chosen craft and plenty of exciting, interactive learning experiences.

InnerSpark students in the Animation program, for example, spend Mondays through Saturdays in workshops and classes on topics like storyboarding, life drawing, animation, and movement. By the end of the session, each student will have produced three animated projects and acquired an impressive array of skills.

Following Their Bliss
“These are unforgettable experiences,” says Robert Jaffe, Director of Inner Spark at California State. “If you have a kid who is really arts motivated, they’re usually outsiders at school,” Jaffe notes. “They come here into communities with people who are drawn together by what they’re interested in. That’s a magical thing for kids at this age. It’s all about finding out what you really love to do—what gets you up in the morning.”

Bobby Podesta, Stephen Gregory, Mark Walsh, and Sanjay Patel, four of Pixar’s top animators, all started their careers as high school students in the InnerSpark Animation program (their work includes Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo); now these professional artists frequently return to discuss their films with the newest generation of program participants.

February 27th is the application deadline for this summer’s InnerSpark session (July 10–August 6). Participants receive up to three college credits and are eligible for Herb Alpert Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists. (Awards range from $2,500 to $40,000.) Financial aid is available for eligible families. Visit InnerSpark.us for more details and to download an application, or call 916-274-5815.

Sylvia Vukosavljevic is a self-confessed helicopter mom and former high school English teacher. She has evaluated undergraduate applications for Princeton University Admissions.
Jennifer Wright is a mom and English teacher with experience directing university summer programming for high school students.