Photos by SOCAPA Photo Students: Sunset, Rachel Hulme; Church Street Musician, Ana Anbar; Frisbee on Lake Champlain, Samantha Saccomano.

Champlain College and Burlington, Vermont:
SOCAPA's Vermont Program is hosted at Champlain College, situated in picturesque small city of Burlington, Vermont. Champlain's campus is perched in the historic Hill Section, overlooking the breathtaking Lake Champlain and the surrounding Adirondack Mountains. A short walk down the hill and students are immersed in the vibrant arts scene of downtown Burlington. You'll find the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts and the lively, pedestrian Church Street Marketplace, lined with boutiques, shops, art galleries, sidewalk cafes, coffeehouses, a smorgasbord of ethnic eateries, street performers, an indoor mall for rainy days, and movie theaters showing first-run, art and foreign films. A little further down the hill and you are on the shores of spectacular Lake Champlain. The waterfront's Battery Park hosts weekly outdoor rock concerts and North Beach is perfect for swimming, kayaking and sunbathing. Burlington is and ideal summer haven featuring an eclectic mix of cultural, artistic and recreational activities.

Housing and Meals:
Students in the overnight program stay in the Champlain College residence houses, restored Victorian-era mansions with fireplaces, large wrap around porches and hi-speed wireless internet. Resident students eat most of their meals in the campus dining hall but weekly outdoor barbecues and dinners-on-the-town are planned as well. SOCAPA students also have access to the Student Life Center which houses a full-sized gymnasium, fitness center, dining room, student lounge with fireplace and big-screen TV, game room — and an outdoor terrace with full views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks.

Facilities:
The classroom and tech facilities at Champlain College are among the best we've seen in the nation. The MacPro Editing labs used by the Photography and Filmmaking Programs feature thirty individual stations loaded with Final Cut Pro, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign), Flash, Dreamweaver, ImageReady, Fireworks, Maya and many others. Just down the hall are state-of-the-art photography facilities and a large gang darkroom with ten enlargers. Movie nights and the final showcase festival take place in the Alumni Auditorium Theater which seats two-hundred.

Activities:
A variety of extracurricular activities are planned for evenings and weekends. Activities range from the much anticipated "Non-Talent Show" and Karaoke night, to taking in a local show and summer blockbuster movie. Cool off swims in Lake Champlain, hikes in the beautiful Green Mountains, leisurely strolls downtown and summer concerts in the park are also planned.

Supervision:
Students at our Burlington, VT campus reside in Champlain College residence halls, eat at the dining hall in the IDX Student Center and attend class in Champlain’s modern facilities- Hauke and Ireland buildings. High School students are permitted to walk without a counselor around campus- between their dormitory, the dining hall, and classrooms. Youth Program participants must be with a counselor at all times. A counselor resides on each floor in the residence hall. Counselors check students in at curfew (10:00 youth; 10:30 high school) and are on duty all night. Counselors are available for students at all times and ensure the safety of the students.

High School: The High School Program provides highly structured evening and weekend activities, which are mandatory. During limited amounts of free time, students may sign out to explore the surrounding area, get supplies, scout photo and film locations using the Buddy System. In addition, the Buddy System allows students to have some independence during class time and structured evening/weekend activities, by allowing students to explore limited surrounding areas while still being with the larger group. This privelege comes with great responsibility and will be revoked upon its first abuse. The "surrounding area" refers to the downtown area- Church Street Marketplace and the Waterfront- which is located just a 10 minute walk from Champlain's Campus.

Youth Program: Students in the youth program do not have the Buddy System option. Youth Program participants participate in most of the same activities as the high school program but remain with a counselor at all times during those activities. Youth program participants are not permitted to sign out and go off campus, though they have many opportunities to go downtown and explore with a counselor and their peers.

SOCAPA 2008 - on the steps of Champlain College

Click the Map Below for a Virtual Tour of Campus: