While most of their classmates were swimming, sleeping, and enjoying other perks of summer, 30 soon-to-be seventh graders from St. Paul Public Schools were pioneers for a new academic enrichment program designed to help prepare them for college.

Breakthrough St. Paul is a tuition-free program in which talented high school and college students teach highly motivated but under-resourced middle schoolers the academic and social skills they will need to succeed in the future. At the same time, aspiring teachers learn how to be educators.

The local program is a member of the Breakthrough Collaborative, a national organization of educational enrichment programs. There are currently 26 programs in the United States, and though each operates independently and boasts unique features, all employ a "students teaching students" model.

It's the second such program in the Twin Cities. Six years ago, Blake School in Minneapolis began LearningWorks, an enrichment program for middle school students from Minneapolis Public Schools. It joined the Breakthrough Collaborative in January 2005.

Amy Sandeen has been the director of LearningWorks for the past three and a half years and calls it "the most challenging job I've ever loved."

"It's a thrill to watch these kids shine every day," she says.

Breakthrough St. Paul Director Jeffrey Ochs's excitement for education began several years ago when he was himself an aspiring teacher with the LearningWorks program.

"I learned as much as my students did," says Ochs, who is now also a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Mounds Park Academy. "It revolutionized the way I approached my own education as a college student at the time, and it gave me a passion for teaching."

In the fall of 2002, Ochs applied for a scholarship to create another such program in St. Paul. He didn't win the scholarship, but the idea took root anyway. Over the next two years ("it was a rollercoaster process," he laughs), he worked to find a home in St. Paul for another enrichment curriculum. It wasn't until St. Paul Public Schools and Mounds Park Academy joined forces to support the program that Breakthrough St. Paul was a go.

Recruiting began in earnest in early 2005, and the program debuted this summer with a six-week session that ran five days a week from June 27 through August 5 at Mounds Park Academy. Students will attend another six-week session next summer, and they'll also meet on 14 Saturday mornings throughout the upcoming school year.

The 30 middle school students were chosen from a pool of 59 hopefuls who completed a challenging application.

"Breakthrough programs are aimed at kids who are motivated but under-resourced-and not just under-resourced with regard to income," explains Ochs. "This program gives a leg up to driven, enthusiastic kids who face any number of challenges."

Additionally, eight local high school and college students were chosen from 51 applicants to be teachers. The aspiring instructors developed their own lesson plans and taught small groups of students under the supervision of two experienced teachers.

"Breakthrough teachers are individuals who haven't necessarily thought about pursuing a career in education," explains Ochs. "They might have some previous experience as a camp counselor or a tutor, but this is their first time in the classroom. It can have a powerful effect."

Sandeen agrees, noting that more than one-quarter of LearningWorks teachers have returned to the program for consecutive years. "The teachers are windows and mirrors for these kids," she says. "Kids connect with them because they're recognizable. They've had similar experiences."

Students take regular classes in math, science, history, and English, but they also participate in elective classes that are designed by the aspiring teachers based on their own interests and abilities. These classes, called Explorations, cover topics ranging from Hip Hop to bird watching to computer programming. Reading, personal study time, and an all-school meeting comprise the remainder of each school day.

Ochs has high hopes for the future of Breakthrough St. Paul. He'd like to have "continuing contact" with Breakthrough students as they progress through school, perhaps offering SAT/ACT preparation courses and assistance finding internships. The LearningWorks program already offers such opportunities for students' longer-term involvement.

The model boasts impressive success rates. Among all 26 Breakthrough sites, 87 percent of the middle school students go on to attend a four-year college, and 72 percent of program teachers enter the education profession. The Princeton Review recently ranked Breakthrough Collaborative as one of the top 10 internships nationwide.

Said one 2003 LearningWorks graduate, "LearningWorks is a place where everyone is comfortable and secure; where a kid can be a kid; where we embrace our knowledge and gifts. LearningWorks is the first step to our successful futures."