Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Summer Learning Opportunities

  • By Jerry Enderle
  • 06/01/18

One of our readers contacted me recently to ask about STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Math) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Art, and Math) programs that are held during the summer months. I told her I was aware of quite a few and would get back with her after I did a little research. As it turns out, there are a lot more programs than I realized. I had based my original perception on the significant number of press releases and emails I receive during the year, but that is just a very small sampling.

A large number of universities, colleges, museums, zoos, YMCAs, and even airports and private companies are offering these summer experiences. And many of them are free of charge, available through scholarships, or offered at very low cost. There are also a few designed to educate teachers and help them develop STEM-related curriculum.

All of the programs I found looked interesting. One unique program is the “She Can” Summer Camp, which has been developed by the Department of Education in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The camp is designed for female students with an interest in aviation and seeks to empower young women to succeed in STEM disciplines. During the two-week camp, the students will participate in a number of aviation activities, including hands-on flight instruction on FAA certified simulators, a 30-minute discovery flight with a local flight school, a high-altitude weather balloon launch and indoor skydiving. The camp is open to sixth through eighth grade girls who are considered underserved students in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

This is just one example among many designed, in some cases, to prevent the dreaded “summer slide”, or learning loss by kids, and in other cases to provide the opportunities for other students to enhance their skills through inventing, innovating, and entrepreneurial activities. I wish I had the chance to participate in on ones of these when I was a kid.

A Reminder

Our next issue is dated July/August, so you won’t receive another issue of School Planning & Management until about the middle of August.

Enjoy your summer.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management June 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.