ROME, GA—What better way to spend summer days than by diving into a cool, refreshing sea…of science.
Throughout the month of June, Rome City Schools invited upcoming fifth through eighth grade students to use some of their sunny summer days to challenge themselves and further their exploration and understanding of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects by participating in Young Scholars camps.
Offering hands-on activities involving problem solving, critical thinking, and engineering and design, Young Scholars camps are annual four-day camps divided by grade level.
"We select from the top students who have shown more than just proficiency in science and a love for science, and we invite them to this camp for free,” Young Scholars educator, Gary Jones, explained.
From designing and engineering protective egg capsules and experiencing organic dissection to discovering and exploring various types of engineering and assessing aspects of environmental impact, the activities and projects for each grade-level were varied and equally challenging.
"These are very smart kids," fifth grade camp director, Luis Goya, said. "They want to learn; they want to try something new. They are super active and engaged in asking questions. It's so amazing to see their creativity spark."
Goya explained that Young Scholars camps give the students an opportunity to immerse themselves into problem solving and critical thinking in ways that they may not always have the time to do in the classroom.
"This is huge for them, " he said. "They get to interact and there's no pacing, it is up to them, and the teachers have plenty of time to break up a lesson and explain it as much as they need to. The students are really able to get into the deep knowledge of each lesson."
Educator, Desiree Jones, accompanied eighth grade campers to Richard B. Russell Airport to hear from pilots and engineers within the Tiger Flight Foundation.
Students tested their own flight engineering skills with foam gliders, they heard stories from ex-military pilots and even took turns trying out the feel of a pilot's perspective from the cockpit of the tiger striped ALON aircrafts.
"There are so many branches of engineering, and we want to give them a taste of some of those, along with experiments and activities, and then give them the opportunity to see real world applications,” Desiree explained.
The students had the opportunity to be assisted by RHS junior and Tiger Flight member, Esperanza Arroliga. Arroliga has gained five hours of experience in her training with Tiger Flight to this point and she attributes her inspiration to do so to her experience in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training (AFJROTC) pathway at the RHS College and Career Academy.
In addition to the advantage of time and freedom with projects and lessons, Young Scholars are also given the opportunity to meet and interact with peers from other schools within the system, working together as a team.
“These students come from all different elementary schools, and they get to see kids that they'll end up going to middle school and high school with, and they get to build those relationships that they don't necessarily have during the school year,” Young Scholars educator, Stephanie Carles, said.
While the camps are of an educational focus, the students simultaneously receive a true camp experience. Jones smiles wide as he explains that the students also experience fun-filled group activities like karaoke day and group games.
"At the end of the day they are kids, and they want to enjoy themselves and be with their friends, so we try to make the camps as fun as possible,” Goya said.
As campers challenged themselves academically, they also gained invaluable empowerment.
"We've had students who are normally shy completely break out of their shell,” Jones smiled. “This is their sport; this is where they shine."
