After months of planning, Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science online summer enrichment camp, Full STEAM Ahead, kicks off this July.
Every year, MSMS offers week-long residential, enrichment camps for rising 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th grade students from Mississippi to participate in over summer, but due to COVID-19 concerns, the camps were canceled for this year. Despite not being able to host the camps in-person, faculty, staff and alumni worked tirelessly for months to create MSMS’ very first online camp: Full STEAM Ahead.
“I am looking forward to providing our campers with the chance to try something new right alongside us,” said Lauren Zarandona, Full STEAM Ahead co-director. “We have never tried to package the MSMS camp experience and send it into the homes of campers, but it is an incredible opportunity in the current climate of uncertainty and frustration over learning in isolation.”
During both camps, students will delve into STEM and fine arts concepts through interactive, hands-on lessons, virtual meetings and discussion boards as well as take part in “We are MSMS” leadership sessions, which focus on the MSMS ideals of creativity, community, scholarship, and service.
Because Full STEAM Ahead can be accessed virtually anywhere, middle school and high school students from across the globe have registered to participate. This year, 126 students from the U.S., Germany and Switzerland will take part in Full STEAM Ahead from July 6 to 17.
“Campers get a chance to engage in enriching lessons from home with the support of MSMS faculty and students,” Zarandona added. “In the haste to switch to distance learning during the 4th quarter of school, not all students had access to the rigor and support that they had in class, so we are hoping to meet some of those needs. We also hope to introduce and welcome campers to the MSMS family. MSMS is an amazing community, and we want to give campers the chance to get to know like-minded people who are working hard to positively impact their communities through education and service.”