STEAM-y summer

A total of 358 students attended the two-week Experience Danville-PEP Camp at Danville High School, which ends on Friday, and focuses half the day on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) components, and half the day on fitness.

Students in kindergarten through eighth grade attended the camp, with some attending both weeks and a few choosing to attend just one week, said Lyndsay Carpenter, first-grade teacher at Jennie Rogers Elementary School and one of the camp leaders.

“The kids like it — my own kids wait all year to go to STEAM,” she said. 

This is the sixth year of the Experience Danville Camp, and the third year the district has included the PEP fitness aspect with it, thanks to the Carol M. White Physical Education Program grant the district received in 2014.

There was waiting list of students to get in this year.

“Usually, it’s hard to get middle-school-age students to get involved,” Carpenter said.

This year, however, they have split up the age groups to have 120 students per group — kindergarten through second grade; third and fourth grades; and fifth through eighth grades — so they can have even class sizes.

Camp classes included astronomy, 3-D printing, knitting, architecture, cooking, fitness, CPR, science and art. Students could choose two classes each week to take in the mornings; and they attended a fitness class, went swimming or visited Party On Air in the afternoons.

Students also got free breakfast and lunch.

Teachers chose the topics they wanted to teach and students signed up based on their interests.

“We’ve had several (students) that didn’t get their first choice and learned they liked it or learned a new skill,” Carpenter said.