Summer Camp helps junior high school students earn college credits

On Friday, more than one hundred junior high and high school students had a chance to show-off everything they made at summer camp — and it’s not your typical ceramic ash tray.

Go-Karts and robots are just a small piece of what these kids had been learning how to construct just within the past two weeks during Idaho State University’s second, annual ‘Ignite Their Future Summer Camp’ program.

ISU’s Laboratories and Curriculum Associate Director Ryan Pitcher explained the program is unique since professionals in the STEM field are teaching more than one dozen hands-on courses, and creating lesson plans now allowing kids as young as sixth grade to start earning college credits.

“The kids don’t realize they’re being assessed,” Pitcher said. “They just think they’re playing. But in reality, they’re learning about gears, torque, rotational energy, programming, electronics, and so many fundamental skill sets.”

KC Serve, 13, discovered she wants to study to become a geneticist, and before anyone could begin to guess, she’ll explain what it means to protect a raspberry pie – because she’s doing just that.

“Today we were just, you know, learning how to protect our raspberry pies,” she casually explained, before breaking-down its meaning for a journalist to comprehend. “It’s basically just this little box-thingy which hooks up to a larger computer which then you can start coding like normal.”

Sure, normal.

Needless to say, these kids are brilliant and driven enough to use their break from the school year to discover what passions they can turn into skilled career opportunities.

Pitcher said the program costs ISU’s ESTEC program roughly $85,000 to put-on, however a few local companies stepped-in to help keep this opportunity going, including the INL, Fluor Idaho, ON-Semiconductor and Idaho Power.

For more information about signing-up for next year’s camp, visit their website here.