Weekly Media Roundup: July 24, 2019

Science Camp Offers Fun, Learning: Sallie B. Howard School Hosted Monthlong Program, Wake Weekly (North Carolina)

Eighty-five soon-to-be sixth graders attended Sipnayan Camp this year in Wilson, North Carolina. Over the course of the program, the students studied math and reading, performed science experiments such as dissecting cow eyeballs, played musical instruments, practiced cooking, learned about leadership from Wilson Mayor Bruce Rose, and more. A 21^st Century Community Learning Centers grant funded the tuition-free summer learning program, which provided meals, snacks, materials and transportation.  “It gives [students] a chance to have some diversity, to see that there is more to life than just math and reading, but also to help them develop their personalities and their interest in other things such as the arts,” music teacher Geremy Howell told the Wake Weekly. “It just helps them to be a well-rounded individual.”

‘I Want to Be Better’, Richmond Magazine (Virginia)

Students in Higher Achievement Richmond dedicate 475 out-of-school hours to the program each year, including after school and during a six-week Summer Academy. The tuition-free program includes tutoring, college visits, high school application assistance, dance, film, sports and field trips. Mentors help students develop a growth mindset that will serve them both in school and outside it. “When I first came here, I was horrible in math… math is now my favorite subject,” a 12-year-old named Romero told Richmond Magazine. “I just, like, stepped up… if you’re bored over the summer, you can come. ‘Cause when I get bored, I get in trouble.”

Adults and Children Growing Together, The Register-Herald (West Virginia)

At Coda Mountain Academy’s afterschool programs and summer camps, children have made edible playdough, crafted their own dulcimers (a type of string instrument), sung Broadway tunes and learned to yodel. The Academy offers meals, and staff members – who include college students and former coal miners – emphasize the social and emotional aspects of learning to express oneself through art. “I like that it introduces kids to different aspects of music, and it’s a really positive thing for them to have in their life,” college student Perri Kiser, who directs one of the camps, told the Register-Herald. “I think it’s wonderful for them to have this opportunity because it teaches them discipline and diligence, and with positive outcomes in this program, it shows them they can work toward any goal.”

Watertown 7th Graders' Experiment Heading into Space, North County Public Radio (New York)

Last Sunday, students in the Jefferson County Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development afterschool program watched the launch of a SpaceX Falcon rocket that is carrying an experiment they designed to the International Space Station – and celebrated the culmination of a year’s work. In September, the Watertown, New York students came up with the focus of their experiment – removing metallic rust in space – and have been researching and designing it ever since. When the experiment returns to Earth in late August, they will study the results. “I learned a lot more about teamwork and effort and stuff, because it’s really hard to work as a team, but I think this team works together really well,” seventh-grader Skyye Mee-Thomas told North County Public Radio.