Summer camps blast off
Expanding Horizons sessions promote STEAM thinking, CTE
The wheels were turning, the sparks were flying and the rockets were blasting off. The first round of Expanding Horizons Career and Technical Education and STEAM summer camps drew dozens of Douglas County students in mid-June, with more camps under way.
The free camps for middle and high school students will continue through Aug. 1. Students can still sign up for the remaining camps by visiting www.dcpss.org/expandinghorizons. Upcoming camps include Natural Resources at Phoenix from July 22-25; and Drafting and Production Design at Riddle High School from July 29 to Aug 1.
“Being here has been a lot of fun,” said Emily Larson, an incoming freshman at Roseburg High School who participated in June’s Business Leadership camp. “It’s a great place and a good environment to hang out, have a good time. I think it’s been really cool.”
The camp, taught by RHS business teacher Larina Warnock, gives students the chance to learn about leading a business, along with the product development process. Students designed product prototypes, and discussed marketing and finance strategies.
“I focus heavily on career development skills within all of the things that we do,” Warnock said. “They’re learning business concepts, but they’re learning them in a way that helps them understand the relevance of what they’re learning for later life.”
Over at the NASA Space Exploration & Rocketry camp at Coffenberry Middle School in Myrtle Creek, students built bottle rockets and learned about propulsion systems. Camp leader CJ Bryant said the session also covers basic principles such as the three axes of flight, forces of gravity, and drag, lift and thrust.
Students at the NASA Space Exploration & Rocketry camp at Coffenberry Middle School in Myrtle Creek/ photo courtesy of CJ Bryant
“This camp is fun,” Bryant said. “Along with all of this, we’re looking at planets, we’re talking about how stars are moving, and we’re getting into some of the deeper science of it.”
Other camps that have been held or are currently under way include Automotive Technology, and Technology and Manufacturing at RHS; Exploring the Trades at Winston Middle School; Emergency Medicine Exploration at the National Guard Armory; and Exploring the Trades and Exploring Medical Careers at Phoenix School in Roseburg.
“We’re excited to once again be offering these opportunities to students so that they can explore a variety of career fields,” said Gwen Soderberg-Chase, executive director of Douglas County Partners for Student Success and the Umpqua Valley STEAM Hub. “CTE experiences and STEAM thinking are key components to helping students find their passions and pathways to successful futures.”
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