As the long days of summer beckon and school bells respite, the temptation for students to lounge in leisure and lose touch with their academic pursuits may be strong. However, summer break should not be wasted, as educational summer camps offer a golden opportunity for students to continue their quest for knowledge while engaging in fun-filled activities that bring learning alive.
This summer, campuses across VISD offered an array of academic summer camps that catered to students’ unique interests and needs, providing them with an enjoyable learning experience.
Let’s take a look at some of the awesome camps that were provided across the district.
VISD Academic and Enrichment Summer Camp
One camp offered to students again this summer was the VISD Academic and Enrichment Summer Camp, with the theme “Level Up.” This camp provided students with a variety of hands-on learning activities, including robotics, a Movement Lab, STEM activities, photography, board games, art, and reading and math instruction.
“My kids love the hands-on learning activities,” said a VISD parent whose children attended the camp. “They always came home talking about the learning interactions they had during the day at camp.”
Summer ELAR GRIT Camp
Summer ELAR GRIT camp was for students entering 6th through 10th grade who will be taking Honors English and students entering 11th or 12th grade who will be taking AP Language and Composition and AP Literature and Composition.
This camp aimed to assist students in getting a head start on their upcoming high school courses. Students also learned tips on focused note-taking, time management, and more to prepare them for a successful school year.
Summer Bridge Camps
At the Math Summer Bridge Camp, which was an interactive, enrichment-based program for students entering sixth grade taking Accelerated Math and students entering seventh grade taking Accelerated Math, Honors Algebra 1, Honors Geometry, or Honors Algebra 2, campers participated in hands-on activities, experiments, competitions, and more to enhance students’ mathematical skills and knowledge.
The P-TECH Summer Bridge Camps were hosted by both Victoria East and Victoria West High Schools and catered to the incoming ninth-grade students of the P-TECH cohort. The Engineering and Healthcare cohorts were hosted by VEHS, while the Education and Training and Computer Science cohorts were hosted by VWHS. These camps served as an essential transition from middle school to high school, providing students with the opportunity to meet other students within their P-TECH cohort, interact with their P-TECH teachers and administrators, work through academic problem-solving strategies, and prepare for and take the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) reading test as a benchmark.
Science Mill STEM Camp
The Science Mill STEM Camp offered a unique experience for students to explore a post-apocalyptic world through four days of adventure-filled scenarios. Acting as “heroes,” campers used their STEM knowledge and skills to restore world order by:
Engineering their own sustainable “smart” shelter
Exploring circuitry and designing e-textiles to create clothing for the future
Discovering how to use biotechnology to help solve problems instigated by the changing environment of an apocalyptic future
Creating and coding prosthetic prototypes for animals to help them survive in a post-apocalyptic world
The summer camps provided across VISD offer a plethora of benefits for students seeking to make the most of their summer break and for parents who want to ensure they are preventing the loss of knowledge and skills during the long summer break. VISD prides itself on providing a summer learning space where students can expand their knowledge and skill sets while also having fun and building new friendships. And it’s a win-win for parents and students; students are able to return for the new school year feeling refreshed, inspired, and motivated to learn!
Graisyn Nieto is the communications specialist for Victoria ISD.