printing technology to design and create a board game. Using
Hummingbird Robotics kits and drag and drop programming
software, campers dove into the artistic side of robotics bringing
their creations to life with recycled materials, craft supplies, LEDs,
motors, sensors, and their imagination in the Not Your Normal
Petting Zoo module.
From using power tools to learning coding, the campers learned
and practiced new skills throughout the two weeks. When asked
the best part of the experience seventh grader Nicole Bush
responded, “It was fun and I really liked to work freely. I mean the
teachers gave us guidance but how we did things was totally up to
us. That was great.” Lauren Kasmer added, “I liked that we worked
in teams, everyone had a lot of ideas, and it was fun working
together.”
Coordinator of technology, transportation and community
relations, Dr. Chris Suppo reflected on the camp, stating, “This is
our first year offering this Summer STEAM Camp but based on
the student and teacher response, we certainly hope it won’t
be our last. We were fortunate to receive competitive grants to
help jumpstart the Summer STEAM Camp program concept. In
combination with our CWCTC partners and possible funding from
foundations, we hope to not only continue but expand the camp
for next summer.”
Simple Machines & Picnic Sports
Not Your Normal Petting Zoo
Coding Games
It’s a Journey not Just a Destination
Greensburg-Salem | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 41
GRE E N SBU RG SAL E M SC HOOL DI STRI C T NE WS
At the final day picnic, Mr. Vuick smiled as he watched the STEAM
Summer Camp participants compete using the creations they
designed and built in the Simple Machines and Picnic Sports module.
“This has been a wonderful way to start the summer. Not just for
the kids but for us too,” he commented. “So many great ideas and a
real enthusiasm for learning. It’s been fun.”
Thanks to funding from the Alcoa Foundation and the Workforce
Investment Board and a partnership with the Central Westmoreland
Career and Technology Center, camp participants got not only to
dabble in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math)
concepts but had the opportunity to travel to CWCTC and several
workplaces to see these concepts in practice. “Partnering with
the career and technology center was a bonus for us,” observed
Ken Bissell, coordinator of secondary education. “It enabled the
students to really see what they learn in the classroom put into
practice in the workplace.”
The campers rotated through four specific activities over the
eight day program. They had the opportunity to design, fabricate,
calibrate, and perfect a popular picnic game in Simple Machines &
Picnic Sports. In Coding Cadets, the students worked in the world
of Minecraft to create a scale computer model of a building and
learned basic computer coding using Scratch. Building on a
vacation theme, in the It’s a Journey not Just a Destination session,
the students incorporated vinyl cutting, photography and 3D
Greensburg Salem
STEAM Summer Camp