Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Image by Al Blanton
This Summer, Maddox Intermediate, Jasper Junior High, and Jasper High Schools are partnering with several local people and businesses to present several STEM camps that are open to the public: Innovation 22, Girl Power, C.A.D.E.T., and Made in Jasper (local manufacturing).
Each camp will offer fourth through twelfth-grade students the opportunity to participate in campus projects, field trips, and hands-on experiences with local professionals in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and manufacturing fields.
Whit Tucker and Amy Stracner were inspired to write the grant for these camps after the success of last year’s STEM Camp at Jasper Junior High. The grant is sponsored by the NBT (Nuts, Bolts, and Thingamajigs) Foundation, which promotes American Modern Manufacturing among students nationwide.
Tucker says, “Our young people need to know the great opportunities for a broad range of great careers available to them right here in Walker County. We are excited to show them that this summer and offer them the chance to do some very cool things that might not typically be available during the school year.”
Innovation 22 will be hosted at Maddox Intermediate and Jasper Junior High. Students will partner with several local landscapers to learn about environmental sciences and build a sensory garden.
Maddox Intermediate’s Patrick Hannah says he is looking forward to giving students the opportunity to explore their creativity within different career options. “We want to help them engage in their interests, give them early access to these fields, and help them reach their goals a lot quicker,” he says.
Girl Power and C.A.D.E.T. (Careers in Aviation, Design, Engineering, and Technology) are gender-based camps allowing students to learn from local women and men in STEM, manufacturing, innovation, and entrepreneurship fields. Students will get the chance to do on-site visits and activities in fields such as manufacturing, aviation, and broadcast meteorology.
Camp Dates are as follows:
Maddox Intermediate, 4th-6th Grade (Girl Power, C.A.D.E.T., Innovation 22) – June 6th-29th, 2023 on each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Jasper Junior High, 7th-8th Grade (Girl Power, C.A.D.E.T., Innovation 22, Made in Jasper) – June 6th-15th and 18th-20th on each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Jasper High School, 9th-12th Grade (Girl Power, C.A.D.E.T., Made in Jasper) – June 19th-29th on Monday-Thursday
Weekly tuition fees are $25 for Jasper school students, and $60 for non-Jasper students. Registration can be completed at this link docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4IJKlXd1EhbjkF5BmAUBOSXOdZAfrMjw3KgYLSil5yVvw4A/viewform or at each school on the first day of camp. WL
