Introduction:
We have had a number of variations of our STEM summer camp since its inception in 1997, but this year we have decided to upgrade the model for the more popular weeks which were called the Capstone weeks in the past, even though there were no Capstone projects per se. We’ve also combined the boys’ week which had about 65 campers with the girls’ week which had about 35 campers since our capacity for those weeks was about 90-100.
Classes are announced in April. They are limited to about 10 people per class each year. There are two required core classes and then one elective class. Classes are assigned the first night of camp. For Discovery Week, some past classes have included: Calculus, CSI, Art & Science, Astronomy, Robotics, Programming, 3D Printing, Minecraft, Popsicle Stick Bridge Building, Model Rockets, Catapults, Healthy Forest, Rube Goldberg Machines, Ceramics, Sports Science, and many more. The classes for the Theme Weeks will be upgraded a bit.
Transportation:
We have a school bus that goes down to South Portland and picks up campers on Sundays and takes them home the following Saturday. Pickups start at 8am in South Portland at the Maine Mall parking lot near UNOS and there are a number of stops along I-95 in major cities. Transportation costs $30 one way or $50 round trip. The fee for this along with the $100 deposit is non-refundable. SEE TRANSPORTATION TAB FOR MORE INFO.
Activities:
The afternoon activities are usually crafts, swimming, improve skits, board games, maybe sports. The evening activities are group based with the camp family. Some events have included Song-in-a-Bag where we give them 10 words and they have to make (or use) a song with those words. Thursdays are for Monster Night and Fridays are for the Talent Show. Afternoon activities for the Theme Weeks will be different, see each week for more info on those.
We do not have a lake, canoeing classes, boating, archery, sport competitions, or overnight hiking field trips. We have a campfire a few nights, a large indoor swimming pool, we do camp family skits, and songs, and eat S’mores. Other afternoon and evening activities include tie dye, bracelet making, cooking, board games, rock climbing (at UMPI), Virtual Reality, Monster Night*, mega waterslide, theme days*, Gaga pit, and many more.
* Some activities will be explained more later.
Food & Meds:
There are 3 meals a day with various smaller snacks. The dining hall can handle all food allergies and preferences as long as we know in advance and campers speak up when in line. The nurse is an RN and has experience with all kinds of medication and medical needs. We are near Cary Medical Center and they are aware of the school and camp.
Dorm:
Campers stay in dorm rooms with either 1-2-3 roommates. We can accommodate most roommate requests as long as both/all parties agree and we have room. We may not be able to room accommodate all requests, but we do try. There are no single rooms for Discovery Week. The dorm has key card security with cameras. We highly discourage campers bringing phones or electronics and we do not give out the Wi-Fi password. SEE DORM TAB FOR MORE INFO.
Staff:
We have some seasonal staff (teen & adult) and about 5 administrative members. The youngest are 15-year-old counselors-in-training (CITs) who are often ex-campers. Then there are senior counselors who are at least 18 years old and often in their 20s. Finally, we have the adult instructors, who are usually educators from around Maine, though sometimes they come from all over the US!
We are not doing having dorm parents this year. The only exception is if a parent can teach a class one or more weeks.
Is my child ready?
That’s hard to say. We have about 1-2 students leave each week who get here and just don’t like being away from home or mom and dad. It’s not ideal for this to be their first week-long stay away from home. Do they want to come home from sleepovers just minutes away? Have they stayed with grandparents for more than a few nights? It’s a question only you can answer. It helps to not say things like “I am going to miss you while you are away at camp.” That makes them feel like they are doing something wrong. Try, “You are going to have so much fun, I can’t wait to hear about all your adventures after camp.” This year we have awards for most mail from home, most creative mail from home, most photos around the room of family, friends, and pets, and other ways to make campers feel welcomed.