Voice: November 2018
Going to school for two weeks in the summer might not appeal to some students, but elementary pupils in the Northern Lehigh School District jumped at the opportunity.
Tim Weaber and Jennifer Butz, elementary teachers in the district that spans Lehigh and Northampton counties, had a goal of 50 students for their STEAM Camp 2018 when they put out a notice last spring.
Within 15 minutes, they had 57 kids sign up for the camp that was held the last two weeks of June.
“If we had kept enrollment open we would have had even more,’’ said Weaber, who is also Northern Lehigh EA president.
Weaber played a key role in a two-year effort to get a $20,000 Educational Improvement Tax Credit grant through locally based Neffs National Bank.
Butz, who served as camp coordinator, said students studied such subjects as robotics, 3D printing, engineering, and electrical circuitry. They also learned about potential careers in the STEAM fields – science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
Four faculty members from the elementary, middle, and high school levels served as instructors.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response we got,’’ Butz said. “We also had great feedback from parents during and after the camp.’’
Weaber noted that representatives of Neffs National Bank spent a couple days at the camp observing, and he and Butz are hoping to get funding to continue and expand the camp in future summers.
This year the camp, which was free to students, was offered to students entering third through sixth grades during the 2018-19 school year.
“We are hoping to also include middle school students in the future,’’ Weaber said. “That was something many of the parents expressed interest in.’’
