VGCC instructor Phil Mondou (right) uses the large pond on the college’s Main Campus as a “laboratory” during a session at the 2012 Science Camp. (VGCC Photo)
Vance-Granville Community College will hold its third annual Science Camp for middle school students this summer. The Science Camp will be held June 17-21 on the college’s Main Campus in Henderson. Young people preparing to enter grades six through eight are invited to participate in the week-long camp, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
Sessions will be taught by faculty members from the VGCC Science Department and other college programs. Campers will learn not only in the college’s classrooms and labs but also outdoors, as they study nature on campus.
Both new students and campers who enjoyed the camps in 2011 or 2012 are invited to register, as this year’s sessions will not cover the same material as the previous years. Topics and activities are scheduled to include hunting for gems and minerals; the world of insects; chemistry; creating a self-contained garden; sharks; building a bird feeder for each camper to take home; the human brain and perception; and using electronic and laboratory equipment. Going beyond the usual focus on natural sciences, one session even includes forensics and criminal justice, as students will learn about techniques for investigating a crime scene.
The cost to attend the week-long camp is $125, which includes lunch each day and a camp T-shirt.
“This camp is going to be fun and full of unique opportunities to explore science,” according to VGCC Biology instructor Button Brady, who is once again helping to spearhead the camp. “Middle school is a great age at which we can expose students to concepts that will help them to get ready for further science education and prepare them for the jobs of the future, which increasingly depend on skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).”
Registration forms for the camp have been distributed to middle schools in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties. The deadline to apply for this year’s camp is May 1. For more information, contact VGCC Science Department Chair Steve McGrady at (252) 738-3339 or mcgrady@vgcc.edu.