For the 25th year in a row, busyness has ensued as the ExploreHope staff has begun preparing for the arrival of this year’s summer science campers. The mood inside of Schaap Science Center has been one of eager anticipation for the camps to begin as we prepare to host yet another year of fun-filled exploration for area K-12 students. Our directors and student leaders have been busy creating manuals, enhancing curricula, and designing material that’s destined to be both fun and formative for our campers.
In parallel with the 25th anniversary of Hope College’s summer science camp program, this year’s camper enrollment marks the largest ever with over 1,000 total students coming to Hope to gain a variety of unique experiences. The main focus of the Summer Science program is to offer valuable new learning opportunities to K-12 students. However, our camp staff which consists largely of Hope College students has come for the same reason. The experience of being a camp staff member serves as a great chance for professional development and hands-on involvement in the camp creation process. This experience prepares Hope students of many different backgrounds and majors for their careers beyond college. In addition, students are given the chance to work alongside their peers, make some new friends, and learn how to function within a unified team.
Through interacting with younger campers, college students will be able to develop their interpersonal skills with K-12 students and learn quickly about all that it takes to command a classroom. Furthermore, staff members benefit from their close collaboration with camp directors on the creation of camps and their inner workings. Working at ExploreHope gives students a look at what it’s like to work within a dynamic leadership team and promotes a healthy and productive work environment among all members of the staff. At ExploreHope’s summer science camps, campers and staff members alike learn valuable new things from one another throughout the entirety of their experiences.
Now that Hope Summer Science Camps have kicked off, keep a lookout for posts from our staff members! They’ll be updating us with dispatches from camp – full of funny stories, cool experiments, and lots of hands-on fun. Stay tuned!