Girls’ STEM summer camp to be held at SouthArk

Roughly 50 spots available for free program

A summer camp focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics specifically geared for girls will be held next month at South Arkansas Community College.

The Verizon Innovative Learning (VIL) program is a three-week summer camp for girls entering the sixth, seventh or eighth grades in the upcoming school year. The program will continue after the summer ends, with participants meeting one Saturday a month throughout the school year.

Kriqui Wisinger, camp instructor and Norphlet Middle School STEM teacher, said the program’s goals are to empower young women to involve themselves in STEM fields.

“Right now there is a shortage of women in science fields and so this is just to kind of spark an interest for the girls in this area,” she said.

According to the Economics and Statistics Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, women hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs, despite filling about half of all the jobs in the United States economy.

The program will have sections on circuitry, virtual- and augmented-reality and design, culminating with campers 3D-printing their own creations. Verizon provides the curriculum, Wisinger said, but its up to camp instructors to engage the campers and fill each day with activities.

Wisinger said licensed professional counselor Heather Story, of Tru Story Counseling, would visit the camp to talk about positive relationships between girls. She said she also talked to Boys & Girls Club employees about partnering on an exercise regiment for the children’s activity time.

“This is extremely hands-on. It’s not a lot of sitting around and being bored. We’re going to be up and moving,” Wisinger said.

The VIL program started last year in partnership with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE). The 16 community colleges in rural areas of the country that are offering the program will serve over 1,500 middle school girls this year, according to the NACCE.

Dr. Jim Yates, dean of Liberal Arts at SouthArk, wrote the grant application for the program.

“We at SouthArk are glad to be able to present this opportunity for young girls in this area to learn more about STEM and the opportunities that it offers. We are proud to be part of the partnership between Verizon and NACCE and their resources in providing this summer camp for middle [school] girls,” Yates said.

So far only about 50 girls have signed up for SouthArk’s camp, and Wisinger said there are 100 spots available. The program gives admission preference to children from low-income families but will accept anyone as space allows. Wisinger said if more than 100 girls sign up, camp organizers would do their best to accommodate everyone.

The camp will be led by local teachers Wisinger, Robin Boerwinkle (NMS teacher) and Christina Turner (Washington Middle School teacher) with help from four support staffers.

The camp will be held from July 9-27 on Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Children will be provided with breakfast and lunch.

Campers who participate in the entire threeweek camp will receive a Verizon Ellipsis 10 tablet to keep after the program ends. There is no cost to attend the camp and transportation will be provided to those who need it.

For more information about the program, visit verizoninnovativelearning.com. To apply for the STEM summer camp, visit www.nacce. com/STEM4Girls.