Summer Camp

Summer Camp!!

I haven't got to post in awhile as I have been traveling the state to summer camps on the campuses of our technology centers. I have been observing and asking just what makes a summer camp succesful? I have gotten a lot of answers!

Let me start by saying we have some cool things going on this summer.

From summer camps for the younger students to remediation opportunities for the older students, you have a lot of choices.

At Caddo-Kiowa I observed students who were busy researching, designing and building paper airplanes. Plane doesn't fly as far as you want it to? Go back and redesign while you record your results. Fly it and calculate where it landed and plot several more attempts. What worked? What didn't? How does drag effect the flight? Do you need a larger tail fin? These students also had the opportunity to attend a flight school in Norman, shoot model rockets and are using mathematics and reading everyday!

At Mid Del Technology Center's middle school camp students had the opportunity to explore career majors. Students spent time in the classroom learning about what they could expect should they enroll. One class got to help tear down an engine while one left with a certification that they could use to babysit and completed CPR training!! Mid Del offered an intro to cooking class that was taught by a Family and Consumer Sciences instructor from a local high school. Pretty good idea for reaching out to your sending schools and involving faculty outside of your campus.

Leadership development was the task at hand when I observed Mid America's Tech Academy. Students made flags, made up group songs and went through several stations designed to build teamwork, communication skills and trust.

At Chisholm Trail middle school students used Anatomy in Clay to make hearts and brains that they could take home. They also learned about safety on social networking sites and used Webkins to learn about Web 2.0.

The summer camps that I observed were all very different and all exciting!! The students that were attending had smiles and were engaged in what was happening around them. Lots more thoughts have been flowing through my head about how you can incorporate summer camps into enrollment management and your Year Round Recruitment Plan.

I have a few more to visit this week, and you can bet I will be sharing the great news of what CareerTech has to offer when I get back!