Pasadena ISD will send students on an educational journey this summer during the Gifted/Talented Summer Exploration Camps at Young Elementary. These camps are for Gifted and Talented students from kindergarten up to the seventh grade.

The camps will be held for two weeks starting with the first week of camp scheduled from June 4 – 7. The second week will be held from June 11 – 14. The tuition for the camp is $60 per student.

The camps will be divided into three groups. The first group will be the primary camp, which will be held for students enrolled in kindergarten through second grade. This year, the primary camp will engage in activities that will investigate the interdependence of culture, community, and geography in the development of African traditions. There will be an interactive classroom planned that will take students through four African countries. In addition, there will be a puppet show, presentation of the primary camp curriculum with stories, folk tales and music for the student’s family and friends.

The second group will be the elementary camp that will be held for students enrolled in the third and fourth grades. The students will study archeology through exploration, investigation and hands-on learning experiences. A mock archaeological dig is scheduled where students will work on a much smaller scale with shoeboxes and other tools. The students will have opportunities to discover how real archaeologists conduct their fieldwork. At the end of the camp, the students will participate in a session simulating the archeological world by sharing their investigations.

The third group is the intermediate camp. This camp will serve students enrolled in the fifth through seventh grades. These students will research and develop a modern adaptation of a radio theater performance. The students will investigate the world events of the time and entertainment styles. They will learn theater development, costuming and set and sound design. The students will also build a rotating stage. At the end of the camp, these students will perform a live presentation of Radio Theater.

The summer G/T camps have been held every summer since 1995. Since then, the numbers of students involved have increased every year. The camps started with involving only students enrolled in the fifth through seventh grades, but with the popularity the program, it now includes students enrolled as early as kindergarten.

“We encourage the schools through their G/T or PTO budgets to provide scholarships for children,” said Leslie Axel, advanced academics instructional specialist. “We also have several teachers who provide scholarships for their students on campus.”

Advanced academics instructional specialist Michelle Reynolds said the program has made a positive impact engaging students’ learning abilities with plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning.

“It gives them a great chance to do things that can’t do in school because of the limited time,” Reynolds said. “I noticed when I started working with the camps that some students had never picked up hammer. They learn and grow about themselves and it’s a great opportunity for these kids.”

Axel recalled how the camp helped another student. She said that the student was observed during by one of her teachers during the school year and the teacher noticed that the student never talked in class. The student eventually became one of the camp’s leaders. She said the camp brings out strong leadership in the children who are not as vocal because they are around other people.

Reynolds said the amount of parental and additional teacher involvement has increased over the years.

Reynolds also explained how parents noticed how the camp could help grow their child’s learning abilities.

“The camp is the best part of the entire summer,” Reynolds said. “When it’s finished, it’s such a good feeling that the very last day when we’re cleaning up from camp, we are already talking about what are we going to do next year.”