Written & Submitted by:
Carla Ferrette-Clark, Camp Leader
Military Magnet Academy, CTE Information Support & Service Instructor 

MMA “Everyday STEM” Summer Camp was a success. We had a total of 13 registered participants from all over the Low Country. We also had the pleasure of a visiting student from North Carolina. The four-day camp was wonderful and impactful. The goal for our campers was to demystify STEM and show them that STEM is a part of our everyday life. We explained that STEM is a diverse and constantly evolving sector. There is something for everyone in STEM from analyzing biological material to furthering our understanding of human behavior. It was also explained, that STEM benefits from a diverse group of people participating.

On day one of Everyday STEM the students learned about gardening science with our special guest “Nyasia Waddell” (MMA Science Teacher) who explained soil mixture, and the water cycle. The students made terrariums and planted seeds. Campers also started working on their robot designs. As usual, our robotics team (including alumni members) helped out.

Day two of Everyday STEM camp was packed full of fun. First was a visit from Mr. Frank R. Hatten from Boeing, who spoke to our campers about STEM careers and opportunities. We then talked about the all-important Soft Skills and the impact it has on our lives. Campers also worked on putting together Safe Stop robots and continued working on building and programming their Lego robots.

Day three was even more exciting because we got messy while learning about baking science and chemistry. The campers loved the sweet outcome! Our special guest “Chef Kim”(MMA CTE Culinary Teacher) was awesome and talked to our campers about baking science. The students under the guidance of the Chef combined all of their baking products in a jar and were able to take that home to bake. Throughout the week campers learned about engineering notebooks; documenting their ideas and progress.

Day 4 was our final day of camp and we wrapped up Everyday STEM summer camp with campers doing team presentations and speaking about what they learned throughout the week, putting those soft skills to practice. Parents were able to see the various projects completed and heard about what their camper loved most about camp. We had such fun getting to know these awesome campers. It seems they had loads of fun as well.

I would like to give a special thank you to Sally Ann Archie, and TSgt Jerry White who is always supportive of every activity or plan concerning our students. Both mentors sacrificed their time to support our camp and I could not have done this without their commitment to exposing our students to STEM. Thank you, Chef Kim and Ms. Waddell for showing up at a moment’s notice for the campers and making the experience worthwhile!