Camp Success lets students hone engineering, technology skills

FLORENCE — Florence-Darlington Technical College and the Silver Crescent Foundation have partnered to offer rising seventh- and eighth-grade students a chance to “Discover Manufacturing” through a fun and innovative engineering and technology summer day camp called Camp Success.

Camp Success helps students develop the innovative thinking, leadership and team-building skills all while being taught the connection between the science and math courses taught in school to future careers.

The camp offers a diverse schedule of learning and leadership activities in an effort to teach those who attend the camp about manufacturing, engineering, science and technology.

Throughout the week, campers will participate in several activities and experiments including robotics; building and launching rockets; and playing human checkers.

Melonie Bryant, an eighth-grade student at Ronald E. McNair Middle School in Lake City, and Daniel Collins, a seventh-grade home schooled student with Danmar Academy, are two of 16 students who attended the camp at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology.

Both 12-year-old students said they were drawn to the camp because of the chance to learn more about their favorite subject, science, as well as robots and rockets.

Melonie, a future doctor, said she wanted to attend the camp to learn about robots, which she thinks will be a useful tool in her career field of choice.

“By then, there’s going to be a lot of technology and you have to work with robots,” she said. “I decided I wanted to come here and learn it, so when I get older I will be able to work with robots.”

Melonie said the skills she’s learning at the camp will definitely help her in her future science courses and, hopefully, in her career as a doctor.

Daniel said his love for science and experiments couldn’t keep him away from the camp that ends Saturday.

He said he enjoys rockets and, after participating in Tuesday’s rocket activity, wants to learn more about it.

Daniel said he recommends the camp to any of his friends.

“The camp is fun, interactive, hands-on and enjoyable,” he said.

Mary Anne Baggett, camp facilitator and a sixth-grade teacher at Briggs Elementary School, said the camp helps students understand the relevance of math and science to every day technology.

“We want to show them math and science, and what you can do with it,” Baggett said. “We’re showing them why (they have to learn math and science).”

Some of the lessons are led by Florence-Darlington Tech faculty in addition to the qualified middle school teachers or instructors, so students are being exposed to the higher education experience early, Baggett said.

The Silver Crescent Foundation is an educational nonprofit that promotes manufacturing and career opportunities in South Carolina.

On the Web

Florence-Darlington Technical College, http://www.fdtc.edu

Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology, http://www.simt.com

Silver Crescent Foundation, http://www.silvercrescentsc.org