FOCUS: Program offers “engaging” summer camps

By Robin Berlinsky | Eight years ago, the Charleston County School District saw a need for arts-integration support in its schools so it reached out to a non-profit in Dallas, Texas, called Big Thought. The district gathered community leaders, educators and government agencies together to work with Big Thought to create a similar program here in Charleston.

In January 2013, Engaging Creative Minds (ECM) launched our arts-integration program in eight schools.   And here’s what we have accomplished in under two years:

• We provide students in grades 3 to 8 with arts-integration experiences that promote creative design, collaboration and problem-solving skills.
• We’ve expanded from eight elementary schools to 13 elementary and 3 middle schools.
• We serve more than 5,000 students and 250 teachers.
• We train and then employ a roster of more than 50 artists to work with teachers.
• An external researcher evaluated ECM’s program, specifically the six traits of effective teaching, and reported significant increases across all six.

By adding the arts back into the classroom, we are helping students achieve 21st century workforce skills.

The school district looked at our success during the school year and asked for a continuation of that program to address summer learning loss. In his book, Expanding Minds and Opportunities, Dr. Terry Peterson states that turning non-school hours into “learning hours” requires us to provide learning opportunities that address a broader spectrum of interests and talents possessed by today’s youth.

According to a study by the University of California at Irvine, participating in high-quality summer programs leads to improvements in standardized test scores, improvement in students’ social skills and students who attend summer programs are less likely to participate in negative behaviors. So we created the Summer STEAM Institute. [STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.]

There may be other summer camp programs in Charleston, but not like STEAM. ECM’s Summer STEAM Institute is designed for creative and energetic students in grades 3 to 8 who want to spend their summer engaged in unique learning experiences that foster creativity to solve real world challenges alongside local artists, cultural organizations and professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

Our small group size of one certified teacher per five to eight students offers a highly-individualized learning program including personalized instruction and daily Genius Hours in which students explore and research topics of interest to them. Each week, students work with five ECM Partners (artists, cultural organizations, and STEM professionals) who focus on a different theme from botany to engineering. Arts-integrated activities and student/teacher relationships engage and motivate students, challenge them academically and build their collaboration skills.

How do we know it’s working? We measure the effectiveness of Summer STEAM by comparing standardized test scores from the spring of the previous school year to the fall of the next year. Sixty-three percent of the test scores of the students attending the 2014 Summer STEAM Institute increased! But standardized tests aren’t the only way to measure success. One parent noted, “I was so delighted with the diversity of students, the energy of the teachers, and creativity of the program. It worked!”

ECM’s STEAM Institute is also a professional development workshop for teachers and professional artists who want to work in K-12 schools. We collaborate closely with our community partners, like the Lowcountry Hall for Science and Math at the College of Charleston, Clemson Workforce Development, and S2tem Centers SC, to train teachers on how to integrate STEAM curriculum in a way that engages learners and helps them retain concepts. Our successes have made an impact and organizations around the country contact us for help in setting up similar programs.

Located at the College of Charleston, Summer STEAM runs daily from June 15 through July 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended day options. Themes change weekly and no two weeks are the same. Price is $175 per week for three or more weeks, or $200 per week for one or two weeks. Breakfast, lunch and healthy snacks are included daily.

• Learn more at https://engagingcreativeminds.org/steam-2015/

Robin Berlinsky is executive director of Engaging Creative Minds.