by Kelly Rogge
Creativity is being inspired during Kansas City Kansas Community College’s week-long summer camp, Camp Invention.
Camp Invention is designed for elementary school students as a way to help them explore, tinker with ideas and be creative. There are two sessions this summer. The first is July 14 to 18 at the KCKCC Main Campus, 7250 State Ave. The second is July 21 to 25 at the KCKCC-Leavenworth Campus. Each session is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and tuition is $199. Discounts are available. Campers need to bring a sack lunch each day.
“Camp Invention is an amazing weeklong summer adventure where students entering grades one through six will brainstorm, tinker, create and invent without limits,” said Kylie Williamson, coordinator of community education for KCKCC. “Camp Invention allows kids to use their imagination while learning scientific principles.”
Camp Invention is a national program that KCKCC has hosted since 2008. Students who participate will use real tools, circuits and materials from the Inventor Supply Room to build their own original prototypes. They work in teams to rotate among different modules, allowing them to build upon what they learned the previous day. All activities are centered on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts. It is the only nationally-accredited summer enrichment day experience for elementary-aged children and is led by local certified educators. The program was first started in 1990 and since has served more than 1,200 sites in 49 states.
“They will create a personalized motor-powered vehicle and take apart electronics to construct an insect-themed pinball machine,” Williamson said. “I hope children learn new concepts and are inspired by inventors whose inventions have changed the world, all while having a blast building and creating things.”
For more information or to register, call 913-288-7660. Registration can also be completed by going to the KCKCC website, www.kckcc.edu and selecting “Continuing Education.” Select “Continuing Education Schedule” and Personal Growth under Youth Programs.
Information about Camp Invention can be found at campinvention.org.
Category: KCKCC
KCKCC to hold five summer sports camps
by Kelly Rogge
Kansas City Kansas Community College is holding five upcoming summer sports camps for children of all ages.
• Boys’ Basketball Camp. The camp is for children entering first through eighth grades. Session one is from 9 a.m. to noon and is for first through fourth grade students. Session two is from 1 to 4 p.m. and is for fifth through eighth graders. Both sessions are July 8 to 10 at the KCKCC Field House, 7250 State Ave. The fee is $50.
• Girls and Boys Beginners All Skills Basketball Camp. This camp, which is for boys and girls pre-kindergarten to third grade, is from 9 to 11 a.m. July 14-17 at the KCKCC Fieldhouse. The goal is to teach children the basic skills of basketball such as passing, dribbling and shooting. The fee is $40.
• Girls Intermediate All Skills Basketball Camp. This camp, designed for girls in fourth through 10th grades, is 1 to 4 p.m. July 14-17 at the KCKCC Fieldhouse. Like the beginning skills camp, girls will work to further develop their basketball skills, and also participate in a series of competitions. The fee is $60.
• Beginners-Intermediate All Skills Volleyball Camp. The camp, which is for students in third through eighth grades, is 1 to 3 p.m. July 28 to 31. Campers will learn the fundamentals of how to pass, serve, set and hit. Camp will also include volleyball games and other team activities. The fee is $80.
• Advanced All Skills Volleyball Camp. This camp is for ninth through 12th graders and will help players learn elite level skills to help in both high school and collegiate volleyball. It is from 9 a.m. to noon July 28-31 in the KCKCC Fieldhouse. The fee is $120.
The gym will open one half hour prior to the start of each camp session and be open one half hour after camp to allow for drop-off and pick-up.
While pre-registration is not required, it is preferred to ensure a spot in one of the camps. Prior to participation, parents and guardians must complete a registration form and a medical release form as well as pay the camp fee. Participants are responsible for providing their own shoes, practice clothes, towel, and water bottle.
For more information or to register, visit the KCKCC Athletic website at bluedevils.kckcc.edu. Information on the basketball camps is also available by calling 913-288-7151 or by sending an email to Valerie Stambersky, assistant athletic director of communications and head women’s basketball coach at KCKCC, at [email protected].
For information on the volleyball camps, contact Mary Bruno, head volleyball coach at KCKCC at [email protected] or call 913-288-7499.
KCKCC honors students organizing collecting effort for homeless
by Kelly Rogge
The Honors Tutorial III Service Learning class and Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Kansas City Kansas Community College are working this summer to make Keep Cool Care summer care packages for the homeless.
“A group of students in the spring had researched and put together a presentation on protecting yourself during inclement weather,” said Renee Gregory, an adjunct faculty member for the Honors Education program. “When we discussed our summer project, they decided it was a natural fit to what that had done in the spring.”
Each care package will include a refillable water bottle, keep cool bandanna and sunscreen as well as other things. There are two ways to get involved:
• Collection drive. The two groups are holding a sunscreen drive. Bottles of 4 oz., new-in-package sunscreen can be dropped off in the honors office, Flint Building Room 3600 on the KCKCC campus until July 7.
• Bake sale. There will be a bake sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, June 23, in the Deli area of Lower Jewell. Students have already signed up to bring Jell-O pie, a variety of cookies and cupcakes and other baked goodies.
The goal is to collect items for at least 100 Keep Cool Care packages that will then be distributed to the homeless in Kansas City, Kan.
“I just want for them to embrace how awesome it feels to give back. It would be really cool if this sparked a passion for service, which is what this class and Phi Theta Kappa are all about,” Gregory said. “This is the community that supports us, so I feel we need to give back. We want to show everyone how proud we are to be a part of the Kansas City, Kan., community.”
For more information about the Honor Tutorial III Service Learning Class, Phi Theta Kappa or the Keep Cool Care packages, contact Gregory at 913-288-7190 or by email at [email protected].