Fun while learning: New Kensington STEAM Camp 'a great community program'

The more than 30 campers at the New Kensington STEAM Camp this week each had a different answer when asked their favorite part of the four-day session.

To JT Slosky, 9, of Lower Burrell, it was coding.

To brother and sister Alivia Saunders, 9 and Alex Saunders IV, 6, of New Kensington, it was creating a cardboard pinball machine using robots.

And to Malaya Lewis, 6, of New Kensington, it was visiting the Digital Foundry, a business development service.

“It’s a great community program that we wanted to be a part of,” said Malaya’s grandmother, Jaime Fidurski of Lower Burrell. “She loves science. Malaya is a shy child, so it gives her the opportunity to interact with other students her age.”

The camp, now in its third year, was held this week at Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in New Kensington. It was available to children in first through sixth grades.

It’s coordinated by the ABC Create educational consortium at Penn State New Kensington and was funded completely by the Digital Foundry.

“It’s important to us to reach the whole pipeline of talent, for young ones to adults,” said Sherri McCleary, executive director of the Digital Foundry.

Melinda Spampinato, camp coordinator and educational consultant for ABC Create, said the camp was free to children. A grant paid for the first two years of the camp and the Digital Foundry stepped up this year to cover all costs.

Ten teachers from six area school districts coordinated the lessons this year, which included science, engineering and math activities and robotics.

“We wanted to do some community outreach and get directly in contact with parents and kids,” she said.

There was so much interest in the camp this year that the wait-list was nearly as long as available seats for the camp, she said.

They will hold an abbreviated, one-day camp next week for children who were on the wait-list.

“The teachers are amazing. I don’t think the kids realize how much they learn. It’s very hands-on, it’s very engaging,” Spampinato said.

“It’s creating, it’s coding; they have no time to get bored. It’s a really busy time for them.”

During a trip Wednesday to the Digital Foundry, kids were able to explore the equipment there and see a virtual pinball machine simulator put together by engineers at the Digital Foundry and Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center.

Spampinato said it’s important for young children to learn about science, technology, engineering and math in a creative way.

“It’s not that you learn to build a robot with Legos,” she said. “You learn soft skills: creative thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, perseverance. This is building that skill set that they’ll need.”

AJ Saunders of New Kensington said the camp was a positive experience for his children, Alivia and Alex.

“The interaction is the best part,” he said. They get to know other people, be artsy and craftsy, and learn different things.

“This is a different atmosphere. It’s a good thing for kids to explore offerings, try new things and create new things.”

JT’s mother, Kelli Williams-Slosky of Lower Burrell, said she enjoyed seeing her son’s growth from attending the camp last year. He’s talked to her about the projects he did at camp and what he would do differently if given another chance.

“It’s a really great experience with technology and incorporating working together with other kids,” she said. “He just sees it as fun, but I see all the different skills he’s learning.”

“It is a wonderful opportunity to segue from the end of the school year into something fun and educational-focused.”

With Penn State New Kensington closing in two years, Spampinato said it’s her understanding ABC Create still has support of Penn State. In addition to putting on the camp, ABC Create provides science, technology, math and engineering resources and professional development training to area school districts and teachers.

Even though it will lose its home base at Penn State New Kensington, Spampinato is working with area superintendents and teachers to come up with a plan to continue the service.

“We’ll try to keep doing it as long as we can,” Spampinato said.