News

Organizers have announced that this year’s Ellsworth Community College STEM Camp for students entering grades 3-12 will be moved to Thursday and Friday, July 29-30. Organizers are making the schedule change to accommodate RAGBRAI, as Iowa Falls is an overnight host city on Tuesday, July 27.

Students can enroll in a morning session, an afternoon session, or both (grouped by grade levels). COVID safety precautions will be in place to protect the safety of campers and facilitators alike.

“Our ECC faculty are excited about the summer STEM Camp,” says Dr. Amanda Estey, ECC Dean of Academic Affairs. “We begin organizing each year in early spring, and we have some fun new topics for this year’s participants. Also this year we will provide lunch for all participants, even if they don’t attend both the morning and afternoon sessions. We think that our families will appreciate that.”

This year’s session topic varies by grade level. Topics include DIY Single Shot Paintball Gun, Exploring Chemistry, Great Brains on the Great Plains, Into the Woods, Mousetrap Mania, and 3D Printing Made Easy. New in 2021, a session will be offered on Drones and Planes. Most sessions will be limited to 15 students, and sessions with fewer than 5 students by the registration deadline of July 22 will be canceled.

Online registration is currently open, and students have the opportunity to select a first choice, second choice and third choice topic for their age group and preferred time of day, either morning or afternoon. Assignments will be made on a first-registered/paid, first-served basis.

For those who attend just one two-day session (morning only or afternoon only), the cost will be $25. Those who attend both a morning and afternoon session for the two-day camp will pay $40 per student. The morning sessions will run from 9 am to noon and the afternoons from 1 to 4 pm, with lunch served from noon to 1 pm. Students will meet in the ECC Math-Science building (across North Street just south of Rock Run Elementary School).

Registration information is online at ce.IAValley.edu; click on Take a Class > Summer Youth Programs and follow the instructions. Questions can be directed to Iowa Valley Continuing Education at 641-752-4645 or ivceinfo@iavalley.edu.