Coding Magic Carpets: The Jr. STEM Summer Camp

Each summer, Community College of Philadelphia hosts the Jr. STEM Summer Camp, a monthlong day camp for middle school-aged students to explore topics in science technology, engineering and math. This program exposes students to viable STEM careers through fun and hands-on activities. This year, the group was able to explore STEM through work on a production of “Aladdin Jr., the Musical.” They also got to see the professional show on Broadway in New York City during a field trip.

This summer’s program consisted of five separate learning tracks: performing arts, robotic engineering/set design, 3D printing/prop design, drones/lighting and special effects and coding/costume design. Students in each of the modules work directly with our trained instructors to see firsthand how STEM concepts can apply to contexts like designing and performing in a musical. And, they get to make valuable connections with other campers and instructors in the process.

A rising sixth grader in the set design track, Wilbert worked on design for the Cave of Wonders scene. Wilbert’s favorite part of the camp experience was seeing firsthand how his work could enhance the performance. He also really liked learning to code using Legos. “Basically, it was like coding blocks, and you just put them together and when you click ‘start’ it makes it move. There are motors inside the Legos,” Wilbert said.

Students in the coding/costume design track got to work with another coding technology called Adafruits. Hagar, a rising fifth grader, said she coded some of the actors’ costumes and props so they would light up at certain points in the show.

Hagar also loved that the instructors were open to hearing what ideas the campers had to contribute to the production. “I recommended putting the Adafruit inside of the clothes or like covering it up with the cloth,” Hagar said. She was excited to find that her instructor loved the idea and implemented it into the plans for costume design.

Another rising fifth grader, McKenzie, was in the performing arts track and starred as the Genie in the production. “It was fun! I got to meet new people, and I made new friends,” McKenzie said. While McKenzie has acted in other theatre productions before, she enjoyed getting to act in a totally new role this time. “I had to be a lot more energetic or a lot, like, funnier, basically.”

Stephanie Austin-Johnson, the program’s director, was so excited to introduce the musical production to the program this year. “This was the first year we used the musical as our culminating program,” Stephanie said. “We were very pleased with the outcomes and will be revisiting it next year with our rendition of ‘The Wiz.’” Stephanie is proud to unite the concepts of STEM with the world of the arts for these students. “Our more arts-inclined students were able to witness STEM in their space,” she said. “Art students often shy away from STEM, perceiving it as a cold and boring field. However, through this program, we demonstrated that STEM can be creative, fun and engaging.”

After four weeks together, the campers ended their program with their performance in front of friends, family and guests in the College’s auditorium. The students kept the spirit alive on stage and showcased their hard work, both in the spotlight and behind the scenes.

CCP is proud to offer this program to help expose students to the value of STEM and the opportunities that follow. You can learn more about CCP’s Jr. STEM Academy here.