Kona STEM Camp slated during break

For many students, fall break is filled with sleeping in, Netflix marathons and video game parties. Student leaders from the Kealakehe Robotics Team are offering a fun and educational option this year.

Kealakehe will host Kona STEM Camp — West Hawaii’s first science, technology, engineering and mathematics camp. The camp will feature interactive presentations by Hawaii’s high-tech leaders, including the U.S. Geological Survey, Institute for Astronomy, American Institute of Architecture and The Kohala Center.

“Growing up in Hilo, I saw a lot of opportunities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields in elementary school. When I moved to Kona, those experiences did not seem as present to me. I want to bring those opportunities to the students here in West Hawai and KSC is a great start to making that a reality,” Project Leader Taylor Quanan, a Kealakehe senior, said. Since June, Quanan has led a team of 10 high school students working with local STEM industry leaders to develop the camp.

The camp will feature a half day of training in robotics led by high school students and a half day of activities in different STEM fields led by more than 20 partner organizations and companies. In addition to the daily robotics and design sessions, the camp will have days dedicated to astronomy, marine science, industrial design, geology and architecture.

The program will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 7 through 11 and is offered to third- through eighth-grade students in public, private, home and charter schools. Tuition for the camp is $250 for free/reduced lunch students and $300 for others. In addition to lunch and snacks, tuition includes a camp T-shirt, water bottle and a draw bag.

Additional information about the camp including registration forms can by found at kealakeherobotics.org/camp.