July 26, 2007

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Fun with a purpose

Camp Galileo teaches kids about science, art and teamwork in a playful environment

By Christina Brown
Times Intern

To enter Camp Galileo Almaden at Simonds Elementary School, you must pass under a huge sign reading “Fun Machine,” and through the strands of ribbon hanging down from it. It’s certainly fitting.

Star Loreta Ison works on a mid-level shield. Photo by Dan Miranda

Camp Galileo is a weeklong summer camp that blends fun and education with a focus on science, art and outdoor activities for children entering kindergarten through fifth grade. The first session of camp began July 2 and the last session will start July 30. The camp is split into three age groups: “Nebulas,” incoming kindergarteners; “Stars,” first and second graders; and “Supernovas,” third though fifth graders.

Camp director Charlotte Tucker feels that the “combination of fun and learning” is what makes Camp Galileo so special. “We have opening and closing ceremonies and all camp games on Tuesday and Thursday,” Tucker said, which gives the camp an exciting atmosphere. However students are also exposed to a variety of art and science topics—two subjects Camp Galileo founder, Glen Tripp, thought were lacking from many elementary classrooms. The attitude of the camp staff is “let’s have fun and be crazy and also learn,” Tucker said.

Anna Calvert, a Nebula, is one of many students who came back multiple times each summer because she enjoys it so much. She has gone for four weeks in a row. With three different theme weeks, the activities are always new and fresh for returnees. Weeks one and four have the theme “Medieval Arts” and “Ocean Explorers” for the respective art and science curriculum. Weeks two and five cover topics about “Modern Masters” and “Invent It!” Then weeks three and six focus on “African Art” and “Building Big.”

Camp Galileo partners with the Tech Museum of Innovation, which puts together the science curriculum for the camp, as well as provides them with resources. Each of the three age levels focus on different projects for the three different units, Ocean Explorers, Invent It! and Building Big. By learning about concepts such as density, tension, pulleys and levers, campers are given the tools to solve the daily science or engineering project presented to them.

What is unique about Camp G, as it is called among campers, is that students are given a challenging project that lets them put to use the science they learned, while having fun and being forced to think outside the box. During the Ocean Explorers week, star campers are given the task of making the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria for Christopher Columbus and there is a competition for the best boat. During this project students are exposed to different forms of power—wind, water and stored energy, as well as density and buoyancy.

Camp Galileo participant Madison puts paint on her hand so she can finger paint during class time at Camp Galileo. Photos by Dan Miranda

“I love the creativity the students have when working on the projects,” Barb Schremp, lead science instructor said. “We give them constraints, and then they solve the problem and are always very creative. Today we let them use lots of recycled products, so they see things in a whole new light.”

Peter Kou, a Supernova, really enjoyed working on his project for science class. “We’re making a model lab that goes underwater and has to sink slowly. Whoever builds the biggest gets a prize!” Winston Chang and his partner’s lab was “four stories high” and he was sure they would win the prize for the biggest, cautiously hiding it from prying eyes he thought were spies.

Heidi Reinheimer and Sarah Straub proudly displayed their model underwater lab, which was well equipped with a living room, a TV, a pet pig and a table for everyone—including the pig. They also made a “research room” where the scientists could let sea animals into a large tank, observe their behavior and then let them back out into the wild.

During art periods, campers are introduced to a variety of styles from African masks to medieval mosaics to Picasso style paintings. Camp Galileo is partnered with de Young Art Museum in San Francisco, and they provide the camp with materials to help student understand different famous artists, periods and mediums.

Alissa Reed, a Star, enjoys the art periods best, and has been to the camp several times. “We got to make art from a long time ago,” she said, and she especially enjoyed working on African and Medieval art.

During outdoors time students get to do crafts and team games. “We get a ton of supplies from Klutz,” who is their outdoor sponsor, Tucker said. “They get to use just about every book ever made [by Klutz].”

During outdoor time, counselors try to work on team building skills, and students play games like Human Knot, which involves working together to untie each other’s arms. Of course, there is also the camp’s signature game—waterball—which is similar to kickball, but it also involves slip and slides and other water toys for the kids to enjoy during the hot summer afternoons.

A group of kids wait their turn during the dress your rubber chicken team challenge at Camp Galileo on July17.

The ratio of campers to adults is eight to one and for the kindergarteners the ratio drops to six to one. During their time at camp, children are broken up into groups of about 10 to 16 and are assigned a team leader, which is “like a camp counselor,” Sonya Mehta, a team leader for Nebulas, said. “We are with the kids all the time.” Each team even has their own flag, which the children decorate; their own mascot, for which the students vote; and their own song.

The Almaden location of Camp Galileo, held at Simonds Elementary School, is just one of 15 locations throughout the Bay Area. This is the third year for the Almaden camp and sixth year overall for Camp Galileo, which is based in Oakland. This year the Almaden location will serve about 650 children. Each week 65 to 125 students joins in the fun.

Camp Galileo is also eager for students from all economic backgrounds to have the change to go to summer camp. They provide full and partial scholarships for low-income families and allocate 10 percent of the spots to scholarship students, which last year included 1,000 scholarships for its 15 locations last year.

Parent feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for the camp with last year’s parent survey indicating that 97 percent “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that their children enjoyed Camp Galileo, and 96 percent saying they would recommend it to a friend. It was also voted “Best Camp for Kids” by Bay Area Parent magazine and “Best of the Bay—Cure for the Summertime Blues” in San Francisco Magazine.

Volunteers needed for middle school science

Project RE-SEED, Retirees Enhancing Science Education through Experiments and Demonstrations, is a program to enhance teaching earth and physical science for grades six through eight. To maintain and expand RE-SEED programs at more schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, volunteers who are willing to apply their knowledge and experience in fostering understanding and appreciation for science and engineering are very much needed.

At a minimum, the program influences basic understanding of science. Ideally, it helps prepare middle school students for careers in science, engineering, and technology. Those who have been involved in the program say they value the experience among the most meaningful in their lives.

The program began in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2000 with the training of retired engineers from the IEEE organization. It has continued with scientists and engineers from a number of professional organizations. Volunteers help in various ways in the classroom. Some have developed curriculum relevant experiments for hands-on experience by the students. Others work to improve experiments and demonstrations that the teacher has used in the past.

In addition, the volunteers answer students’ questions and often provide them with one-on-one help to keep up with the pace of the class. The goals are to support the teachers, including help with their content understanding whenever necessary, and to spark the interest of students in science.

Some volunteers work in pairs, while others work solely with the teacher. The volunteering commitments are flexible and range from innovative demonstrations once per month to daily participation on laboratory experiments carried out with the students. There are also math-tutoring opportunities.

Volunteers say they typically find their work in the classrooms intellectually stimulating and emotionally rewarding. Most retirees spend eight to 10 hours per week at school, while others devote additional hours each week toward building equipment, searching the Internet for interesting teaching aids and otherwise preparing for their day in school.

Teachers say RE-SEED volunteers are an invaluable resource because they provide realistic contexts for the school curriculum and model what scientists do and how they think. Teachers also appreciate the extra pair of skilled hands and highly schooled minds.

The ultimate benefactors of RE-SEED, however, are the students. It has been documented that the project’s mature, well trained scientists and engineers are helping guide students to learn science concepts and facts as well as the scientific habits of mind and ways of thinking. Also, real world relationships seem to become clearer to the students because of the deep appreciation for relevance that the project’s retirees have acquired over their professional careers.

RE-SEED began at Northeastern University under Christos Zahopoulos, a professor in the Physics Department, together with a colleague from the College of Education. It is now part of a larger effort in science, technology, engineering and math education (www.stem.neu.edu).

In the San Francisco-San Jose area, the funding for the program came from the National Science Foundation as a Math Science Partnership with several school districts on the Peninsula and both the Hewlett Packard and Synopsys Corporations. This is called Partnership for Student Success in Science (PS3).

The principle investigator of this grant is Professor Kurt McMullin from the San Jose State University Civil Engineering Department. This grant provides mainly for professional development for middle school science teachers and placement of volunteers. It also provides for a four-day training session where volunteers learn how to apply many hands-on activities to engage middle school students and their teachers.

For those interested in working with the program, contact Peter K. Mueller, Ph.D., RE-SEED coordinator, TropoChem, 3801 Magnolia Drive, Palo Alto CA 94306-3232 or e-mail:pklausm@mac.com; telephone: (650) 856-1255; cell: (650) 303-6893 to obtain more information about the program.

San Jose Youth Commission seeks energetic commissioners

The Office of the San Jose’s City Clerk is currently accepting applications to fill vacancies on the San Jose Youth Commission. Young adults between 14 and 21 who live in City Council Districts 1, 5, 7 and 9, have a passion to make a difference in their community and are eager to participate in city government are encouraged to apply.
Applications may be obtained from the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, Second Floor, Council Wing, 200 East Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95113, or on the City's Web site at www.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/vacancy.htm. To be considered, you must apply by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10 to the City Clerk’s office.

The San Jose Youth Commission is an appointed body of 11 young people 14-21 years of age. Modeled after the San Jose’s City Council, the youth commissioners are recognized as the official youth advisory group to the city council and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services.

Youth commissioners are involved with policy recommendations concerning young adults. They maintain Youth Advisory Councils in each council district to support the development of other students who desire to serve their community through active civic participation and constructive decision-making.

Commissioners serve for three years and actively participate in commission sub-committees, neighborhood and community meetings and serve as youth advocates. Commissioners may expect to spend between 10 to 12 hours per month on special projects, reports, trainings and attending meetings. The full commission meets every fourth Monday evening of each month.

The San Jose Youth Commission's vision is to "create an empowered voice for youth." Its mission is to involve and connect San Jose youth in order to advise city government on youth-related issues. Its core values are inclusion, engagement, empowerment, leadership and teamwork.

For additional information regarding the San Jose Youth Commission, call Betty Montoya at (408) 277-2744.

Valley Christian Theater Camp presented ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Valley Christian Theater Camp, for children aged 8 to 18, presented “Beauty and the Beast” July 11-14 at Valley Christian High School. The play, which was produced and directed by students under the age of 20, was the final camp event. The program is run by Mathew DeMeritt, the theatrical director at the school. It’s the camp’s third year.

Lauren Mayfield, far right, from Almaden who choreographed the play said, “After years of performing with Valley Christian Theater, it was amazing to be on staff and experience all that happens behind the scenes. I never realized how much work it really takes to put on a full scale production!" Her brother, Jeff Mayfield, second from left who played Lumiere, said, "The theater camp is a great way to have fun and meet new friends!" Another Almaden resident, Victoria Hall, left who played Babette, said, "Valley Christian is a great pla

ce to do theater because the staff is fun and so easy going. It is nice to make friends so fast!" Other Almaden residents at the camp are Janet Backlund, who played Silly Girl, and Emily Salo, who played Chip.

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