School News – July 10
The nationally acclaimed Camp Invention summer program is coming to Upper St. Clair’s Boyce Middle School July 15-19. The week-long summer enrichment program is for children entering grades one through six, and creatively immerses and engages its participants through hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
This year’s Camp Invention program is Create which features the I Can Invent: Launchitude module, where children use physics and engineering to create a Duck Chucking device using components from everyday objects.
Each day, children rotate through integrated modules that employ creative thinking to solve real-world challenges. Children learn vital 21st century life skills such as problem solving and teamwork through imaginative exploration.
To learn more about Invent Now programming, call 800-968-4332 or visit www.CampInvention.org.
The Princeton Review will offer ACT, SAT and PSAT prep-courses at Bethel Park High School beginning in July. Students can enroll online at www.PrincetonReview.com or by calling the Local Princeton Review Office at 412-200-8293. BPHS students can receive up to $300 off their course tuition.
To learn more, visit www.bpsd.org.
La Roche College will hold an open house for high school juniors and seniors from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. July 13 at its main campus in McCandless Township.
Attendees will have the chance to tour the La Roche campus, meet with faculty, staff and admissions counselors, and learn more about the financial aid process. Registration will run from 8:30-9:15 a.m., with presentations beginning at 9:15. The open house will feature information sessions that explore La Roche’s 50-plus undergraduate majors, an overview of scholarship and financial aid options, an inside look at the college’s residence halls and apartment-style suites, and a complimentary breakfast and lunch.
To register, call 412-536-1272 or visit laroche.edu.
Thirty students in grades 4-8 throughout the South Hills came together at the Peters Township Public Library recently to explore the field of robotics. Groups of five students each were issued a challenge: to build a robot that could track a colored line around a twisting, turning course using the LEGO Mindstorm NXT robotics kit. High school students from the Titanium Titans FIRST Robotics Team #4467 worked with each team to help them build their robots. All teams successfully completed the challenge and showed off their robotic design and programming skills before having lunch with “Atlas,” the Titanium Titans robot that was built to compete in the 2013 Pittsburgh Regional FIRST competition. Atlas fired frisbees over the field next to the Peters Township tennis courts while kids jumped up to catch them. As a result of this workshop, two-thirds of these students signed up to participate on a FIRST Lego League team for grades 4-8 (offered by Snapology in Bethel Park) or on a FIRST Tech Challenge Team for grades 7-9 (offered by the Creative Learning Collaborative). This event was offered by the Creative Learning Collaborative, and sponsored by the Peters Township Public Library, the Western Area Career & Technology Center, and Snapology Lego Learning Center in Bethel Park. For more information on STEM based programs offered in the South Hills, visit www.creativelearning-PT.org or go to http://www.snapology.com/class_catalog.php for Snapology summer course offerings.