Community Column: Summer programs create pathway to college

The first time I set foot on any college campus was when I was 17 years old. 现在, as president of 帕洛阿尔托学院, I underst和 the importance of introducing college at a young age.

帕洛阿尔托学院 has made incredible efforts to exp和 access to education, including early college high schools 和 dual credit. We have even more opportunity to continue to build relationships with students before they are in high school to ensure they always know college is an option for them.

The 帕洛阿尔托学院 Kids' Camp is one way to introduce children to the college environment. Our camps are designed to promote 领导 和 character development for children ages 5 to 12 through physical activity 和 classroom learning customized by age group. 每个星期, campers enjoy a variety of themed activities focusing on sports, 领导, 和实践项目, with a fun field trip every Friday.

Parents can sign up their child for additional mini-camps to supplement their summer education. Mini-camps such as Discover Robotics, 探索动物, 和 Soaring with Aviation use age-appropriate activities to explore STEM programs. Parents also can enroll their children in swim lessons, where they can learn life-saving skills from trained swim coaches in our Aquatic Center.

For students ages 12 to 18, we offer a variety of half-day camp options that can be combined into full-day camps. Our STEM Summer Experience, funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, is an interactive two-week camp for students to experience the diverse careers in STEM related fields, 包括生物学, engineering 和 chemistry.

除了, our partnership with Youth Code Jam 和 the Texas Workforce Commission will offer Code the Future Camps that are designed to introduce students ages 12 to 18 to computer science 和 coding. Participants will learn to solve problems using programming language, data science 和 creativity. This particular camp includes several guest speakers who are founders of technology companies, 软件开发人员, 工程师, 和程序员. They can share their real-world experiences 和 the opportunities for a wide range of technology careers in our community.

For those who want to focus more on the arts, we offer Puppet Academy, 演讲夏令营, 及戏剧营, as well as a Sports Camp to cover activities including basketball, 足球, 游泳和网球.

Providing a robust summer camp experience for all ages aligns with our mission of empowering our students 和 community for 领导 和 success. Whether students ultimately seek a career in a STEM field or pursue another passion, we'll continue to provide all students with every resource possible so they can be successful throughout their educational journey 和 be prepared for future endeavors.

这是博士的专栏. 罗伯特·加尔萨, president of 帕洛阿尔托学院, was originally published in the 圣安东尼奥 Express-新闻' Southside Reporter 和 mysanantonio.com.