Greetings from Youth Programs

Greetings from Youth Programs! 

Summer 2025 was filled with lots of excitement, fun, and learning as SPCE’s Youth Programs offered 10 camps, hosting more than 350 rising K – 12th grade students in attendance! We are excited to share some highlights of the summer! 

Partnership with TRIO Talent Search Provides Opportunities for Science Explore Camp 

Thanks to continued partnerships with TRIO Talent Search, a record number of scholarships were provided to campers during summer 2025! 

Through the partnership with TRIO Talent Search, Youth Programs was able to provide a camp experience for 30 Harrisonburg-Rockingham area middle school students. These students attended our Science Explorers Camp on full scholarships provided by TRIO Talent Search. During the camp, students explored various areas of science through hands-on activities. They also got to visit many of JMU’s facilities, including the John C. Wells Planetarium and even had lunch at D-Hall!  

Partnership with GEAR UP Provides Scholarships for Residential Camp 

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) was another partner of Youth Programs in Summer 2025, providing scholarships for 23 high school students from the southern Virginia area to attend Science Explorers Camp. These students attended as residential campers, each student receiving a full scholarship for attendance provided by GEAR UP. This was not only an incredible camp experience, but it allowed students to experience life at JMU for the week: living in a residence hall, eating on campus, interacting with current JMU students, and utilizing campus facilities such as UREC, the Planetarium, TDU, and more! 

Summer Honors Institute 

The 11th annual Summer Honors Institute was a huge success! This unique week-long program allowed 27 rising high school juniors and seniors to get a first-hand look at life as a JMU honors student by taking courses with faculty, exploring careers and academic majors, and learning about the JMU Honors program. Students attended from across Virginia and Maryland! 

College for Kids 

College for Kids had 80 students in attendance with 10 AM courses offered and 9 PM courses offered for rising K – 8th Grades. Courses included The Lost Worlds: Exploring Ancient Civilizations and Myths, The Science of Sweets, Storm Chasers, Sensing Magic, Dance Fusion Frenzy, The Play’s the Thing: An Introduction to Shakespeare, and more! We were delighted to welcome guest speakers Aubrey Urbanowicz (WHSV) into our Storm Chasers class and JMU School of Theatre and Dance professor Suzanne Miller-Corso into our Dance Fusion Frenzy class.  

These are just a few of the highlights from some of our summer 2025 camps. We are already excited to plan for next summer, be on the lookout for more information coming soon, including exciting a new week-long summer day camp!