SAMS Camp

Despite COVID-19, new Engineering summer camp presses on to engage local youth.

By Sam Hale, Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid

Among many other things, MSA has historically been known to host fun and exciting summer experiences and have a robust and engaging engineering program. This summer marked a marriage of these two hallmarks, as engineering teachers Ryan Henry and Christine Zito launched the pioneer sessions of Summer Adventures at Miller School or SAMS Camp for Applied Engineering. While the pandemic forced many summer opportunities to be put on pause, like any successful engineer, Henry and Zito were able to quickly adapt, conducting the camp virtually and sending home weekly kits to enrolled children so that they could explore, imagine, and build from the safety of their homes.

Henry and Zito have always had a passion for engineering, which ultimately led them to the teaching profession and prompted their interest in starting an engineering-focused summer camp. Early success with the camp has allowed them to think even bigger as they look to incorporate additional subject areas into the 2021 SAMS Camp offerings. This new camp is just one of the ways that the engineering program at MSA has grown over the past few years.

“Five years ago the only engineering class at Miller School of Albemarle was a general Engineering course designed for 11th and 12th grade students,” Henry said, noting he started teaching Physics and Engineering at MSA in the fall of 2014 after more than 15 years as a professional engineer. “We have now expanded our offerings to include a true Introduction to Engineering course for students in grades eight and nine.” 

From there, Henry says students can graduate to an Applied Engineering course.  Students may also take AP Physics I and II and other project-based courses like Design/Build, Computer Programming, Land Management, E4USA (Engineering For Us All), and Sustainable Agriculture. In addition to for-credit coursework MSA offers engineering themed after school activities, clubs, and field trips.

“Seven years ago we launched the engineering program with three students.  We now have over 25 students pursuing a certificate in engineering from MSA,” Henry added.

Both Zito and Henry noted that engineering has become a growing interest among highschool-aged students.

“I think engineering in general teaches a lot of  life skills that are not taught in other classes. Including the ability to problem solve and the ability to work as a team,” Zito said, adding that she has always been interested in science, math, and technology and began a teaching career nearly a decade ago. This is her second year here on the Hill. “Engineering teaches those 21st century skills that every high school graduate needs. Students are now recognizing the value of taking an engineering class.”

“Being in the Engineering class doesn't mean you will become an engineer,” Henry said, echoing Zito’s sentiments. “One of the overarching goals of the class is to teach people to think like engineers, to develop problem solving skills and how to make an informed decision based on facts and not feelings.”

Zito and Henry built SAMS Camp from the ground up, planning lessons and developing a curriculum that was both exciting and engaging for campers. Zito noted that the camp's name was not derived strictly from the acronym, but also to pay homage to the school’s founder and namesake--Samuel Miller.

“Samuel Miller recognized the importance of an experiential education and hands on learning,” she said. “We continue that same commitment to fostering a love of learning and project-based education through our camps.”

Henry added that engineering can be geared to students of all ages.

“Engineering is often a field of study that is potentially daunting and by the time students are in 11th and 12th grade decisions have been formed in terms of what interests in life you would like to pursue,” Henry said. “One of the goals is to offer lower grade levels the experience of what engineering is in a safe, non-judgmental course. We want to capture their interest early and overcome the preconception that engineering is too hard or not fun.”

Zito added that SAMS camp is a great opportunity to try out engineering before committing to year-long class.

“SAMS Camp would offer students the opportunity to ask themselves, do I even like engineering class,” she said.

Like many other initiatives that chose to proceed virtually because of COVID-19, Zito and Henry were forced to be quick on their feet and come up with ways to ensure the hand-on, experiential aspects of engineering could translate from an in-person camp experience to a virtual in-home experience. Despite these shifts, both noted positivity and overwhelming success.

“I was overwhelmingly surprised at how much bonding and how much of a sense of community and camaraderie could be had over Zoom,” Henry said. “We had so much fun. There was never a moment where someone wasn't laughing. We had such a great group of students.”

Zito agreed with Henry, noting that a previous push in the spring to online learning paved the way for a smoother virtual camp experience.

“Everyone was getting used to online learning at that point,” she said, noting that a virtual setting lent itself to more parent involvement. “Parents were helping with activities. Sometimes they would participate in challenges competing against their children. It was a great way to incorporate the whole family into these activities.”

However, both Zito and Henry said they can’t wait for next summer, when SAMS camp plans not only to return in person, but also to expand its curricular offerings.

“Our hope is that when we return to in-person camps the activities will be engaging, hands-on, creative, game-based, fun and that it’s not worksheet-based learning,” she said. “This past summer we offered Applied Engineering. Next summer we are expanding our offerings to include other subject areas taught here at Miller. Our goal is to develop additional curricular offerings this spring for the upcoming summer. These will hopefully include camp classes in foreign languages, science, math, fine arts, drama and history.”