Math + Leadership Camp Collaboration with MfA San Diego
Not often do you combine math with rock climbing and kayaking, but this past summer we did just that. The Math for America San Diego Math + Leadership Camp was a 10-day summer camp for 9th-11th grade students from the Oceanside and Vista Unified School Districts. Held at CSU San Marcos this past July, the camp provided mathematics classes in the mornings and leadership and team building activities in the afternoons with arc.
Housed in the Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence (CREATE) at UC San Diego, MfA SD works closely with county school districts to develop and deliver high quality, mathematics teaching and learning programs to mathematics teachers and students. MfA SD, in conjunction with UC San Diego’s CREATE STEM Success Initiative, focused the summer work on helping students regain their enthusiasm for mathematics while enjoying some outdoor activities.
In past summers, MfA SD held mornings-only math academies. This year, the program wanted to expand to an all-day camp experience combining mathematics learning with more traditional summer camp activities.
“With a big assist from Brenda Hall, director of the North County Professional Development Federation, we were able to connect with Brad Lupien, co-founder and co-president of arc,” said Barbara Edwards, executive director of MfA SD. “Brad and his team designed the ‘plus Leadership’ part of the camp. We were delighted to integrate arc’s teamwork and leadership building program, including exciting, off-campus field trips, into the afternoon portion of the camp.”