Full STEAM ahead for Camp Invention in Bethel Park

Some kids enjoy going to school during the summer.

Camp Invention is a nationwide science-oriented summer camp created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame to engage students entering kindergarten through sixth grade with learning and social activities.

“Hearing from parents that ‘my child doesn’t really like school, my child is very shy or my child has never done something like this before,’” said Laura Huth, longtime camp director and a first-grade teacher at George Washington Elementary School.

“And what I hear repeatedly (from students) as I go around is that this is their favorite camp, they look forward to this every year and they’re having a great time.”

Bethel Park hosted the program for its ninth year, this summer at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School during the week of July 8. A second week of camp starts July 22.

The district held two weeks of the program to accommodate the 297 students who registered. Going beyond Bethel Park, youngsters are welcomed from all surrounding districts.

Participating teachers transformed the school to match the camp theme of “Illuminate,” decorating the building in neon colors and utilizing black light.

The camp provides students with the opportunity of learning about four different topics across four different modules.

On par with the theme, in a module titled “Let’s Glow,” students created Glow Boxes while learning about light, shadows and bioluminescence in animals.

The overall goal of the camp is to promote the urge for learning within children and introduce them to the necessary tools that will help them be successful in life, including knowledge of science, technology, arts, engineering and mathematics.

“Our world is moving more towards STEAM-based careers. There is a real need, especially after covid,” Huth said. “STEAM incorporates a lot of problem solving. It also helps kids to build collaboration skills.”

‘People who are enthusiastic’

To make this goal happen, Huth sought out teachers within the distinct whom she knew would be an asset to the program: “People who are enthusiastic, people who enjoy working with their children and who have a love of the STEAM instruction.”

Teachers who instruct all grade levels attend the summertime event to support the children, most of them returning each year.

Melinda Romito is a fifth-grade teacher who instructs language arts and science at Neil Armstrong Middle School. She assisted with the camp in its first three years before taking time to stay home with her children.

Romito did not hesitate to come back as an instructor the past three years, now that her kids are old enough to be involved with the camp.

“It energizes me. The students ideas are so inventive. They think in such creative ways,” Romito said. “I have my thoughts of what I think they’re going to do, and every time they surprise me with a new design or a new idea.”

Kent Wallisch has been with the camp for seven years. He is an art teacher at Bethel Park High School.

Wallisch was excited when Camp Invention started, because he knew it would go beyond just science.

“Every art project overlaps with science,” Wallisch said. “I knew they had to have that art element that inspires that creativity and creative thought.”

He explained that being able to think outside of the box is his favorite part about artwork. Wallisch thinks it’s amazing to be able to work with students at such a young age and foster their thought process.

“Even if they didn’t come in with that kind of creativity and thinking and problem solving,” he said. “By the end of the week, they’re creating amazing pieces of artwork.”

‘You can just enjoy yourself’

Due to the popularity among children for its fun, relaxed learning environment, the camp has students who return each year, even when they outgrow the age level.

Welcoming back older participants, the camp allows for seventh and eighth graders to become leaders in training, and high schoolers become leadership interns.

As an upcoming sophomore at Bethel Park High School, Riley Philage came to camp this summer as he has done every year since he was in first grade. As a leadership intern, he was excited to meet the kids and bond with him. His main hope is that they had fun.

He deemed the week of Camp Invention as the highlight of the summer.

“We’re still in a school setting when you sit at a desk in a classroom with a teacher, except there is no pressure,” Philage said. “You can just enjoy yourself and get to learn freely without being worried about underperforming.”

Along with the “Let’s Glow” module, students participated in:

• “In the Game,” where students built their own game board and sports equipment while learning about sports balls and the science behind their design.

• During “Operation: HydroDrop,” students explored the inside of a robot, created solutions for droughts and floods, and designed water-cleaning solutions

• “Prototyping Studio” allowed for the children to explore the brainstorming behind tools. They designed their own kitchenware, built toolboxes and learned that inventing can happen anywhere with anything.

“I just think in life you’re always going to have challenges, and you’re always going to have to be able to think through those challenges and come up with innovative ways to solve problems,” Romito said. “This camp builds that confidence.”