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UNC Summer Camps Offer Variety for Youth of All Ages

June 19, 2009

While many kids look forward to a break from school during the summer, many others look forward to advanced learning opportunities available at the University of Northern Colorado’s many residential camps for youth.

UNC’s oldest summer camp for youth is the Frontiers of Science Institute, administered through UNC’s Math and Science Teaching Institute. The camp started its 50th session June 15.

FSI is a six-week residential program for high school sophomores and juniors with a high aptitude and interest in science. By immersing students in learning-for-the-thrill-of-learning hands-on science experiences, FSI helps students identify and explore their interests so they can set and begin to realize their personal, educational and professional goals.

UNC’s newest residential summer camp is the weeklong Las Chicas de Matematicas: UNC Math Camp for Young Women, which had its inaugural session last summer.

During the camp, up to 30 high school students recommended by their math teachers receive an introduction to college-level mathematics and interact with female guest speakers with careers in mathematics-related fields.

UNC’s Center for the Education and Study of the Gifted, Talented, Creative Learners is the oldest program of its type in the Rocky Mountain region and has been providing summer enrichment programming for high-ability learners for 32 years.

The center offers two-week learning sessions in July that are tailored specifically for gifted, talented or creative youth in three different age groups: age 4 through fourth grade (Young Child Program), fifth- through 10th-grade (Summer Enrichment Program) and 11th- and 12-grade Leadership Enrichment Program). Sessions for the two older age groups are residential.

All sessions incorporate stimulating academic experiences and fun social activities developed by UNC’s specialists in gifted education.

Not all of UNC’s summer camps for kids are academically oriented. Camps for up-and-coming jazz musicians and athletes also are offered.

A record 70 students – the majority high school juniors and seniors – will be on campus July 19-24 for the sixth annual UNC Jazz Camp, offered by the School of Music’s Jazz Studies program. Participants study and perform with UNC faculty and special guest artists.

Finally, UNC’s Athletics programs are offering their traditional full slate of summer camps during June and July with coaches and athletes from the football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, soccer and tennis helping youth in a variety of age groups develop their skills.

One of the things the camps all have in common is their commitment to providing a valuable and memorable experience. Another is that they often serve as an excellent recruitment tool.

"Today’s UNC summer camper could very well be tomorrow’s UNC first-year student," said Randall Langston, executive director of admissions and enrollment management. "We don’t have statistical data on how many UNC students’ decisions to come here were influenced by a positive experience at a summer camp, but we hear over and over again that they had such a great experience at a UNC camp when they were younger that they knew UNC would be hard to beat when it came time to pick a college or university."

More Information
- Frontiers of Science Institute
- Math Camp for Young Women
- Summer Enrichment Program
- Jazz Camp
- Sports Camps

- Gary Dutmers

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