Mentor Schools offers another summer of creative camps

By Mimi Vanderhaven

Summer vacation signifies a break from school, but it can also mean a time to explore new avenues of learning, from maneuvering a Mars Rover to mastering gourmet cooking skills or even catching a long pass from Chicago Bears QB Mitch Trubisky.

“Our summer camps have grown over the years to meet a variety of interests for our students,” says Kristen Kirby, director of community relations for the Mentor School System.

Taught by certified teachers, or coaches and team players, the camps are offered through the curriculum department, as well as the athletic or music department.

Students who are techies will love Vex Robotics, where they’ll design, build, program and race a VEX robot; Lego Robotics, a chance to build and program a Mindstorm EV3 Robot; and Coding, where they’ll delve into the language of web tools and apps. Creative types will get their chef on at Cooking with Cards, where they’ll hone techniques for preparing recipes; and 3D Design, a camp that focuses on 3D printing, vinyl cutting and laser engraving.

New this year is Woodworking camp. Not only will students discover the intricacies of project layout, power tool usage and assembly, but at the end of the camp, they will have finished a full-size wooden Adirondack chair.

“Cooking with Cards and Coding are our most popular camps, and those are almost full now but can go into a waiting list,” says Kristen.

The camps run throughout the month of June. Registration is now open. Students from third through ninth grade can sign up online. Half-day sessions take place at the Paradigm center, Shore Middle School and Mentor High School, range from four to five days and cost $140 to $200.

“With the athletic camps, a neat aspect is that the older team players spend time mentoring the younger campers,” she says, noting that Mitch Trubisky—who was once a summer camper here, too—will make an appearance at the football camp. To register for the athletic camps, visit MentorAthletics.com.

Visit MentorSchools.net for more information about Mentor Public Schools. The school system educates 7,600 students from pre-K through12th grade in seven elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and one specialized school for students with autism.