At the Vermilion Local School District Board of Education meeting on September 9, 2024, Board Member Mark Benson introduced Vermilion Elementary Teacher Heidi Boone, who provided an update on Camp Invention, a popular summer STEM program hosted at Vermilion Elementary School. Boone has led the camp for eight years, fostering creativity and innovation in elementary students through hands-on learning.
Camp Invention, a national program run by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, has reached 2.6 million students since its inception in 1990. The program, designed to inspire problem-solving and collaboration, offers a range of educational experiences focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Each year, Camp Invention brings new curriculum modules that challenge students to think outside the box.
New Curriculum for Summer 2024
This summer, Camp Invention introduced a fresh set of four exciting modules:
- In Control: Students embark on a creative road trip, using technology like GPS to solve various challenges along the way.
- Illusion Workshop: Participants explore optical illusions, learning how they work before creating their own.
- Claw Arcade: Kids build simple machines to create claw mechanisms, developing entrepreneurial skills by marketing their creations to other groups
- Penguin Launch: Children study penguin habitats and climates, then engineer flippers to help a plush penguin navigate from one place to another.
Vermilion’s Record Enrollment and Fundraising Efforts
In 2023, Camp Invention in Vermilion saw its highest enrollment ever, with 133 students participating. The camp’s tuition cost is $275 per camper, which can be a burden for families with multiple children. To reduce the cost, the Vermilion Camp Invention Group initiated a fundraising campaign, benefiting from the National Inventors Hall of Fame’s Donation Match program, which runs from Giving Tuesday (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) through the end of the school year.
Thanks to generous contributions from local businesses, donors, the PTO, and Vermilion Local School District staff, Vermilion was the second-highest fundraiser in the nation last year, bringing in $7,000. The Hall of Fame matched this amount, doubling the total to $14,000. This allowed the camp to lower the tuition from $275 to $100 per student, which significantly boosted enrollment.
Boone expressed her gratitude to all who contributed and confirmed that the donation match program will continue this year. The campaign will begin after Thanksgiving, and the Vermilion Camp Invention Group hopes to break last year’s record and further reduce costs for participants.
For those who wish to support the program, donations can be made before Thanksgiving, but matching will only apply during the official campaign period. Boone encouraged the community to help make Camp Invention accessible to as many students as possible. QR code to donate is above.
.