Due to the success of past programs, Community High School District 218 was asked to double the capacity of this summer’s STEAM camps, now accommodating 60 students each week, according to Larry Langellier, professor of computer science and computer information systems at Moraine Valley Community College.
The camps offer students entering grades 2 through 8 hands-on opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, art and math in a fun, interactive environment.
The program is free to participants and held at Harold L. Richards High School, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn.
“The two biggest benefits students receive from our STEAM classes are for them to see how fun STEAM can be and to also be introduced to a wide variety of applications of these disciplines,” Langellier said. “Students in this age range are forming interests that will become the basis for deciding what courses to take in high school, what major to pursue in college, and what careers interest them. The more exciting experiences they have, the more likely they are to consider careers in STEAM.”
The initiative began in 2017 with a single camp for rising seventh- and eighth-graders. It has since grown into a six-week program offering six distinct camps — one for each rising grade level from second through eighth. Students from feeder elementary and middle schools for Dwight D. Eisenhower, Alan B. Shepard and Harold L. Richards High Schools are invited to participate.
Each camp runs for three consecutive days and includes four hours of instruction per day, totaling 12 hours.
The camps are taught by a team of experienced educators, including Langellier; his daughter, Lexi Langellier; Marwa Abed; and Jenna Abuzerr.
Lexi Langellier, adjunct professor of computer science at Moraine Valley and Ph.D. student in computational mathematics at Northern Illinois University, serves as lead instructor for courses focused on math, technology, engineering and the creative applications of art with STEM.
She said students who return to the camps each year build their skills and confidence while being exposed to concepts beyond those typically covered in regular classrooms. “These students are building confidence and knowledge to prepare them for a future in STEAM,” Lexi said. “I hear students leaving excited each day about the new skills that they just learned, wanting to continue after camp as well.”
Lexi added that early exposure to STEAM topics helps students narrow down interests in fields with growing demand and competitive salaries. “In the classroom at school, they’re building their baseline knowledge in general education, but they don’t always get a chance to see what can come from these disciplines if they stick with it,” she said. “This gives them a chance to get excited early and build an even stronger foundation for when they are ready to transition to these disciplines.”
This summer, Lexi taught cryptography, introducing students to the making and breaking of secret codes. Younger campers learned substitution ciphers, built cipher wheels, practiced Morse code, and created their own secret languages — writing coded thank-you notes for their parents to decipher. Older students explored more complex codes like the Playfair and Vigenère ciphers, encoding their names using each method.
Jenna Abuzerr, a computer science major and co-lead instructor for the technology and engineering portions of the camp, said the program helps students develop both logic and creativity.
“Students benefit by developing stronger logic-based thinking while using their creativity,” she said. “For instance, in Cryptography they use reasoning to crack codes and creativity to design their own. During Lego WeDo Robots, they follow building instructions but also use creative problem solving when programming the robots to move, light up, or make sounds. In the Science class, they not only learn terms and their functions but also get to experiment with colors, mixtures, textures, and observations. These experiences help them balance critical thinking and creative thinking to help students benefit cognitively while staying engaged.”
Joining Langellier, Lexi and Abed — who is a full-time second-grade teacher at Universal School and a first-time STEAM camp instructor — the team provided a wide range of expertise.
Topics covered this summer also included LEGO robotics and engineering, game programming, exploration of states of matter, digital art, and hands-on math and engineering challenges such as bridge building and paper airplanes.
Langellier said the camps aim to spark new interests in a low-pressure, exploratory environment. “If they haven’t already considered a STEAM field as something they would like to do in the future, we hope to trigger that interest for them.”
Now in its eighth year, the District 218 STEAM Camp continues to inspire students while providing early exposure to high-demand, well-paying career paths. Through hands-on learning, problem-solving and creativity, the program gives young learners a strong start toward a future in science and innovation.
