SFIC Sends 14 Students to Summer STEM Camps
The Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children (SFIC) celebrated the 30th anniversary of its annual Space Camp scholarships by sending six students who excel in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to the Advanced Space Academy at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Additionally, for the first time, SFIC sent a separate group of eight students to the summer camp at the Pocono Environmental Education Center in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania.
The 14 scholarship recipients, all of whom attend Archdiocese of Newark Catholic schools, were selected for their programs after submitting their grades, a teacher recommendation, and an essay.
The Space Academy participants enjoyed a week of high-level educational and team-building activities, including assembling and launching rockets, piloting jet aircraft simulators, and completing an extended-duration Mars mission simulation. They also experienced a moonwalk in a one-sixth-gravity chair and a spacecraft tumble in a multi-axis trainer.
Students attending the Pocono Environmental Education Center’s camp explored nature through a range of outdoor activities, including searching for fossils, studying pond ecology, observing wildlife, and playing forest games.
Building skills and confidence for today and tomorrow
“STEM is an essential part of today’s world, and SFIC recognizes the importance of giving students opportunities to explore these fields through hands-on experiences,” said Leidy Guevara, SFIC’s director of scholarship programs. “These camps help students build knowledge, teamwork skills and confidence that will serve them well in whatever career path they choose—on Earth or beyond.”
The Space Academy scholarships are funded by Mark and Kathy Walchak, former archdiocesan parishioners whose daughter once attended the program. Inspired by her experience, they have supported the initiative since 1996, helping send nearly 200 Catholic school students to Huntsville. Many alumni have gone on to STEM careers, including two who joined NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.
The Pocono Environmental Education Center scholarships were funded by donors committed to advancing environmental science education. Following the program’s successful first summer, SFIC plans to send more students to Dingmans Ferry next year.
For more information about the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children, visit www.sficnj.org.
To view more photos of the SFIC students’ STEM camp adventures, CLICK HERE.
Featured image: Scholarship fund students attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, in a program sponsored by SFIC. (Photos by Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children)
