Saturday Academy (SA) was founded 35 years ago with the mission to engage young learners to follow their curiosity in science and technology.
“Back in 1983 it Gail Whitney and Jackie Jackson worked in PPS and they noticed a lot of really bright kids weren’t engaging so they developed a model where students could follow their curiosity with hands-on learning.” – Gail Pyle, former Director of Classes & Camps at Saturday Academy*
In 2010 SA offered our first Talented and Gifted (TAG) Challenge Camp. The camp was designed specifically for students identified as talented and gifted by Portland Public School standards. The goal was to provide an opportunity for like-minded students to meet, explore their interests and discover potential career paths. Students consistently gave the feedback that their favorite part of the camp was that it felt great to be with kids who shared similar interests. They weren’t finding that kind of connection consistently at school.
We have discovered over the past 7 years of TAG Challenge Camp that we are missing really bright kids that have not been identified as TAG due to equity issues or not being a part of the PPS system. This year we decided to make a change to be more inclusive. We are offering 2 challenging and inspiring camps designed for high-achieving students interested in exploring science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and the arts alongside other kids with similar passions.
Academic Summit and Curiosity Challenge are camps for students interested in hands-on, in-depth exploration of STEM subjects. Our hope is to support for those whose curiosity, passion and desire to be challenged intellectually come from themselves, not a test. Not every kid is excited to spend their summer studying Martian Math, Solar Power, Artificial Intelligence or Theater for Change, but some are. If you have the kind of kid that would thrive in this intensive, supportive, fun and exploratory environment, then this is the camp for you!
*Quote from our most recent Discovery Luncheon video