MOUNT VERNON — Summer is officially here and it feels like there’s nothing for the kids to do, but the Knox County Manufacturing Camp is still on for the summer, though the students will be building projects from the comforts of their own homes.
The camp for this summer will take place completely online the week of July 13 - 17. By utilizing different online platforms, students will be invited to complete projects at home, sent to them in the form of kits, and have the chance to be involved in panel discussions, live video tours and presentations.
“The largest difference with this camp compared to previous ones is that it will take place 100 percent in an online environment,” said Sean McCutcheon, Knox County career navigator.
“Aside from technical difficulties, the biggest challenge we face is simply not being face to face with the students,” he said. “Zoom is a wonderful tool for us to utilize, but any educator will tell you that replacing the advantages of in-person instruction is a nearly impossible task.”
He continued to say they know how important hands-on learning is, which is why the kids will be given a kit of materials for projects to do at home, the same things they would be completing during camp.
“Our kits will include materials for the students to build their daily projects, snacks, information and a few other fun items,” McCutcheon said, adding that they have arranged for volunteers to be available to chat with the students who have questions.
This year’s camp will run with students building their projects in the morning and presentations from representatives in the afternoons. The companies will give live tours, video presentations, interviews with employees about their career paths and anything else in between in the afternoon sessions. The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion with the class.
The camp was originally canceled at the beginning of April due to COVID-19-related concerns but McCutcheon said they reversed the decision to keep up the progress made in the last couple of years.
“(Co-founder) Tanner Salyers did an extraordinary job creating this camp and we wanted to make sure that we did everything we could to continue to grow it,” he said. “Taking a year off would have undone a lot of that work.
“This is an event that we are all extremely excited for. None of it would be possible without our local manufacturers, school districts and volunteers who are graciously donating their time to make this happen.”
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