Axel's STEM camp

 National Youth Leadership Forum- Explore STEM!

Axel attended a STEM camp this summer.  He was nominated from his STEM teacher.  STEM = science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  We chose to send him to the camp in Chicago.  It was still really far away but closer then some of the locations.  He went for 5 days and learned college prep and all things STEM.  He was picked to be in the Robotic group but also had a chance to sample other fields as a tester to see what he would like or not.  He told me that he does not like any thing to do with medicine- it was boring.  Or course I thought those classes sounded the most fun.  I think this camp was also about prepping the parents for college.  It was so hard leaving him so far away.  I wanted to call him right after I dropped him off to make he was alright! I limited it to texting in the morning to confirm he was up and then again at night to see how his day was. (you know: are you eating, did you shower, hows the food,etc) He spent his days in classes and working on Robotics.  He  thought it was ok but is alright not going back next year. :) The camp was at Trinity International College in Deerfield Illinois.  It was a super cute private college.  I loved the campus.  His dorm room was shared with 4 boys- 2 beds in each side and a bathroom/shower that they shared.  I though it was a cool set up.  He said it was cold at night and wished he had his pillow.  It as pretty amazing that he was chosen for this opportunity.  I'm hoping he got something out of it and helped him think about what college would be like and what he would want to focus on.  We picked him up, ate some delicious deep dish Chicago pizza and headed home.  I was so happy to have my boy back with me.  I can't explain the camp as well as I should.  I have enclosed some of the emails the teachers set me each day. 

Today, Axel Rapp will start with a Social and Emotional Learning session, where scholars get explicit hands-on instruction in non-cognitive soft skills necessary for high-performance outcomes in life and career. The elements taught include behavioral skills (such interpersonal skills, accountability, critical thinking, flexibility, and adaptability) that are predictive of leadership success. This morning's session will focus on interpersonal communication, flexibility, and adaptability.

Afterwards, Axel Rapp and his fellow scholars will attend an Academy session on the challenges of colonizing Mars.

Axel Rapp will have the incredible opportunity to enjoy a presentation from someone who has been to space themselves, keynote speaker and former astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao. Visit Dr. Leroy Chiao’s bio page to learn more about his amazing outer space exploits.

After a lunch break and a group photo, Axel Rapp will participate in his first Academy session. The Academy sessions provide an introduction to a given subject area. Everyone at the program will explore each subject area at the Academy level.

For Axel Rapp's first Academy session, he will begin his STEM exploration by focusing on Robotics Programming. Axel Rapp will learn the ins and outs of a VEX EDR robot. He will interact with different sensors and practice coding the robot through an iPad.

Following the Academy session and some short rec time, Axel Rapp will take his learnings a step further during his first Robotics Programming Lab. The Lab portion of the curriculum is where the scholars expand and inquire into their chosen field of study by tackling key issues and/or scenarios. The goal of the Robotics Programming Lab is to program a robot that can maneuver the harsh terrain of Mars

Today is going to be another incredible day of growth and exploration! After attending another Social and Emotional Learning session on critical thinking and accountability, Axel Rapp and his peers will tackle their second Galaxy Lab.

This time Axel Rapp will take the challenge one step further in the ideation process and start to develop a prototype.

After the Lab, Axel Rapp will attend his second Academy session, continuing his STEM exploration by focusing on Engineering Design. Axel Rapp will use an iPad Pro and Pencil to become familiar with 3D modeling and the design process.

Part of why I love this program is the fact that the scholars get to delve into STEM fields that they may or may not have thought to have any interest in. The great thing about science is that all the fields are connected and to see the scholars realize the connection is extremely rewarding. Additionally, seeing how they can rely on their peers to further their success in the field that they are passionate about is most fulfilling.

After the Academy session, Axel Rapp's group will continue to develop their prototype and present to their Galaxy Group to use as practice and to help build their presentation skills.

Axel's Robot 

It is going to be another great day at NYLF Explore STEM, as Axel Rapp will gain even more exposure to the other STEM fields.

To start the day, Axel Rapp and his Galaxy Group will go over their FUEL results and begin building goals based off their feedback. The scholars will discuss the PAIRIN Survey, review their reports to learn more about their strengths and reflect on what they will learn about themselves during the PAIRIN session.

The results will help Axel Rapp be able to align outside feedback with personal goals to increase authentic self-awareness. Using his results tomorrow, Axel Rapp will design an action plan—this is a roadmap for social, academic, and career success.

After reviewing his results, Axel Rapp and his Galaxy Group will test their prototype, make a few alterations, and then test some more. This is a key part of the Engineering Design process. During this process, the scholars discover what it's really like to be a scientist. As Bill Gates said, “It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

Following lunch, Axel Rapp will participate in his third Academy session. During the session, Axel Rapp will have the opportunity to explore Medicine by participating in a simulation titled When Care is Hours Away. During the simulation, which was created in collaboration with Stanford Medicine, he will learn about Splints and Slings, Wound Care, and Hemorrhaging, and then put everything he had learned into practice.

After the Academy session, Axel Rapp's group will test and iterate on their prototype, making tweaks to ensure that their project is at the level it needs to be in order to finish up tomorrow.

The Robot group

The week has sure flown by! Today represents the culmination of the hard work that Axel Rapp and his Galaxy Lab group have done. To get the day started, Axel Rapp will use yesterday's assessment results to design an action plan.

Afterwards, Axel Rapp and his fellow scholars will add to their mission to Mars by having the incredible opportunity to enjoy a speech from someone who has been to space themselves, keynote speaker and former astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao. Visit Dr. Leroy Chiao’s bio page to learn more about his amazing outer space exploits.

Later, Axel Rapp and his fellow scholars will gain more insight on STEM careers and the opportunity to ask thought provoking questions to a panel of career professionals. Be sure to ask Axel Rapp what he thought about the panelists and what key questions he got answered, or what questions his peers had answered that he thought were interesting.

Axel Rapp will then attend his final Academy session. During the session, he will conclude his STEM exploration by focusing on Forensic Science. Axel Rapp will learn how to properly document a crime scene and the techniques used to process evidence. He will also analyze blood stain patterns, identify and lift fingerprints, cast shoe prints, and screen for biological evidence. Following the final STEM exploration, Axel Rapp's group will work to finalize their presentation. Then, after dinner, it's time for the big presentations!

hanging out- you can see him in the background :)

The camp sent different pictures through out the week.  It was a fun way to be able to peak in on what he was up to.  Each kid had to follow a dress code- khaki or navy pants or shorts with a white or navy collared shirt.  Axel was not stoked about that part.  

Axel is in the white shirt at the end. 

right in the corner you can see my dude

the astronaut presenter- very cool! 

His main group with the Astronaut

had to have a key to get to the dorms
It was a safe nice set up

of course I made him take pictures by the signs

13 year old boys are quite with their words at times.  I did get him to talk a little over pizza- gotta know the love language :)  He said it was chill and not as hard as he thought.  He was slightly worried that he was going to be surrounded by crazy smart kids but felt like he held his own.  He actually won the Robotic competition/race!  So cool.  He was like ya.. it was alright.    He liked his group and made a couple of new friends from California, Florida and Wisconsin.  They had all kinda of COVID safety in place and he even had to be swabbed with a negative PCR test before attending.  

Axel and his parent's want to thank each family member that helped with the cost of sending him to camp:  Great Grandma Coughlin, Aunt Carol, Uncle Brian and Aunt Dawn and Grandma Ann.  Every bit helped!  It was very thoughtful of you to pitch in. You guys are awesome.