PRESS RELEASE:

This week students at Buckingham Elementary School are coding bots, building bridges, studying the phases of the moon and learning about chemical reactions (while they make their own root beer floats). It’s all part of the school’s first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Design Camp.

Sixty-nine students — from incoming kindergarteners to sixth-graders — are taking part in the camp Aug. 14-18. The camp is taught by five Buckingham teachers, with assistance from several instructional coaches and high school students. The camp was offered to all students on a sliding financial scale, so that all Buckingham families could take part in this opportunity.

The camp is a joint effort between Bend-La Pine Schools and the STEM Hub, funded by the High Desert Education Service District’s Innovation Committee.

“Students are having fun while engaging more in the engineering and design process,” said Camp Director and fifth-grade teacher Sydney Murphy.

The camp takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Buckingham Elementary School.

NOTE: Buckingham Elementary School is a STEM focus school. Learn more about the school at www.bend.k12.or.us/buckingham