June 01, 2012

Media Advisory -- Summer Camps June 2-16

Reporters, photographers and news crews looking for fun summer activity stories will find numerous opportunities at summer camps hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale in coming weeks.

The Division of Continuing Education coordinates the majority of the camps while Touch of Nature Environmental Center and athletics handle others.  The 2012 summer camp schedule for June 2-16, along with a brief description of each camp, opportune times to get stories, and contact information includes:

•  Saluki Volleyball Junior High All-Skills Clinic, June 2, Davies Gymnasium.  This one-day clinic for players entering grades 6-9 provides volleyball fundamental skills instruction through fun drill work and challenging games.  Media are welcome from 2 to 4 p.m.  To learn more, contact the Saluki Volleyball office at 618/453-5476 or email salukivbcamps@athletics.siu.edu.

•  Kid Architecture, June 4-8, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Quigley Hall, Room 133.  This is the 24th year for the award-winning camp where children in grades 4-6 learn about architecture and design via hands-on activities.  Media can visit the camp at 1 p.m. on June 5 in the parking lot at the corner of Washington and Mill streets as, weather permitting, campers will create cast concrete designs.  They will be on a field trip to St. Louis June 8 and unavailable to media.  To learn more, contact Jon Davey at 618/559-8931 or 618/453-3734.

•  Robotics and Flight Camp, June 4-8, Engineering Building and outdoors.  With a major emphasis on robotics, engineering and engineering technology, campers will perform electronic experiments, use flight simulators, and apply their knowledge and engineering principles as they operate radio-controlled aircraft.  Media are welcome, weather permitting, for outdoor flights each morning from 9:30 to 11 in the soccer/rugby field behind Lot 52 or to see campers working in the various labs and classrooms in the afternoons between 1 and 3 p.m.  They will be in the Engineering Building in rooms D30, D102, D108 or D122.  For additional information, contact David Williams or David Allabastro at 618/536-3396. 

•  LEAD SI Institute, June 6-8, various locations on campus, predominately at the Student Center.  This is a youth engagement program to involve participants in peer networking and help them learn leadership and community development skills.  Each year a new class of incoming high school juniors and seniors gets the opportunity to attend as future leaders, participating in a full curriculum that University professionals developed to enhance the teens’ communication, problem-solving, team building and decision making skills.  They’ll also network with leaders from the business, government, education and health care sectors.  Good opportunities for media include a barbecue at Saluki Stadium at 5:30 p.m. on June 6; a panel of leaders at 9 a.m. on June 7 in Ballroom C at the Student Center, and a dessert reception at 7:30 that evening featuring community leaders and information about Connect SI in the Old Main Lounge at the Student Center.  For additional information contact Kathy Lively at 618/998-0970, ext. 237 (email KathyLively@mantracon.org) or Katherine Sermersheim at 618/453-5714 (email sermersh@siu.edu).

•  Cooperative Youth Camp, June 7-8.  This conference educates high school juniors and seniors about cooperatives and the seven principles of cooperatives through field trips, hands-on activities, presentations by cooperative employees and more.  To arrange a media visit, contact Michelle Sullivan at 618/453-3080 or by emailing sully@siu.edu.

•  Saluki Volleyball Offense Clinic, June 9, Davies Gymnasium.  Players entering grades 6-12 will participate in this specialty clinic for setters and hitters where they will learn specific offense techniques including attacking techniques, footwork, developing hitter shots and setters will learn tempo, set location and setting techniques.  Media are welcome 2-4 p.m.  For details, contact the Saluki Volleyball Office at 618/453-5476 or email salukivbcamps@athletics.siu.edu.

•  Saluki Tennis Camp I, June 10-13, at the tennis courts.  This is a commuter/residential camp for students entering grades 3-12 with those in fifth grade and older able to participate in the residential camp.  Each day features six hours of tennis technique work including proper stroke mechanics, point and match play for singles and doubles, learning strategy, stroke analysis and footwork.  There are also classroom sessions focusing on mental toughness, good tennis nutrition and more and residential campers will participate in evening activities.   The camp provides awards and T-shirts for campers.  Audra Nothwehr, head women’s tennis coach, and members of the men’s and women’s Saluki tennis team will provide instruction.  For more information contact Nothwehr at 618/453-5462 or by emailing nothwehr@athletics.siu.edu.

•  Camp Little Giant begins its summer camp season for children and adults with disabilities during this time period with two different camp sessions.  Camp Olympia I is June 10-15 while Camp Olympia II is June 10-22.  Both are for adults 21 and older with high care needs, low mobility or using a wheelchair.  The camps provide those with varying disabilities a true summer camp experience at Touch of Nature Environmental Center, a facility about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road.  The best time for media to visit is around 9:30 Tuesday through Thursday mornings at Freeberg Dining Hall.  Media are welcome up until 11:30 a.m. but if not on site by 9:30 a.m. should contact the camp for arrangements.  For more information or to arrange a media visit, contact Vicki Lang at 618/453-1122, ext. 231 or by emailing vickil@siu.edu.

•  Girls in Engineering and Science Day Camp, June 11-13, College of Engineering.  Girls entering grades 6-8 will learn about engineering and science through hands-on experiments, demonstrations and conversations with faculty and students engaging the young women to become the next generation of engineers and scientists.  Media are welcome to visit the camps around 10 a.m. on June 11 at the prairie field near the Center for Environmental Health and Safety or in the afternoon for design challenges in the E.T. Simonds Lounge at the College of Engineering; or on June 12 at the lounge in the morning or the field in the afternoon, and on June 13 in the afternoon at the lounge.  For more information, contact Lizette Chevalier at 618/453-7749 or by emailing cheval@engr.siu.edu.

•  Saluki Baseball Camp, June 11-14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Abe Martin Field.  Baseball players between the ages of 7 and 13 will learn proper fundamentals of hitting, bunting, base running, defense and pitching from SIU coaching staff and players and will participate in supervised game activities.  Lunch will be around noon but media are welcome on the field at other times for the camp.  For details, contact Ken Henderson, head baseball coach, at 618/453-3794 (email hendu@siu.edu).

•  Beginning Engineering LEGO Camp, June 11-15, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Quigley Hall.  Children in grades 1-2 will learn about engineering and architecture creating assorted LEGO projects including pulleys, gears, motors and electronic sensors.  For more information, contact Jon Davey at 618/559-8931 or 618/453-3734. 

•  Advanced Engineering LEGOs, June 11-15, 1-4:30 p.m., Quigley Hall, Children in grade three and older will learn about engineering and architecture through advanced LEGO projects creating a variety of motorized projects and much more with a focus on renewable energy resources.  For details, contact Jon Davey at 618/559-8931 or 618/453-3734.

• Eco U, June 11-15, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at Touch of Nature Environmental Center.  This is the first in a series of four consecutive experiential nature camps during summer 2012.  The camps include canoe excursions on Little Grassy Lake.  Animal Adventures allows children entering grades 2-7 to enjoy hands-on learning about animals.  Touch of Nature is about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road.  For more information or to set up a media visit, call 618/453-1122, ext. 250, or email kate4h@siu.edu.

 •  Saluki Volleyball Defense Clinic, June 16, Davies Gymnasium.  Players entering grades 6-12 will attend this specialty clinic geared toward improving ball control skills and individual defense.  Back row players will work on serve receive and defense techniques while front row players will study blocking and defense. Media are welcome 2-4 p.m.  For more information, call the Saluki Volleyball Office at 618/453-5476 or email salukivbcamps@athletics.siu.edu.