turn•key:
adjective;
of or involving the provision of a complete product or service that is ready for immediate use
SARATOGA, CA – Not long ago, in his role at
Spring Education Group (SEG), Senior Director
of Camp and Ancillary Programs (now Vice
President) Nathan Horton was tasked with
planning, scouting, and assembling the suite
of 2021 summer camp curriculum and activity
offerings that SEG would make available to
the private school institutions in its network.
A fun prospect – but not one that Horton
could take lightly.
“Summer vacation is the longest vacation
kids have each year, and they want to enjoy
every moment of the time,” said Horton, who
now serves as SEG vice president. “Our program
encourages campers to challenge themselves
through hands-on, multisensory projects,
activities where kids can enjoy new things and
experience fun activities each and every day.”
But student experience and lofty
educational ambitions were not the only
considerations lending his curriculum choices
gravity. With approximately 200 schools in
19 states spanning early childhood education
and K-12, the diversity of needs that must be
met is a bit staggering.
And, for summer 2021, the timetables were
tight – teachers had only three days between
the last day of school and the first day of
summer school. That didn’t leave a lot of time
for training, setup, and troubleshooting. Not
to mention that all of the puzzle pieces had to
be brought together in a time of widespread
supply chain issues.
There are many quality curriculum offerings
in the education marketplace, but not every
content provider has the industry experience
and passion for customer support to meet
these demands.
PULLING IT TOGETHER
When the dust settled, 15 schools in the SEG
network had implemented STEM PBL Units from
Pitsco Education. Built to meet the PBLWorks
Gold Standard, these challenge-based units
inspire creativity, critical thinking, and social
engagement among students. At its core,
every STEM PBL Unit is built around a hands-on
activity such as air-powered racing, balsa bridge
engineering, or robot design and construction.
“What I can say about PBL units is that
they are truly turnkey,” said Horton. “We are
constantly looking for a bundle package that
has curriculum, training, all the supplies, and
the students get unique experiences. And
that is truly what the Pitsco kits deliver.”
SEG’s typical practice is to have
summer school curriculum and activity
materials in the hands of teachers no later
than March. This gives them a chance to
review it before official training begins.
Widespread shortages did complicate
matters overall this year, but Horton
reported a positive experience with
Pitsco’s timeliness and commitment to
working through any challenges.
“Pitsco did a great job of working with us
to get the programs in a timely manner.”
PULLING IT OFF
The behind-the-scenes logistics don’t count
for much if the camp experience doesn’t shine.
“We truly want to be that summer camp,
that destination of choice within our
community. And the Pitsco kits really gave us
that consistency and quality of programming.”
Whether students were firing rockets, flying
drones, or working with straw structures, SEG’s
emphasis is on delivering educational thrills
and creating powerful memories.
Pitsco also provided marketing materials to
educate parents about what their children will
experience in the STEM PBL Units. This gives
parents peace of mind and is a time-saver for
teachers as well. But, the most compelling
publicity for parents came after their children
were already enrolled and participating in the
camp courses. “We get a lot of comments on
the quality of what students create and bring
home,” said Horton.
The fact that so many of the STEM PBL Units
include a take-home piece is actually a huge
selling point for SEG. At home with parents,
the completed hands-on projects can lead to
meaningful discussions with parents that keep
the learning going. And, like a trophy won in
a sports competition, a completed project is
a point of pride for kids and preserves
the experience.
Outcomes like these assure the community
of SEG’s care and commitment, not to
mention keeping interest in its summer camps
high for next year.
“With Pitsco, we could walk the talk because
we knew we had a quality program.”
SEG’S STEM COURSE OFFERINGS
Spring Education Group’s summer enrichment program made available
to students a broad range of activities from sports to academics to
performing arts. Its STEM offering was largely built around Pitsco STEM
PBL Units. The units were flexible in implementation, so teachers could
adjust times as needed to match class schedules.
Check out this list of awesome STEM electives SEG offered to students:
- AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN AND TESTING
Pitsco Fold-N-Roll Racers and Air-Powered Bottle Racers
- ROCKETRY
Pitsco Air-Powered Rocketry and Water-Powered Rocketry
- ROBOTICS
Pitsco TETRIX® PRIME Robotics
- ENGINEERING STRUCTURES
Pitsco Straw Structures, Large Structures, and Balsa Bridge
Building packages
- AVIATION
Pitsco Tello EDU Drone and Drone Zone
And of course, the value of the PBL STEM Units is not limited to summer
school. After replenishing consumables, the units make a great addition to
courses in the regular school year as well!