CONCORD – The transition to middle school can be a difficult one. Michelle Icard knows this from experience, and is now a speaker, author of “Middle School Makeover” and founder of Athena’s Path and Hero’s Pursuit social leadership programs.
Athena’s Path camps, offered for girls or boys ages 10-12, are led by trained staff and use games, activities and lively discussion to teach girls and boys the tools they need to navigate the middle school social scene and to be leaders in their own lives.
Both camps are offered July 28-Aug. 1, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. More details on these and other enrichment and sports camps can be found at www.campcannon.com.
Camp Cannon offers full-day workshops to help high school students prepare for fall SAT and ACT exams or half-day essay boot camps to get a head start on college applications.
Rising juniors and seniors planning to take the SAT in the fall can choose between two courses: The Princeton Review SAT Prep course the week of June 23 or the Hitchhiker’s Guide to College (HHG2C): SAT Prep the week of July 14. The Princeton Review is a standardized course taught by trained Cannon School faculty, while the HHG2C is an individualized, boutique-style workshop developed by a professor at UNC-Charlotte.
Camp Cannon’s Essay Boot Camp is offered the weeks of June 9 and June 16. Connie Stravrakas, a teacher at Cannon, will prepare rising seniors for college applications by having students use actual prompts from colleges to write essays. Guest speakers from area colleges will also share what schools are looking for.
Class and registration information on Camp Cannon’s college prep offerings can be found at www.campcannon.com.
A new summer camp offers student-musicians the opportunity to find their musical voice by exploring rock and contemporary music through technology, improvisation and collaborative music making.
Youth Rock Orchestra Music Camp is designed for young musicians studying violin, viola, cello or string bass, and is open to rising seventh- through 12th graders with at least one year of experience.
Skilled instructors work with students based on their instrument, and then bring the instruments together to form an orchestra. The camp offers opportunities to learn from experienced alternative style musicians, play challenging rock arrangements, acquire improvisation skills and participate in rock orchestras.
The camp is June 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students must have their own acoustic instruments and can also bring electric bowed instruments.
Science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.) educational camps for students ages 4 to 15 can be found at Camp Cannon this summer. Young campers can choose between a variety of camps focused on animals, nature, building, chemistry and even physics: “Animals Alive,” ages 4-7; “Earth Explorations,” ages 4-6; “Mini Engineering,” ages 5-6; “Push, Pull and Lift,” ages 5-6; “Silly Scientist,” ages 5-6.
Older elementary and younger middle school students have the largest selection of S.T.E.M. related camps to choose from, covering many aspects of science and technology: “Advanced Robotics, Jungle Bot,” ages 8-12; “Can You Dig It: Fossil Hunt,” ages 6-11; “Crazy Chemworks,” ages 6-11; “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” ages 8-12; “Destination Earth,” ages 6-11; “Fizz, Bubble and Goo,” ages 7-10; “Electronics Lab,” ages 7-12; “Incredible Flying Machines,” ages 7-11; “Junior Engineering Challenge,” ages 7-12; “Math CAMMP,” rising first- through sixth-graders; “Outdoor Explorers,” ages 7-10; “Roaring Rockets,” ages 7-11; “Robotics MINDSTORM NXT,” ages 9-11; “Rockets to Roller Coasters: Newton Rules,” ages 7-10; “Science in the Forest,” ages 6-10; “Star Wars®/Space Adventures: LEGO,” ages 7-12; “Water Explorers,” ages 6-10.
Middle school students have several opportunities to learn about science using advanced technology or to learn new computer skills: “3D Printing and Raspberry Pi,” ages 12-15; “Advanced Robotics: Arduino Technology,” ages 12-15; “Photoshop: Intro to Digital Imaging,” ages 10-15; “Robotic Menagerie: LEGO EV3,” ages 11-13; “Web Design Introduction,” ages 10-15; “Video Game and Intermediate Video Game Programming,” ages 10-15.
For more detailed information about Camp Cannon or to register, visit www.campcannon.com. Camps run for seven weeks on the school’s campus, June 9 through Aug. 1, with the exception of the week of June 30.
Campers will have the opportunity to participate in camps offered by new provider Young Engineers of Today, whose camps are designed and run by experienced S.T.E.M. educators and use the newest technology and software. In addition to learning about programming and physical computing with a raspberry pi tiny computer, campers in 3D Printing and Raspberry Pi, for ages 12-15, will use a 3D printer to have their own 3D designs come to life.
In Advanced Robotics – Arduino Technology, for ages 12-15, campers build and keep their own robots while learning about electronics, microcomputers and programming. LEGO EV3-Robotics Menagerie, for ages 11-13, provides the chance to build a variety of robotic animals, including dogs, elephants, serpents and dinosaurs using the new LEGO EV3 System.

There are more than 100 camps offered at Camp Cannon this year, half and full-day camps for children 3-18. Call 704-721-7198 for full information. The sessions are June 9-13, June 16-20, June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18, July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1. Camp Cannon specializes in enrichment camps in the arts, sci-tech, sports and college prep.
Cannon School, at 5801 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, is a private independent junior kindergarten through 12th grade college-preparatory institution.