Blog June 2021
Message from our Executive Director - Lab Doors Will Open!
We are beyond thrilled to have opened the Children's Science Center Lab to the public on June after 15 months of closure due to the pandemic! Thanks to our member families for helping us test our new operating procedures in early June as we prepare to open to the public for weekend timed-entry sessions on June 19 and campers on weekdays starting June 21. We are continuing to offer virtual camps this summer as well as our "Science On The Go" community outreach program across the region.
While our country embraces a greater sense of normal, we are keenly aware that normal is many months away for our core audience: children under 12 and their families and educators. We are doing everything possible to ensure a fun and safe experience for our guests at the Lab and in the community. Our limited capacity operating plan ensures that families and campers will have plenty of room to spread out and enjoy all the great hands-on experiences. You can learn more about our operating protocols and safeguards here.
Thank you to all of our supporters who have helped us persevere and have made it possible to reopen. We look forward to increasing opportunities and capacity at the Lab as vaccines become available for those of all ages in our community!
Nene Spivy (6/2021)
The Interns are In the House and On the Screen
This month we welcomed our 2021 Summer Interns. We are expanding our internship offerings and are making them part of our larger Youth Development Program. We were overwhelmed by the number and quality of the applicants for the summer and look forward to being able to offer year round youth development opportunities in the future (stay tuned for details as this program within the Children's Science Center grows).
Summer 2021 Details:
- In Person Camp - 9 interns will be supporting our staff with our in person camps.
- Virtual Camp - 8 interns will be supporting our staff with our virtual camps.
- STEM Youth Development - 6 interns will be supporting weekend Lab operations. Theses Interns make up the first cohort for this new program, which was made possible by the donation of a generous partner.
- Commonwealth Cyber Security Initiative (CCI) - 20 students will become the first cohort of our CCI initiative. They will begin their 2 week boot camp on June 21 at the Lab. After that they finish their internship at several partner corporations in the Metro area working on various projects. This program was made possible through a partnership with George Mason University.
In July/August we will be meeting and interviewing members to fill the 2021/2020 Bonner Leader cohort. And we look forward to the return of Josh Lyon and Nimisha Timsina (2020/22021 Bonner Leaders) in August 2021. The Bonner Leaders are students at George Mason University.
Volunteer Highlight - The Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
Volunteer. Lead. Collaborate.
The Youth Advisory Board is a team of innovative, entrepreneurial and passionate high school students from Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. As the 2020/2021 school year ends, we want to thank Co-Chairs, Sarah Ali and Justin Burke, as well as the Vice Chair, Namitha Kappa for their guidance and support. They built a cohesive board where 28 diverse (in thoughts and interests) high school students led and participated in teams, which they oversaw and directed.
The YAB leaders for 2021/2022 are Aadya Nair, a rising senior at South Lakes High School, and Carolin Kiewel, a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), Gitika Gorthi, a rising senior at Chantilly High School, and Maribelle Chu, a rising sophomore at TJHSST. They have already started planning the goals for next year.
In previous blogs we introduced you to the members of the 2020/2021 YAB. We hope you enjoyed reading about each of the high school students that made up this hard working group helping to forward the Children's Science Center's mission and vision through student volunteerism, leadership and collaboration.
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