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Upper St. Clair fourth-graders Bailey Wells and Katerina Spanos take part in the Cup Challenge as part of this summer's STEAM Investigates engineering camp.
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S'mores in a solar-powered oven? You bet

S'mores in a solar-powered oven? You bet

S’mores in a solar-powered oven? A Bubble Bonanza show?

Sounds rather unconventional for a school lesson plan but about 70 youngsters in Upper St. Clair learned some grown-up skills doing just that this summer during a STEAM camp (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) that immersed them in science experiments, some of which led them to Kennywood Park.

For 7-year-old Justin Schuster, it was all about working with peers in a group, listening to everyone's opinions, and if something doesn’t work, to keep trying.

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Chase MacDougall said he learned about the engineering and design process, robotics, solar energy and forensics while also picking up some life lessons along the way.

''I liked when we built the marble roller coaster because it gave you frustrations and you had to keep rebuilding,'' said Chase, 10.

The camp, for students in grades K-4, was last month at Baker Elementary School.

Assigned to collaborative teams, the students designed and built coasters with loops, created solar-powered ovens, crafted bubble wands with recyclable materials to perform a Bubble Bonanza show, and explored robotics and coding.

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Justin’s mother, Laura Schuster, said that while he likes engineering, making a solar oven and building a roller coaster sealed the deal.

''He was really excited to go every day, and it gave him a thirst for engineering that a 7-year-old thinks is cool,'' she said.

The camp was made all the more fun for Justin and Chase since their older brothers, Tyler MacDougall, 13, and Derek Schuster, 12, worked as camp counselors.

The first-year camp, which was part of the district's Summer School 2016, was directed by Pam Dillie, a third-grade teacher at Baker and the district’s science curriculum leader, with assistance from elementary teachers and volunteers.

''There are engineering camps across the country. I thought we needed one at Upper St. Clair,'' Ms. Dillie said.

The teachers came up with the theme: “USC's S.T.E.A.M. Team Investigates: Kennywood Park.” And the camp T-shirts were designed by special needs students at SHOP@USC at the high school.

The roller coasters, formed out of foam tubing, involved knowledge of potential and kinetic energy, measuring with a centimeter ruler, and marbles for cars, which frequently fell off the tracks.

''If you're an engineer, developing a new coaster will take years. It's OK to fail and not be right the first time,'' Ms. Dillie said of the message imparted to the students.

They also made s’mores in solar-powered ovens crafted from pizza boxes, and with aluminum foil to reflect the light.

Tina Stutzman said her children, Cooper, 8, and Nora, 6, were so enamored of the solar technology that they cooked hot dogs on their homemade solar ovens at home.

The week concluded with a forensics lesson from Upper St. Clair police Lt. Curt Gallatin on solving the kidnapping of Kenny the Kangaroo.

Other camp highlights included visits by engineers who spoke about their profession; guest speakers on the importance of teamwork; and a behind-the-scenes tour of Kennywood Park to learn its history and discover what makes it tick.

Ms. Schuster said Justin told her about the engineering “mysteries” of the park, such as why the Thunderbolt shakes, and which Racer coaster will win and why.

Ms. MacDougall said her sons talked about their Kennywood visit for days, but not as boys usually do.

''They didn't mind that they didn't ride anything,'' she said.

The camp will return next summer as the young scientists focus on the rivers around PNC Park while also stepping inside to design a cooler uniform for the Pirate Parrot mascot and learning basic computer programming for the scoreboard.

First Published: August 5, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

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Upper St. Clair fourth-graders Bailey Wells and Katerina Spanos take part in the Cup Challenge as part of this summer's STEAM Investigates engineering camp.
Upper St. Clair second-grader Ben Coleman checks the design of a "death-defying" rollercoaster track during STEAM camp.  (Upper St. Clair School District)
Upper St. Clair student Aidan Shaw, a fourth-grader, designed a bubble wand at the engineering camp this summer.
Left to right, Upper St. Clair fourth-grader Mady Miller, center, fifth-grader Chase MacDougall, in orange shirt, and fourth-grader Bryan Deep, in white shirt, learn the science behind bubbles with other youngsters.
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