Summer Camp

The Summer Camp & High School Bridge Program is the centerpiece of the Math Corps and serves students in grades 7-12. During camp middle and high school students come together with college students and mathematicians in a university setting to share in the learning of mathematics. Students learn from older students who serve as role models and they teach younger students who look up to them in the same way. Students receive math instruction in both the basics and advanced topics, while being immersed in an environment of support and achievement.

Most importantly, the Math Corps offers students a vision of the world that begins with the message of “Be Yourself” – as there is greatness within! We build a sense of family and community based on the values of kindness and integrity. Math Corps espouses the power of courage, and asks no less of middle and high school kids than to change the world. As a “lifetime” program, where students return year after year from seventh grade through college, the Math Corps is a social system, complete with its own culture and serving as a force for change in each city we work in.

What A Typical Day Looks Like

1

Before the bell

While each day officially begins at 9:30am, our doors open at 8:30am. Students are warmly greeted, provided with a light breakfast and can participate in any number of optional activities, including playing games such as chess and mancala, reviewing homework with a staff member, or just plain socializing. The high school teaching assistants meet at 9:00am with their college instructors to plan out their team’s day.

2

Assembly

Assembly serves to create an environment in which academic achievement is celebrated and learning is seen to be fun. Everyday, student accomplishments such as perfect homework scores are publicly recognized, with the majority of students being acknowledged on most days and no student going very long without any recognition. Comical skits, musical performances, storytelling, and anything else that our students might find entertaining are all routine parts of what happens in assembly.

3

Team Time

Team Time is designated for the high school teaching assistants to work with their two assigned middle school students. During this time, TAs go over their student’s homework and review other math topics with their students. It’s not unusual to walk into a team time classroom and see different sets of TAs working with their students on a blackboard, sitting at desks working, or even playing math tic-tac-toe. Above all, Team Time is designed to promote bonding among students, wherein big brother/big sister relationships among younger and older students are fostered and flourish. 

4

Courses and Curriculum

Every student in the Math Corps receives formal instruction in both basic Mathematics and in advanced topics. We refer to it as “broccoli and ice cream”. Broccoli being the fundamentals that each student should learn and ice cream covering high-level conceptual mathematics students typically wouldn’t see in schools, aimed to expand their thinking. 

5

Lunch/Family Meal Day

Students are required to bring a lunch or money for lunch every day except Thursday. They have the opportunity to eat at the various campus restaurants and get a feel for what it’s like to be on a college campus. Thursdays are “Family Meal Days” and everyone eats together (usually outdoors) with a free lunch provided by the program. Students and staff get to hang out and simply enjoy a relaxing time together. It’s not unusual for impromptu dance sessions or double dutch games to break out. 

6

Afternoon Activities

Each day, Math Corps participants engage in STEM-related activities in addition to their math classes. These hands-on experiences expose students to real-world applications of mathematics as well as potential career opportunities. Past activities have included: robotics, modular arithmetic and art, magic (card tricks based on math), and much more.