R-MA Middle School’s Summer Camp Theme: Aviation in America

During the summertime, middle schoolers participating in the annual summer camp at R-MA find themselves immersed in not only a rich educational environment, but also an incredibly fun one.  Each year there is a theme that the activities and enrichment courses are molded around, and this year it is “Aviation in America.”  With Randolph-Macon Academy being an Air Force JROTC school with an independent flight program, there is a uniquely vested interest in aviation, so Summer Camp Director and Middle School Principal, Derrick Leasure, thought the theme was a natural fit.  

The aviation theme is embedded into the curriculum in three of the enrichment courses: history, science, and reading and writing.

 The “History in Action” course will take a hands-on approach to learning about how the United States progressed from the early stages of flight to the recent developments in space exploration. A focus on the lives of aviation pioneers such as the Wright brothers, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhart will be integrated into the coursework. 

In “Science Explorer,” students will discover how early balloons came about, how early aviation inventors solved lift and stabilizing problems, and how modern unmanned flight works. A field trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space museum will help students visualize some of the concepts being taught in the classrooms. In the workshop-style reading and writing course, several genres will be spanned to enjoy pieces focusing on American aviation. Utilizing these literary works, key skills such as reading comprehension and the writing process and practice of creative writing will be refined. 

Campers will walk away with a unique experience and an expanded knowledge of aviation and how it has impacted the way the United States functions, all while having a summer filled with fun.