This past summer, Nine students from Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) were selected to participate in the Virginia Science Technology Engineering and Applied Mathematics (STEAM) Academy’s summer program, Summer STEAM.

Rachel Fields, Nora Korkalo, Ainsley Belak, Julia Carter, Jonathan He, Andrew Strassberger and Erika Wu (from Old Donation School), Charlotte Meader (from Virginia Beach Middle School) and Sarah Killimon (from Plaza Middle School) were all selected from the more than 600 applicants statewide.

According to the Virginia STEAM Academy, the Summer STEAM program is an “intensive, immersive, residential academy” intended to expose students from across the commonwealth to STEAM content through hands-on lessons studying rockets and ships, water conservation, the role of math in sports and robotics. In addition, the students took part in service projects and leadership seminars. While the program is for rising sixth- through eighth-graders in Virginia, rising ninth – through 11th-graders serve as “Summer STEAM Ambassadors” during the week. .

Since beginning in 2013, Summer STEAM has welcomed, approximately 500 students have been accepted and successfully completed the program. For more information about Virginia STEAM or the Summer STEAM program, or to apply for the upcoming session, visit vasteam.org.