Exploration Camps and Classes

Let's Set Sail with Whales and Tales 

Rising first and second graders, join us for a weeklong ocean adventure! Did you know earth is called the blue planet? Or that the blue whale is the largest animal in the world? We will learn about the wonders of sea life through a variety of engaging activities. Young adventurers will dive into literacy in the morning by using their reading, spelling and writing skills. In the afternoon we will have a whale of a time with math games, and our young scientists will use inquiry-based learning for STEM labs. Arts and crafts will be incorporated throughout the entire session!

Grades: 1-2

Dates: July 10 - 14, 2023

Time: 8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. (lunch included)

Class Fee: $450

Instructors: 

Erin Chalifoux, Lower School Resource Teacher/Coordinator, Reading Specialist 

Melissa Houston, Resource Teacher, Reading Specialist

Saba Pina, Junior Kindergarten teacher

Jimmy Tullner, Lower School Grade Three Classroom Teacher

Let's Set Sail with Whales and Tales 

Rising third and fourth graders, join us for a weeklong ocean adventure! Did you know earth is called the blue planet? Or that the blue whale is the largest animal in the world? We will learn about the wonders of sea life through a variety of engaging activities. Young adventurers will dive into literacy in the morning by using their reading, spelling and writing skills. In the afternoon we will have a whale of a time with math games, and our young scientists will use inquiry-based learning for STEM labs. Arts and crafts will be incorporated throughout the entire session!

Grades: 3-4

Dates: July 17 - 21, 2023

Time: 8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. (lunch included)

Cost: $450

Instructors: Kelly Mastin Snead, Lower School Science Teacher

Calling all explorers! Want to know more about your city? Hop on the bus with St. Catherine's geography teacher Amy Blake and discover some of the most interesting places Richmond has to offer. Travel to Church Hill, the "birthplace of Richmond'' to visit Chimborazo Park, walk down cobblestone streets and stand at the very spot that gave our city its name. Walk the trails of the James River at Belle Isle and Pony Pasture, once explored by Captain John Smith in 1607. Be dazzled by artwork at the VMFA and meet the statues standing at Capitol Square. Grab an ice cream treat at Bev's while strolling through historic Carytown and find out firsthand why The Fan is called "The Fan." Each day will help make you an expert on RVA!

Grades: Rising 4-6

Dates: July 5-7 or July 10-14

Time: 8:45-11:45 a.m.

Cost: July 5-7 - $135; July 10-14 - $225

Instructor: Amy Blake, St. Catherine's Global Foundations teacher

Calling all amateur detectives! Come develop new crime investigation skills and learn forensic science techniques like ink chromatography, shoe prints, trace evidence identification and more. Extract DNA and identify the crook based on DNA fingerprints.  Fine-tune your problem-solving and critical thinking ability as you decipher clues and process crime scene evidence. Put your sleuthing expertise to the test to solve mock crimes around campus.  

Grades: Rising grades 4 - 6

Dates: June 26 - 30, 2023

Time:  8:45 - 11:45 a.m

Cost: $225

Instructor: Jennifer Harper, AP Biology and AP Environmental teacher

Codemoji’s Code It program’s mission is simple: Teach students to enjoy all things related to coding and the web while building problem-solving and creative thinking skills. Our teachers deliver clear and entertaining instruction to ensure students have fun while learning complex coding skills using emojis that represent HTML text, which lowers the barriers to new coders and increases their excitement and understanding of computer science. Students build animations, websites and video games; explore multiple coding languages; program robots; create STEM-based projects both on and offline, and are encouraged to share their projects when they get home. Students also work with interactive circuit boards to understand the basics of currents and work with their teacher to build a handful of fun hands-on projects.

Grades: 4-6

Dates: July 17 - 21, 2023

Time: 12:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Cost: $225

Instructor: Codemoji

Codemoji’s unique approach to teaching programming ensures that students have fun while learning basic coding skills applicable to all areas of STEM. Codemoji's staff of local teachers uses our adaptable learning platform to teach students the basics of web development and coding, including  HTML, CSS and Javascript, in a fun and easy way, allowing them to create their own websites, animations and much more.

Imagine and create creatures and characters inspired by your imagination and interests. We will work in 2D and 3D. No experience necessary. No ideas? No worries! Inspiration will be provided and guided. Just bring an open mind and be willing to try.

Grades: 5-7

Dates: July 10-14

Time: 8:45-11:45 a.m.

Cost: $225

Instructor: Pamela Shelor, Middle School Art teacher

Get into nature and dig in the dirt during Flower Power! Take home a handcrafted terrarium, plant a stunning container garden and master the science of composting. Explore the horticultural wonders blooming in St. Catherine's community garden. You'll summarize your learning in a personalized nature "junk journal," recording your observations using collage, notes, stickers and illustrations.

Grades: 4-6

Dates: June 26-30, 2023

Time: 8:45 - 11:45 a.m.

Cost: $225

Instructor: Your teacher is Meredith Henne Baker, a history teacher at St. Catherine's and a recent writer in residence at the Library of Virginia whose area of research was the environmental impact of women's garden clubs.

Want to learn more about how video games work? In Game On, students will take their skills to the next level while learning about coding basics. During the week, students will be introduced to coding languages and how game animations are made while utilizing their new knowledge to create mini-games including “Shark Eats Fish”, “Treasure Hunt” and more!

Grades: 4-8

Dates: July 10 - 14, 2023

Time: 12:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Cost: $225

Instructor: Codemoji

Codemoji’s unique approach to teaching programming ensures that students have fun while learning basic coding skills applicable to all areas of STEM. Codemoji's staff of local teachers uses our adaptable learning platform to teach students the basics of web development and coding, including  HTML, CSS and Javascript, in a fun and easy way, allowing them to create their own websites, animations and much more.

Enter the magical realm of garden fairies. Design and build a whimsical cottage using recycled cardboard, hot glue and tons of natural floral materials and beautiful craft supplies. Decorate the home inside and out including the yard and landscape. Be enchanted by the natural world!

Grades: Rising 4-6

Dates: July 24 - 28

Time: 12:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Cost: $225

Instructor: Ashley Cogbill, Henrico County Art Teacher and long-time Brilliant Summer teacher

Calling all fans of ghosts, mysteries, and dark and stormy nights! This course will explore Richmond author Edgar Allan Poe's life through cemetery and museum visits, poetry readings, and creative writing. Students will work throughout the week to build a personalized "smash book" using old volumes of Poe and artistic flair to capture what they have learned about his life and world. We'll also go on field trips to the Poe Museum and other historical sites.

Grades: 7-10

Dates: July 10-14, 2023

Time: 8:45 - 11:45 a.m.

Cost: $225

Instructor: The instructor is St. Catherine's history teacher and author Meredith Henne Baker, whose work on early 19th century Virginia history has won two national writing awards. Fun fact: Her first book was prefaced by Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells" and explored the life of his actress mother, Eliza.

Join us in the new theatre shop located in St. Catherine’s new Arts & Innovation Center as we learn basic carpentry skills and how to safely use power tools. These are skills needed to create scenic elements and props for theatrical productions, but are also life skills we all need! We will learn how to construct basic “TV flats”, “Broadway flats” and how to prepare those flats to receive paint during the Scenic painting process. We will also learn how to build basic platforms to elevate actors and create a safe platform for performance. If you like using your hands and you like theatre, this is the class for you! Grades: 7-12

Dates: M-F, July 17 - 28

Time:8:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Cost: $450

Instructor: Scott Jones, has worked professionally as a scenic carpenter and scenic painter as well as designing and building his own productions. He is currently St. Catherine’s Technical Theatre teacher for the Arts and Innovation Center. 

Imagine and create creatures and characters inspired by your imagination and interests. We will work in 2D and 3D. No experience necessary. No ideas? No worries! Inspiration will be provided and guided. Just bring an open mind and be willing to try.

Grades: 5-7

Dates: July 10-14

Time: 8:45-11:45 a.m.

Cost: $225

Instructor: Pamela Shelor, Middle School Art teacher

Get into nature and dig in the dirt during Flower Power! Take home a handcrafted terrarium, plant a stunning container garden and master the science of composting. Explore the horticultural wonders blooming in St. Catherine's community garden. You'll summarize your learning in a personalized nature "junk journal," recording your observations using collage, notes, stickers and illustrations.

Grades: 7-10

Dates: June 26-30, 2023

Time: 12:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Cost: $225

Instructor: Your teacher is Meredith Henne Baker, a history teacher at St. Catherine's and a recent writer in residence at the Library of Virginia whose area of research was the environmental impact of women's garden clubs.

 

Stand by your sisters! Heed the rallying cry of women's suffrage advocates and learn about our activist foremothers through powerful original documents, the arts, and the creation of your own zine!. The women's suffrage movement in Virginia is a story of creativity, justice, and grit. This class will include a field trip to the Maggie Walker House and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture where students will interact with primary sources and original artifacts.

Grades: 7-10

Dates: July 5-7, 2023

Time: 8:45 - 11:45 a.m.

Cost: $135

Instructor: Your teacher is Meredith Henne Baker, a history teacher at St. Catherine's and a recent writer in residence at the Library of Virginia. Her area of research was Virginia women’s history and civic action.

Don’t put off what you can do today. Take this course and by the end of the session you will have several drafts that could be used for topics that colleges predictably assign.

Grades: Rising grade 12

Dates: June 12-16, 

Time: 10 a.m.-noon

Cost: $250