“The idea is to provide an exciting opportunity for kids to rediscover science, to show them that science can in fact be cool,” said camp director Nigel Penney.

Penney, who is working closely with camp coordinator Alex Polkki, hopes this camp will keep kids away from losing interest in school and dropping out.

“My personal objective is to change the life of one kid, who would then want to keep going to school or make science a career,” Penney said. “We have an incredible opportunity to reach out in the community and make a difference, and Alex and I are absolutely dedicated to that whatever it takes,” he said.

But Penney and Polkki are not alone. They have put together a team of second-year Marianopolis science students who will act as camp counsellors. They will also be collaborating closely with McGill University's Let's Talk Science program and WOW Lab.

Campers will take part in a number of activities to introduce them to the worlds of robotics, chemistry, and physics. Penney guarantees this will be an extremely fun learning experience.

“We're dealing with kids where cool matters, so everything we do has to be cool or they're not going to enjoy it,” he said.

Besides exploring science at Marianopolis' state of the art facilities, campers will take part in sports and recreational activities as well as field trips.

Places are still available but Penney advises those interested to register soon, as 70 per cent of the spots have already been filled.

For registration and more information visit marianopolis.edu/sciencecamp or phone 514-937-0265.

Photo: José Alvarez