BearTrax
The BearTrax program began in 1978, and was initially a one-week day camp held yearly in different areas of the county. It has evolved over the years into an overnight camp, held in Frederick County Maryland, and mentorship designed to enhance relationships between police officers and youth and provides role models that help a child develop socially and emotionally. Mentors help kids learn to understand and communicate their feelings, to relate to their peers, and to develop positive relationships with other adults. Through the BearTrax Camp, mentors will attempt to instill children with a healthy sense of importance and self-confidence. They will be taught communication skills, conflict management and a sense of respect for others. The Camp will reinforce important social lessons, where entertaining activities will be used to focus on topics such as physical fitness, bullying, anger management, first aid, personal safety, gang awareness, peer pressure, cyber safety, team building, character building and community services. School administrators will continue to be the primary source for identifying students who would most benefit from the BearTrax Camp and who are transitioning from elementary school to middle school.
Ladies First
Ladies First is a female-based mentor program open for students’ grades 6th-8th at Lake Elkhorn School. This year our program will focus on 8th graders and will mentor back to 7th graders later in the school year. We regret to inform that no 6th grade students will be accepted to the program this school year. The program focuses on four pillars of success: Academics, Etiquette, Leadership and Health Awareness. The mentors of the program are certified teachers and teacher assistants who have been trained.
Students participate in activities that focus on the following:
In an effort to develop the student’s perspectives and exposure to positive opportunities, the students participate in collegiate visits, professional performances in the arts and other enrichment field trips. The girls review their performance in school, participate in goal setting and self-evaluation activities. In addition, they plan and provide activities and programs for the student body and serve in various capacities in the community.
This year our theme is “Reach Out, Reach Back, and Reach Beyond” which we will focus on giving to others. Meetings and activities are generally held every first, second, and third Wednesay of every month from 3-4pm beginning in October unless otherwise communicated. Every Wednesday, all participants are to model Dress for Success in which is a quality for them to lead not only in dress or attire but in leadership.
M.E.S.A.
In this free after school program middle school students get hands-on engineering experience and working on a team to plan, design, construct, and test ideas to solve STEM problems in different areas. Some of the competitions for this year are: and Arduino controlled prosthetic (robotic) arm, basswood bridge design and testing, hovercraft design and racing, and computer game design and programming using Alice. For more information go to the MD MESA website here: http://www.jhuapl.edu/mesa/home/default.asp
Lake Elkhorn has one of the most winning MESA teams in the start of Maryland. We have multiple individual and state championships, and have represented the state in the national competition in four of the last seven years. Lake Elkhorn was the first and second Maryland school (middle or high) to place in the national completion, taking third in 2011, and second in 2012.
The LEMS MESA team meets on Fridays after school with Mr. Gatz from 2:45-4:00 pm. For more information contact Mr. Gatz at shawn_gatz@hcpss.org