Kids return to Saint Vincent College for Challenge Program, 'Galactic Mission'

As the world opens back up, students at Saint Vincent College’s Challenge Program are blasting off into the worlds of space and in-person socialization.

The Challenge Program, a weeklong science- and math-based summer camp, has been in existence for 40 years. After a year off because of the pandemic, program director Kathleen Beining was thrilled to bring students back this week.

“We really broke a lot of hearts last year by not running the program,” Beining said.

She has been program director for 10 years and said she is always looking to “shake things up.”

“We’re trying to do the kinds of things teachers don’t have the luxury to do in school,” Beining said.

This year, the theme was “Galactic Mission.” Subsequently, students were offered a variety of learning opportunities, all centered around the topic of space exploration. Their activities included hands-on classes, outdoor games and visits to Saint Vincent’s planetarium.

During her tenure, Beining has widened the age groups of the program. Originally, it served high schoolers. It now includes pre-K through 12th grade.

Because of covid-19 restrictions, the Challenge team had to cancel its options for older students, who usually take part in an overnight, course-driven week of programming. Instead, it hosted a day camp for first through fourth graders.

Still, Beining is optimistic.

“Things are definitely better than they’ve been,” she said.

But this year has not been without challenges.

Naturally, Beining said, there were concerns about social and the academic skill level of students after a year of virtual schooling. Molly Massimo, a recent alumnus of Saint Vincent College, said the kids were “not used to being out and about,” but many quickly warmed up to the other students and teachers.

Beining said after the first day, she saw the students “coming out of their shells again.”

Massimo is back for her fourth year of teaching at the Challenge Program after having been a student in it for many years. She said the team did their best to fill in the learning gaps that might have widened during online schooling.

“We try to keep the basis of our structure as interactive as possible,” Massimo said.

The Challenge Program should be back in full force next year, with the option for overnight programming for older students, Beining said. They plan for the next installment of the program to take place June 20-24, 2022.