Kids on Campus Continues to Evolve

Kids on Campus keeps Howard Community College young during the summer months. With a “no stress, no pressure” mantra, expert instructors instill a love of learning through fun and engaging classes. 

This summer, more than 1,400 youths, ranging in age from six to 17, embarked on seven weeks of enrichment, exploration, and adventure at HCC. In fact, Kids on Campus had the highest total enrollment (and unduplicated headcount) of all Maryland community colleges that offered summer youth programming in 2023.

Based on research and customer recommendations, 28 new classes were added in 2023. “Kids on Campus uses faculty, student, and parent evaluations and feedback to make decisions on which new classes to add, and which existing classes to retire or refresh,” said Megan D’Andrade, youth programs manager. “Extensive research is done to ensure we are keeping up with the latest trends.” Wall Street Challenge, a new class, taught students ages 12 and older the power of compound interest. Students even had the opportunity to manage a fictitious $100,000 stock portfolio of their own. Investigations in Thermodynamics, also new this year, explored how thermochemistry and thermophysics are used in everyday life. In Fantasy and Sculpture, artistic tweens and teens explored settings, events, and characters found in the fantasy genre. Engaging in daily case studies, campers in Intro to Anatomy learned the basics of the musculoskeletal system and how the body moves. Nail that Audition fostered budding actors as they developed a monologue, learned memorization tips, and performed on their final day.

Courses with hard-earned reputations as “fan favorites” brought joy to campers once again in 2023. Extreme Special Effects Makeup and Junior Medic returned, along with hit classes taught by HCC faculty members, such as 3D Modeling and Gaming Animation, Baking Basics, and Video Production. “Kids on Campus is a great program for students to try new things without fear of failing,” said D’Andrade. “Our one and two-week half-day programming provides a lens into the subject matter at hand and gives the student the ability to decide if it’s something they wish to pursue more.”

The full 2024 Kids on Campus schedule, complete with class offerings, will be announced in late January on HCC's website. A course catalog will also be mailed to Howard County residents.