UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Some popular Penn State youth camps that moved online or were canceled altogether over the past two years will be back in traditional in-person camp mode this summer.
“We’re excited to be back,” said architecture professor Brian Peterka, who will be running Penn State’s Architecture and Landscape Architecture Camp for high school students from July 24-28. The residential camp was offered online in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
The camp is “very hands-on" and students will benefit greatly from being back in person, Peterka said.
“It’s just a very different experience if you are designing alone in a room over the internet,” he said. “Having the energy of all the people in the room with you in real time is a huge benefit.”
In addition to working on studio projects, campers will go on a field trip to visit Kentuck Knob, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in Fayette County.
Other residential camps coordinated by Penn State Outreach’s Conferences and Institutes that will be in person this summer are the Business Opportunities Summer Session, Weather Camp and Advanced Weather Camp, the S.T.A.T.E. Musical Theatre Summer Program, Broadcast Journalism and Film camps, the Honors Music Institute, and the Creating Opportunities for Young Hospitality Leaders program.
The day camps DNA Camp and Cook Like a Chef will return in person, and Kinesiology Summer Camp — a new day camp for 13- to 18-year-olds — will be offered in July.
Although vaccination against COVID-19 is encouraged, Penn State is not requiring that campers be vaccinated, Conferences and Institutes Director Lindsay Miller said. Youth camps will follow protocols based on COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Camps will follow all Penn State masking policies in place at the time of the camp.
“Kids are excited,” said Miller. “They’ve missed out on these very impactful experiences. This is a positive, refreshing step back toward normal, and we’re excited to host them on campus this summer and give them an opportunity to learn, make new connections, and have fun.”