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Current Voices Summer STEAM Camp

Stay tuned for 2026 dates!

For Rising 8th - 10th Graders

Spend a week exploring big ideas about the environment, discovering the Roanoke River, and building your future at Roanoke College! 

Students at the Roanoke River

2025 Academy

What a great way to kick off summer 2025! A group of rising 8th-10th graders attended the Current Voices STEAM Academy and spent a week learning all about the Roanoke River through a variety of academic lenses. With visits to the river to study biology and environmental humanities, classroom sessions on psychology, history, and writing, tours of campus including a photography and media class, a service project, and college readiness conversations, the week was a great blend of learning, connection, and future-planning.

Academy Highlights

✅ Take hands-on classes with Roanoke College professors in Biology, Environmental Studies, English, Anthropology, History, Psychology, and Media/Photography
✅ Visit with local partners like the Western Virginia History Museum and Clean Valley Council
✅ Experience the outdoors with field trips to the Roanoke River and a behind-the-scenes look at Roanoke’s historic Crystal Spring Pump Station
✅ Enjoy daily lunch through Roanoke College’s award-winning Dining Services
✅ Learn the ropes of college with a campus tour, college readiness workshops, and financial aid info sessions
✅ Show what you’ve learned during a Friday afternoon showcase for families and educators

Schedule

Day 1

Session 1: Water Quality with Associate Professor Steve Powers — field trip to Roanoke River

Session 2: Environmental Humanities (Works of Annie Dillard) with Associate Professor Laura Hartman — field trip to Roanoke River

Session 3: The "Stream" of Consciousness: Psychology and the Self with Associate Professor Chris Buchholz

Session 4: Intro to College & Campus Tour with Heather Johnson

Day 2

Session 1: Writing on Place with Associate Professor Cheryl Hopson

Session 2: Environmental Humanities (Round River, Cycles in Nature) with Associate Professor Laura Hartman

Session 3: Historic Waterways of Roanoke with the Western Virginia Museum of History

Session 4: How Water Impacts Our Culture with Professor Leslie Warden

Day 3

Session 1: Aquatic Life with Associate Professor Steve Powers — field trip to Roanoke River

Session 2: River Clean-Up Project with the Clean Valley Council — field trip to Roanoke River

Session 3: Science or Folklore? with Associate Professor Lisa Stoneman

Session 4: Where I'm From (Poetry) with Associate Professor Cheryl Hopson

Day 4

Session 1: Biology & Forensics with Professor DB Poli

Session 2: College Readiness Skills Workshop

Session 3 Water Conversation with the Western Virginia Museum of History and the Crystal Spring Pump Station — field trip

Session 4: Student Showcase Preparation

Day 5

Session 1: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire (Media/Nature Photography) with Natasha Watts

Session 2: Plant Biology with Professor DB Poli

Session 3: Student Showcase Preparation (w/ optional campus tour and financial aid session for parents)

Session 4: Student Showcase

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Contact Us

If you have any questions about the camp, please contact:

Heather Johnson
540-375-2041
hljohnson@roanoke.edu