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!

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
Camp Faculty
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the camp, please contact:
Heather Johnson
540-375-2041
hljohnson@roanoke.edu