SR1 summer camp serves 150 Mississippi students with STEM and college prep

SR1’s 14th annual College Preparatory & STEM Academy Summer Camp is underway at Millsaps College in Jackson, reaching more than 150 scholars from Central Mississippi at no cost to families. The program combines hands-on STEM, leadership and college-readiness work as SR1 expands support for students beyond the school year. Why it matters: - SR1 is using summer programming to keep Mississippi students engaged in learning instead of losing academic ground during the break. - The camp is designed to build STEM skills, leadership, college readiness and confidence for students from across Central Mississippi. - SR1 CPSA says the effort helps close learning gaps and strengthen long-term academic outcomes. What happened: - SR1’s 14th Annual College Preparatory & STEM Academy Summer Camp is taking place at Millsaps College in Jackson. - More than 150 scholars from across Central Mississippi are participating. - The camp includes Vanguard scholars from SR1 College Preparatory & STEM Academy, the charter school founded by SR1 Founder and CEO Tamu Green. - The program is fully sponsored and free to families. - The camp is valued at about $2,100 per student. The details: - Students are taking part in hands-on learning meant to strengthen critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and problem-solving. - The curriculum was developed by SR1 STEM Learning Designers Tzu Hsin Huang and Yu-Hsuan Liou. - Weekly themes cover life and health skills, college preparation, cultural arts and literacy, computer science and a STEM capstone challenge. - In the capstone, students develop and pitch solutions to real-world problems. - Camp participants also get access to the SR1 C.O.O.L. Zone, a year-round support network. - The SR1 C.O.O.L. Zone provides academic enrichment, STEM programming, financial literacy workshops, college planning resources and mentorship opportunities. - SR1 CPSA recently posted the highest third-grade reading proficiency rate among Mississippi charter schools, with 88.2% of scholars meeting state reading standards. - That result topped every charter school in the state and exceeded the statewide average by nearly 13 percentage points. Between the lines: - SR1 is pairing school-year academics with summer programming to extend its influence beyond the classroom. - The charter school’s reading results give the camp added credibility as SR1 pushes a broader model built around achievement and enrichment. - The mix of SR1 students and peers from other communities suggests an effort to build shared learning and expand the program’s reach. What’s next: - SR1 says the summer model will continue throughout the camp season with themed instruction and hands-on projects. - Media representatives are invited to visit the camp at Millsaps College. - SR1 CPSA plans to expand to fourth grade in the 2026–2027 school year. - More information about SR1 Summer Camp programs is available at More information . The bottom line: - SR1 is turning summer into a structured academic booster, using STEM, college prep and mentorship to keep Mississippi students moving forward.