Summer Program

SMArts Camp | Girls Entering Grades 5-6
June 20-23 (9am-4pm Tuesday-Friday)
Topic: Visual Arts
Price: $300

Explore your creativity by diving into new artistic mediums while making new friends. Spend a week at St. Mary’s Academy exploring and creating using clay, watercolor paint, sculpture, photography, and drawing. We will peruse the collection of the Portland Art Museum and learn more about historic and contemporary artists. Join us for indoor and outdoor art fun; no art experience necessary!

Camp Directors | Julia Grieve and E.K. Metsker, St. Mary’s Academy Art Teachers

Inside the Human Body | Girls Entering Grades 5-6
June 26-30 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Topic: Anatomy
Price: $330

Investigate the wonders of the human body in this fun, interactive camp. A variety of craft projects will help campers identify the components of and understand the relationship between the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. These future scientists and physicians will actively participate in lab experiments, including dissections of cow eyes and pig hearts. Budding anatomists will enjoy a day at OMSI including a lab and an opportunity to explore the science museum. Multiple body systems will be examined so that campers leave with greater scientific knowledge and meaningful ways to care for their own bodies.

Camp Director | Savannah Scott, St. Mary’s Academy Anatomy and Physiology Teacher

Center Stage at SMA | Girls Entering Grades 5-6
July 24-28 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Showcase Performance for Families: July 28 at 10:30am
Topic: Theatre
Price: $330
 
Build confidence and prepare for a future in the spotlight! Campers will gain valuable theatre skills through exercises and games facilitated by St. Mary’s Academy high school mentors. Take advantage of unique adventures in downtown Portland including a trip to local food carts and backstage tours of local theatre venues. This week concludes with a showcase of performances developed by campers. Don’t miss out on the chance to take center stage at St. Mary’s Academy!

Camp Director | Jordan Beck, Guest Theatre Teacher

Camp Brave | Girls Entering Grades 7-8
June 20-23 (9am-4pm Tuesday-Friday)
Topic: DEI & Leadership
Price: $300

Be brave. Be bold. Be YOU! Research shows that girls experience a decline in confidence and willingness to take risks during middle school. Camp Brave works to combat this by celebrating the unique gifts of each camper, strengthening their sense of self, and instilling self-love. DEI Program Specialist Iris Martin brings a multicultural approach to camp activities that encourage girls to explore identity and their role as advocates. Each day of camp includes time for games, movement, and crafts. Campers dive into their own values while giving back to the local community through service work. Join Camp Brave to uncover all that makes you uniquely YOU!

Camp Director | Iris Martin, St. Mary’s Academy DEI Program Specialist

SMArts Camp | Girls Entering Grades 7-8
June 26-30 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Topic: Visual Arts
Price: $330

Explore your creativity by diving into new artistic mediums while making new friends. Spend a week at St. Mary’s Academy exploring and creating using clay, watercolor paint, sculpture, photography, and drawing. We will peruse the collection of the Portland Art Museum and learn more about historic and contemporary artists. Join us for indoor and outdoor art fun; no art experience necessary!

Camp Directors | Julia Grieve and E.K. Metsker, St. Mary’s Academy Art Teachers

Dungeons & Dragons Camp | Girls Entering Grades 7-8
July 10-14 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Topic: Role-Playing Games
Price: $330

Do you have experience with Dungeons and Dragons, or do you want to learn how to play? Well, this camp is for you!  
At its heart, D&D is all about storytelling. From absolute silliness to gritty realism, everything is your decision, from what you look like, to how you act, to what happens next. The game builds stories that you’ll tell again and again ranging from the stuff of legend to absurd incidents that’ll make you laugh years later. You will guide your heroes through quests for treasure, battles with deadly foes, daring rescues, courtly intrigue, and much more. 

Our daily activities include tutorials, character building, actual gameplay, painting mini-figures, raffles for cool supplies, gift dice sets, and more. Have fun and remember the golden rule—never split the party! 

Camp Director | Kirk Ellis, St. Mary’s Academy English Teacher 

The Babysitter’s Club | Girls Entering Grades 7-8
July 10-14 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Topic: Life/Entrepreneurial Skills
Price: $350

Join SMA staff and student leaders for a week of babysitting skill-building and fun! Campers will learn the fundamentals of babysitting from safety and child-development to entrepreneurial and business-skills. There will be a focus on problem-solving, how to navigate new or unfamiliar situations when you’re “in charge,” and practical skills that will serve new and experienced babysitters alike. These leadership skills can easily be transferred into daily life as campers grow in their independence as middle-schoolers and consider future leadership and job opportunities. Included in camp will be a third-party training for campers to earn their babysitting CPR/First Aid training and certification.

Camp Director | Savannah Scott, St. Mary’s Academy Anatomy and Physiology Teacher

Beta Blues Robotics Camp | Girls Entering Grades 7-8
July 17-21 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Topic: STEM/Robotics
Price: $330

Do you want to learn how to make a robot with the largest all-girls First Robotics team in the world? Join the St. Mary’s Academy Beta Blues Robotics Team to learn the ins-and-outs of what it takes to make a fully functioning robot. Senior members of the team will teach you the design process, from designing with CAD to programming and wiring the electrical system for a brand-new robot. Campers will be trained on and use 3D printers, power tools, and a CNC router in SMA’s new fabrication laboratory. Come get a leg up on the future, further the presence of women in STEM, and see how technology can be used to improve the world around us. Parents are invited to see the bot in action on Friday afternoon!

Camp Director | Kevin Frank, St. Mary’s Academy Computer Science & Math Teacher

Upcycled Fashion Camp | Girls Entering Grades 7-8
July 17-21 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Topic: Fashion, Sustainability, Design Thinking
Price: $330

Turn something old into something new and beautiful! Through hands-on design projects, campers will upcycle materials into mixed media collages, sculptures, jewelry, fashion, and more! While learning about slow fashion and clothing sustainability from high school mentors, campers will gain inspiration for reducing their own carbon footprints and raising awareness among their peers. At the end of the week, campers will produce their own fashion show to show their families what they’ve created! By nurturing self-expression, creativity, and true design thinking, this camp is perfect for the budding fashionista, designer, or 3D artist!

Camp Director | Kira Smith ‘14, St. Mary’s Academy Technology and Design Teacher

Science in the Summer | Girls Entering Grades 7-8
July 24-28 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Topic: Science
Price: $330

Girls take a fun, hands-on approach to science at St. Mary’s Academy! A variety of activities will engage campers in the basics of physics, chemistry, and biology including analyzing polymers like the ever-popular slime and delving into forensics and food science. High school students work with campers individually and in teams, encouraging girls to discover their potential as future scientists. Grab your goggles, don your lab coat, and spend a week exploring the science labs of St. Mary’s Academy.

Camp Director | Rachel Sloan, St. Mary’s Academy Science Teacher

Cooking with Confidence | Girls Entering Grades 7-8
July 31-August 4 (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday and Friday 9am-12:30pm)
Party for Families: August 4 at 11:30am
Topic: Cooking/Life Skills
Price: $375

Grab your apron, and join us in the kitchen for a culinary adventure! Young chefs will learn a variety of cooking techniques by preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner, and appetizers. High school mentors empower campers to explore new flavors and grow into confident chefs, and everyone enjoys plenty of food games along the way! The young chefs will host (and fully cater!) a party on the final day of camp. Whether you’ve never boiled water or you’re an aspiring chef, this camp is appropriate for all skill levels but is not recommended for picky eaters, vegans, or those with food allergies.

Camp Director | Kelsey Hui ’10, St. Mary’s Academy Director of Outreach