SMARTS Camp welcomed the Math and Science Academy class of 2025 to Ocean Lakes on August 17.

The acronym SMARTS stands for Seaborg, Mendeleev, Ahlfors, Rosenbaum, Thorne, and Somerville, all famous scientists. The camp introduces new students to the Math and Science Academy with the help of teachers and older students in the academy. 

“SMARTS Camp gives the freshmen a snapshot of the next four years as members of the Math and Science Academy,” said Lisa Anderson, chair of the mathematics department and lead sponsor of the camp. “The MSA freshmen, guided by MSA juniors and seniors, rotated through five sessions each designed to address specific topics.”

The camp was different from previous years due to changes caused by COVID-19.

“The camp is usually a two-day event; however, this year we were limited to a one-day camp,” said Anderson. “Additionally, instead of focusing on math and science related sessions, we decided to focus on activities that would better serve the MSA freshmen in getting acclimated to high school especially after some were totally virtual last school year.”

Some of these changes may be applied to the camp in the future, and there was positive feedback from the freshmen despite the changes and restrictions.

“It is my hope that the rising MSA freshmen learned about the OLHS school and campus, the expectations of the Academy, study skills and personal organization, and building relationships,” said Anderson.