Summer Camps

Ages: Boys and Girls 5 to 14
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (M-F)
Dates and Tuition: Weekly June 20 to July 28
Session 1:  June 20 to June 23 (Week of Juneteenth) - $325
Session 2:  June 26 to June 30- $405
Session 3: July 3 to July 7 (Week of July 4) - $325
Session 4: July 10 to July 14 - $405
Session 5:  July 17 to July 21 - $405
Session 6: July 24 to July 28 - $405

*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee - $25 per camper

Kids will be constantly challenged as they learn to play chess with national chess masters. Chess is gymnastics for the brain, and studying the game is known to show significant improvement in school grades and academic activities.

Directed by National Chess Master Arkadiy Frenkel, young players will be taught strategies and tactics that will help them on the board and in life. Frenkel has more than 30 years of international experience and has taught at chess camps, schools, and programs in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Several of his current students have won state and national tournaments, and the high school teams he coached in 2010 and 2017 placed second in the National Girls Team Championship.

Ages: Boys and Girls 11 to 15
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: June 26 to June 30 - $490

*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee - $25 per camper

A minimum of 8 students and a maximum of 20 students will be admitted.

Are you looking for a fun, hands-on experience this summer? Look no further! During this week-long camp run by McDonogh School STEM teacher Wendy Van Norden, students will design, build, and program VEX IQ robots. Each child will be challenged based on their level of experience, so no prior robotics or coding knowledge is required! Using the engineering design process, campers will be encouraged to solve problems creatively, inventively test and redesign their creations, and effectively collaborate with peers. They will drive their robots through obstacle courses, program them to perform tasks at the push of a button, and use a variety of sensors to manipulate their robot's actions.

The week ends with a final competition that will have campers on their toes and cheering! More advanced coders will have the opportunity to learn JavaScript using CodeHS curriculum; newer coders will focus on block-based programming using Code.org. Time will also be built in for the pool, ropes course, and other fun activities.

Ages: Boys and Girls 8 to 12
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: Weekly June 20 to July 28
Session 1: June 20 to June 23 (Week of Juneteenth) - $430
Session 2: June 26 to June 30- $540
Session 3: July 3 to July 7 (Week of July 4) - $430
Session 4: July 10 to July 14 - $540
Session 5: July 17 to July 21 - $540
Session 6: July 24 to July 28 - $540

*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee - $25 per camper

A minimum of 6 students and a maximum of 15 students will be admitted per session.

Campers use LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT, EV3, LEGO Education SPIKE™ Prime, and BricQ Motion to create innovative and challenging robotic designs. Working in a team or individually, they will use sensors, motors, and a Scratch-based drag-and-drop coding language to program their robots to move, react to sound or light, and make decisions! They will use play to think critically and solve complex problems. New activities are offered each week, and campers who return can build on what they have learned in their previous week(s). Campers are encouraged to document their designs using video techniques available in camp. As we are constantly testing new and innovative robotic equipment, campers may also be exposed to other products designed for STEAM education. 

For more information, please visit our website www.ChildrenPlay2Learn.com. The programs conducted by the McDonogh School are not affiliated, sponsored, or endorsed by LEGO® Education or the LEGO® Group. LEGO®, the LEGO® logo, the Brick, DUPLO®, MINDSTORMS®, SPIKE™, and WeDo™ are trademarks of the LEGO® Group. ©2021 The LEGO® Group.

Ages: Boys and Girls 6 to 9
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..
Dates and Tuition: Weekly June 20 to July 28
Session 1: June 20 to June 23 (Week of Juneteenth) - $430
Session 2: June 26 to June 30- $540
Session 3: July 3 to July 7 (Week of July 4) - $430
Session 4: July 10 to July 14 - $540
Session 5: July 17 to July 21 - $540
Session 6: July 24 to July 28 - $540

*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee - $25 per camper

A minimum of 6 students and a maximum of 15 students will be admitted per session.

Campers will investigate the engineering principles of simple machines, mechanisms, and structures, using LEGO® building materials. They will explore hands-on activities using gears, pulleys, levers, and wheels and axles. This is the camp for LEGO® Lovers! Activities are carefully selected to inspire and stimulate creative-thinking.

Campers will use LEGO® robotic equipment, WeDo™ and LEGO Education SPIKE™ Essential, and exciting child-friendly software as they complete their learning missions. New activities are offered each week, and campers who return can build on what they have learned in their previous week(s). They will document their experience using video techniques available in camp.

For more information, please visit our website www.ChildrenPlay2Learn.com. The programs conducted by the McDonogh School are not affiliated, sponsored, or endorsed by LEGO® Education or the LEGO® Group. LEGO®, the LEGO® logo, the Brick, DUPLO®, MINDSTORMS®, SPIKE™, and WeDo™ are trademarks of the LEGO® Group. ©2021 The LEGO® Group.

Ages: Boys and Girls 8 to 14
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition:
Session 1: June 26 to June 30 - $405
Session 2: July 3 to July 7 - $325 (Week of July 4)
Session 3: July 10 to July 14 - $405

*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee - $25 per camper

Debate is all around us! Whether it's arguing with a friend about the best basketball team, convincing a parent to let you go out with friends, or making an informed vote during an election, we all engage in it. Through fun activities and engaging topics, debaters at this camp will use evidence to substantiate their ideas, analyze and respond to other perspectives, and think critically about ideas presented. Let's Debate! also provides practical strategies for critical reading, text analysis, questioning, and developing well-constructed responses. Through the practice of policy debate, students will become familiar with how to use debate in their real and academic lives.

The Baltimore Urban Debate League will provide this camp experience utilizing knowledge from 16 years of providing debate-based education opportunities to elementary, middle, and high school students. We seek to help students find their voices and use them with power and purpose. Please see budl.org for more information on our programming.

Ages: Boys and Girls 14 to 16
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Dates and Tuition:
Session 1: June 20 to June 23  $360 (Week of Juneteenth)
Session 2: June 26 to June 30  $450

*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee - $25 per camper

This week-long reading enrichment camp is designed to prepare students for 9th- and 10th-grade English courses and is open to students from all local schools. The camp, which combines skill development through a variety of engaging and enjoyable activities, will develop students’

• Reading strategies such as annotating (including work on summer reading assignments)
• Study and organizational skills specific to reading and writing
• Understanding of grammatical structures for improved reading and writing fluency
• Critical thinking skills

The camp will give students a head start in their upper school English journey in a relaxed environment. During the camp, in addition to classroom-based activities, the class will visit many of the beautiful and inspiring areas of the extensive McDonogh grounds. Additionally, each day there will be a physical activity which may include team building on the ropes course, swimming in the aquatic center, fishing in the School's ponds, and dodgeball.

The camp will be offered for two week-long sessions, and students can take either one or both sessions. 

For McDonogh Middle School students only!

Ages: Boys and Girls 11 to 14
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition:
Session 1: July 10  to July 14 (For rising 6th & 7th graders only)- $320
Session 2: July 17 to July 21 (For rising 8th & 9th graders only)- $320

*Transportation and lunch is not available for this program.

McDonogh English teacher Cathy Schorreck will guide students through the elements of essay writing during this one-week course. Students will review and practice the stages of the writing process, including brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revising.

Students will learn strategies that will help them improve the structure, organization, and flow of their writing. They will also receive individual feedback at each stage of the process, and they will be expected to revise their work. Understanding and using rubrics in the planning and revision process will promote stronger proofreading skills. Students will write on word processors and be introduced to different technologies that are available that facilitate writing. For more information, contact Cathy Schorreck at 443-544-7351.

Ages: Rising Grades 6-9; McDonogh School and Mt. Royal Elementary/Middle School Students only
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. 
Dates: June 26 to July 27 (Closed on Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4)
Tuition: All costs covered by grants, donations are accepted

All Middle Grades Partnership programs—designed to stimulate, not remediate—embody these principles:

• Creative, exciting and experienced teachers from public and private schools leading each classroom
• Rigorous and rewarding academic and enrichment activities during 150 hours of summer programming, with a strong focus on building skills in algebra, writing and reading

Students of the Mt. Royal Elementary/Middle School and McDonogh School partnership benefit from the use of McDonogh’s expansive campus. The exceptional teachers of this long-standing partnership balance rigorous academics with thoughtful activities that address the needs of the whole child. Because building relationships is the heart of this partnership, Mt. Royal students know that they are welcomed members of the McDonogh community.

In addition to Middle Grades Partnership’s core focus on algebra, writing, and reading, this partnership engages students in:

• Science
• Social Justice (MGP LEADS: Leadership, Equity, Diversity, Service)
• Arguments 101
• Art
• Cooking

For more information about the Middle Grades Partnership, please visit www.middlegradespartnership.org. For registration or specific information contact Willie Little at willielittle@mcdonogh.org. To learn more about the summer enrichment program, visit our Google Site at https://sites.google.com/mcdonogh.org/mcdmtroyalmgp2023/home.