Royster Middle School Mini-mester Course Offerings Spring ’24
Friday, May 31, 8:30 – 12:00
Monday, June 3, 8:15 – 3:15
Tuesday, June 4, 8:15 – 3:15
Wednesday, June 5, 8:15 – 3:15
Thursday, June 6, 8:15 – 11:30*
*Gather in Price at 11:30 for 12:00 dismissal.
5 Days in the Coast Guard
Students will learn about the missions, careers, and educational opportunities available in the U.S. Coast Guard. Plans include getting underway on USCGC SAILFISH, visiting CG Air Station Elizabeth City, touring other local CG units, learning some navigation, and participating in maritime operations. If you are interested in military service, the service academies, law enforcement, navigation, or aviation, this Mini-mester is for you!
The Adventures of Tucker and Moose: How to Write and Illustrate a Children’s Book
Were you concerned for the crayons in The Day the Crayons Quit? Did you want to give the mouse a cookie in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? Did you want to become a pirate after reading How I Became a Pirate?
Enjoy putting words to paper? Interested in art? Want an opportunity to explore writing as a craft?
Come and make your own picture book in this Mini-mester. Explore words and their power, and learn from local writers and experts in the field as you create your own children’s picture book. Unlock your writing potential and see where your words and art can take you!
All Things Italian - Tutte Le Cose Italiane
What comes to mind when you think about Italy?
The Mafia, pizza and pasta, beautiful language, the Roman Empire, Renaissance sculpture and painting? This Mini-mester will get hands-on with Italian archaeology, food, history, culture, and language. In this 5-day course (3 full days; 2 half days), you will get the opportunity to learn how to make Italian foods such as pasta, dig up artifacts in a mock archaeological excavation, learn how to speak a little Italian, and explore Italian history and art through a visit to the Chrysler Museum and in-class sessions while, of course, eating some delicious snacks straight from Italy.
Be a Part of the Art
“Be Part of the Art” will walk students through the process of painting a ‘Wall Mural’ from beginning to end. They will kick off their experience in Virginia Beach at The Garage VB, in The ViBE Creative District, learning about the history of murals and taking a mural tour through the Vibe District. Students will then be guided as they collaborate to develop, design, and sketch a group design. They will learn how to prep supplies and mount their design onto the wall with a projector - using various art mediums - before working together to paint their mural on a wall in Royster. The Workshop will end with the unveiling of a beautiful, meaningful, collective creation!
Breaking Barriers: Women in Sports
In 2020, Kim Ng was named the General Manager of the Miami Marlins – the first woman to hold that position. Even though women comprise nearly 50% of all NCAA college athletes, USA Today reports that they hold only 24% of Athletic Director positions and only 15% at the Division I level. Yet, opportunities abound. Barriers can be broken. Come explore your love of sports while also learning about how women began their careers in sports management, sports communication, and coaching. Discover all that athletics has to offer for women and break down the barriers to careers in the sports industry, just as Kim Ng and Sarah Thomas, the first female collegiate and professional football official, did. This Mini-mester is for those who are interested in exploring their love of sports and learning how women began their careers in sports management, communication, coaching, etc.
Budding Naturalist
Are you a budding naturalist? Do you want to witness the impact of human interaction with our natural community? Come explore nature from multiple perspectives as we partner with Virginia Wesleyan University and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Find the hidden beauty of microscopic anatomy using a real scanning electron microscope, collect samples of arthropods from different habitats, learn about the local wildlife in our waters, catch crabs, and perform water quality tests. If nature is your thing, this is the Mini-mester for you!
Computer Science Discoveries
Problem solving and computing is a highly interactive and collaborative introduction to the field of computer science, as framed within the broader pursuit of solving problems. Students practice using a problem-solving process to address a series of puzzles, challenges, and realworld scenarios. Next, students learn how computers input, output, store, and process information to help humans solve problems. The unit concludes with a project in which students design an application that helps solve a problem of their choosing.
Forensic Detectives
Have you ever been pulled into a book, movie, or show that has you on the edge of your seat waiting for evidence results to find out “who done it”? Do you love wanting to understand the why and how behind evidence collection and analysis? If the answer to either of these questions is “yes”, then Forensic Detectives is the Mini-mester for you! In this five-day experience, you will learn the techniques and practices of forensic science. Along with learning the practices of evidence collection and analysis, you will witness the connection between science, law, and our judicial system. As part of the program, we will be visited by the Norfolk FBI Evidence Response Team to get a first-hand perspective on what they do in our area. Your experience as a Forensic Detective will be enhanced with field trips to The Suffolk Courts, Suffolk Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, and Suffolk CSI Headquarters where we will visit with judges, prosecutors, and crime scene investigators. Don’t miss out on the adventure!
LIVESTRONG
Are you interested in learning more about cancer and how to help those affected by it?
The LIVESTRONG Mini-mester aims to open up the conversation about cancer and how it affects so many of our loved ones. Participants will engage in discussions about cancer and nutrition, volunteer at the Sentara Brock Cancer Center, spend a day at the YMCA to work out and meet counselors at the LIVESTRONG at the Y program, learn how to support non-profit organizations like LIVESTRONG through fundraising efforts, and make delicious cancer-fighting foods. Come and LIVESTRONG with us!
Making Clothes >Buying Clothes
Have you ever had a vision for a particular item of clothing, but you just can’t find it in the stores? What about a piece in your wardrobe that you love but doesn’t quite fit right? Sewing your own clothes is an addicting and satisfying hobby that allows you literally to tailor your clothes to express your identity. In this course you will learn the basics of operating a sewing machine, reading a pattern, and choosing fabrics for specific projects. We will select the fabrics and supplies we need, create our own clothing, and visit the Virginia Stage Company to talk about clothing design, and, at the conclusion of the course, you will have sewn yourself a sweatshirt or a t-shirt using your newly acquired skills.
Not Your Grandmother’s Needlepoint
Creative, relaxing, addictive! Needlepoint, one of the oldest forms of crafting, is new again, and the designs are fresh, fun, and (sometimes) funny! Instead of scenes of cats or flowers, needlepoint canvases include patterns from famous designers (think: Patagonia or Gucci), sights from your favorite vacation spots, or backgrounds to stitch a monogram. Want to make an ornament, a cuff, or a clutch? You will learn how to in NYGN's Mini-mester. You will also master a variety of simple stitch techniques, take a trip to Richmond to select a canvas, hear from an artist who paints needlepoint canvases (an actual career!), and learn how to "finish" a canvas. This class isn't just a week-long experience; it is the beginning of a passion! Watch out: You won't want to stop!
Refurbish and Reuse
Participants in this workshop will learn the basic skills in refurbishing, refinishing, painting, distressing, and decorating wooden furniture. Students will get over the fear of ‘DIY’ and find strength in what they can accomplish themselves! They’ll work with chalkboard paint, use paints and stains to create their own useful artwork and signs, design stenciled inspirational board décor, and create new, usable, pieces by refurbishing old furniture and creating new pieces with refurbished wood.
The Renaissance Person
The definition of a ‘Renaissance Person’ is not just someone from Europe between the 1300s-1500s…it also means a person with many talents and skills that have knowledge in a variety of areas. This course’s aim is to create the 2024 version of a Renaissance person by participating in a variety of activities and exploring many interests. Some of these activities include playing musical instruments, competing in athletic events, creating art, gaming, cooking, and more.
Sea Scouting
Develop new interests and expand your horizons as you turn into a 21st century Renaissance Person!
Over the course of four days, students will be introduced to the world of weather and surf-forecasting. Students will build their tools for assessing coastal conditions to plan a variety of onwater activities! THEN WE PUT OUR TOOLS TO THE TEST FOR REAL.
Students will be asked to aid in planning a day of paddle boarding, surfing, and other coastal activities throughout the week and their input on pre-outing checklist items will be measured against real-time conditions.
Tour de Virginia
We would like to invite you on an exploration of the bicycle through the lens of the history of this invention, the physics of this human powered machine, the rules of road cycling, hands-on bike maintenance, how-to change a tire, and finally, challenge our minds and bodies by cycling a variety of trails and courses in Southeastern Virginia. We plan to ride nearly 70 miles during the Mini-mester. The rides will consist of a 16mile spin on the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail and an epic 51.7-mile adventure on one of the nation’s best biking routes, The Virginia Capital Trail. Because of the activities in this course, participants are required to have appropriate equipment such as a geared road bike or mountain bike with road/slick tires, so leave the beach cruisers at home. If you are interested in learning lifelong skills, willing to push beyond your limits on two wheels, and develop a passion for cycling, please join us and our love of ALL THINGS CYCLING!
Woodworking
“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” St. Francis of Assissi
This is a basic woodworking course for the novice and the more advanced woodworker. This course will study project planning and design, wood and wood products, safe operation of hand and power tools, and joinery techniques. Upon completion of this course, we will donate our projects to a family in need.