Community Education - Rochester, Minnesota

Summer of Service is a service-learning summer program for youth entering grades 5-12. During each two-week session, students will work in teams to perform service projects in our community, witness the missions of local organizations firsthand, and reflect on how their personal talents can be used in service to others. Fridays are designated for Fun Friday activities where we will celebrate our work! Join SOS for two weeks of fun today! We recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of SOS, and we can't wait to continue our mission: “The main reason to begin a Summer of Service program in our community is to show youth that our community values them and challenges them to contribute through service…This Summer of Service program will give our youth the skills and tools necessary to help our community, at the same time allowing them to develop through a structured program.” -Proposal for SOS in 1997 Full Days of SOS During COVID precautions, Summer of Service was split into half day camp. We are excited to announce that Summer of Service 2024 will be a full day camp! This will give us the potential for bigger projects and more elaborate Fun Fridays. SOS Sessions Session 1: June 17-21, June 24-28. No SOS on June 19 Session 2: July 8-12, July 15-19 Session 3: July 22-26, July 29-August 2 Students are welcome to register for multiple two-week sessions. Similar service projects may be repeated between sessions. Community Partners We are proud to serve non-profit organizations in Rochester and the surrounding area. We take buses to their locations, they teach us about their missions, and we help them with whatever projects they have planned for us. Ten students can get a lot done in just a few hours, and over the course of the summer, multiple teams of SOS students can leave a meaningful impact. These are a few of our partners from recent years: Camp Companion Channel One Family Promise Rochester Habitat for Humanity PossAbilities Seasons Hospice T-Shirts You will see us all over town in our iconic tie-dye t-shirts. Participants must wear an SOS t-shirt each day. One t-shirt is included, and additional t-shirts can be purchased during registration. Returning participants may wear SOS t-shirts from previous years. Drop-off and Pick-up Supervision and building access will not be available for students before and after the program. We kindly ask all parents/guardians to respect these times to ensure the safety and well-being of our students. Drop-Off: 7:30-8:00 AM Students may NOT be dropped off prior to 7:30 AM. Pick-Up: 3:30-4:00 PM All students MUST be picked up promptly. Medications Students must self-carry and self-administer all medications. Keep in Touch Please contact Rochester Community Education with any questions at RochesterCE@rochesterschools.org or 507-328-4000 Ext.1. A parent/guardian handbook will be emailed to all participants prior to each session start date.

Sample lots of different kinds of art in this fun and creative camp. We’ll use paper mâché, clay, canvas, chalk, paint and more to create some fabulous art. Make a colorful paper mâché donut, sculpt some silly snails, learn how to make prints with your own print plate, paint a canvas, and more. Bring a beverage and a nut-free snack. Register early, this camp is sure to fill quickly.

If you love clay this is the camp for you. Learn all about sculpting, color-mixing, and decorative design. This summer, we’ll make 3D clay cupcakes, cool coil pots, airdry clay owls with a bright oil pastel finish, a gentle giraffe, clay faces, and more. We’ll use air dry and model magic clay, unique materials, and clay tools to create our sculptures. Bring a beverage and a nut-free snack.

Design fabulous fashions and things for your room using paint, tissue paper, canvas, clay, yarn, and more. We’ll make a fancy headband, clay pendants, a colorful decoupage bracelet, a funny hat, and paint a colorful canvas for your room. We’ll even learn to weave. Invite your family to a fashion show on the last day to show off your creations. Bring a beverage and nut-free snack every day.

Kids are talented artists! Let’s be inspired by child artists. Learn about young artists who create fantastic artwork. Use watercolor and oil pastels to create a bird inspired by Olivia Bouler and learn about her artistic effort to save birds impacted by the Gulf Coast oil spill. Learn about radial design and create art inspired by a young Brazilian artist and more. Sculpt a colorful fish. Let young artists from around the world inspire your creations! We’ll paint, sculpt with clay, use oil pastels, draw, and make lots of cool creations at this fun camp.

Advantage Educational Programs provide an introduction to the ACT format and strategies for answering questions as well as instruction for the specific subject areas to be tested. This course is designed for students who wish to improve their test-taking skills and overall score on the ACT college entrance exam. This course is intended primarily for students in 10th through 12th grade, however, students in other grades may still register. Focal points of the program include: diagnostic testing, science reasoning, intensive mathematical review, reasoning comprehension improvement, concentration improvement, overcoming test anxiety, and time management. Please bring notebook paper, pencils, calculator, and a small 3-ring binder or folder.

The Online ACT Prep Course is an excellent alternative for any student unable to attend in-person classes or for students who prefer to prepare for the ACT exam at their own desired pace. Pre-recorded slides and videos from Advantage instructors guide students through strategies, techniques, drills, and intensive subject matter reviews that help increase scores on the ACT. Once enrolled, students will be sent an access code for their class via email. This code will allow them to access course material anytime. Students may also repeat this course at no extra charge. Please use your Google email account as the primary email address when registering. Participants will receive more information regarding class access in their course registration confirmation.

Advantage Educational Programs provide an introduction to the ACT format and strategies for answering questions as well as instruction for the specific subject areas to be tested. This course is designed for students who wish to improve their test-taking skills and overall score on the ACT college entrance exam. This course is intended primarily for students in 10th through 12th grade, however, students in other grades may still register. Focal points of the program include: diagnostic testing, science reasoning, intensive mathematical review, reasoning comprehension improvement, concentration improvement, overcoming test anxiety, and time management. This virtual classroom meets one day each week for four weeks and is taught live, via Zoom by an Advantage instructor who provides instruction and interaction with the students. Internet connection and access to a computer or laptop is required. Class recordings are available for students who need to make up a class.

Create your own self-published magazine! Learn about the history of zines, create your own, and make copies to share! This class will be hosted by the Rochester Art Center and local artist and community organizer, Madison Kelly. Madison is a 2016 Mayo High School alumni dedicated to connecting and celebrating LGBTQ+ people through her organization Out Rochester. LGBTQ+ Youth Summer Calendar This is one of many events for LGBTQ+ youth that will be hosted this summer by Rochester Community Education and partnering organizations. Activities are open to all youth entering grades 6-12 who identify as LGBTQ+ or allies. View the Event Calendar How to Participate Youth: Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. If you would like to attend, please use the "Enroll Now" button on this page. This greatly helps us prepare for events. Thank you! Location Rochester Art Center 30 Civic Center Dr SE STE 120, Rochester, MN 55904

ILLUMINATE Camp Invention’s new program, Illuminate, is an inspiring, weeklong summer experience that provides opportunities for open-ended, hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering and more! Campers take on a variety of exhilarating activities each day, have fun collaborating with friends, think creatively and invent their own solutions to real-world challenges. The all-new 2024 program will spark the imagination of both new and returning campers with an adventure full of inspiration, innovation and unforgettable discoveries! During this action-packed, confidence-boosting program, young innovators will: Develop their own sports ball and customize a light-up game with a unique brand and logo as they explore athletics, design and innovation. Discover the science of light through illuminating inventions and fluorescent animals, then build a one-of-a-kind Glow Box using circuitry and ultraviolet light. Embark on an epic global operation to tackle water challenges around the world, learning the role that water plays with the help of a robotic lab-on-wheels. Star as a contestant on a prototyping game show, molding and shaping ideas into awesome inventions using everyday items and a DIY toolbox. Dates: June 17-21 – No Camp 6/19 Location: Gibbs Elementary Time: 8 AM-4PM OR Dates: July 8-12 Location: Willow Creek Time: 8 AM-4PM EXPLORE Camp Invention is an exciting, weeklong summer adventure with lessons that explore connections between science, technology, engineering, and innovation. Children work together to seek solutions to real-world problems and sharpen critical 21st century learning skills while rotating through several fascinating modules. In the Camp Invention EXPLORE program, campers will dive into ocean research with their own robotic fish, develop inventions for space exploration, build a spinning robotic artist and design a mega marble arcade! Each activity is designed to inspire curiosity, stretch imaginations, and give your explorer an epic summer experience. Dates: June 24-27 Location: Gibbs Elementary Time: 8 AM-4PM Registration is ONLY through Camp Invention. You may call 800-968-4332 or visit registration page HERE

This chess camp is for all ages and stages! Rochester CE chess camp is sure to improve your game. Students will learn basic concepts of the game, as well as fundamental concepts such as castling and check. Beginner and advanced strategy will be taught so you can learn how to attack the enemy king! Multiple achievement levels will be sure to challenge everyone, from beginner to expert! Show what you've got by mastering the next level.

We will be working on using our creative skills to beautify Dakota and our community! Students will get to use a variety of different materials and use their collective creativity to create artwork that will be shown in a variety of places throughout the school and the city of Rochester.