In Arlington ISD, summer break doesn’t mean taking a break from learning – it means diving into discovery. That’s exactly what students in grades five through eight did this summer at Career Exploration Camp, where curiosity leads the way.
Hosted at the Arlington ISD Dan Dipert Career + Technical Center, Camp Exploration gave students the chance to become engineers, coders, inventors, and scientists – without even realizing they were learning. Because at Career Exploration Camp, everything is hands-on, interactive and, most of all, fun.
Students had the opportunity to explore different career paths including engineering, culinary arts, graphic design, construction, coding, cosmetology, and more. Each day of the weeklong camp brought something new, helping campers discover talents they didn’t know they had and giving them a glimpse into the wide world of possibilities waiting for them in the future.
“Career Exploration Camp is a great experience for students to explore various career paths that they can explore while they are with us in Arlington ISD,” said Sara Mahoney, coordinator of career and technical education. “Students experience 12 different career paths during the week of camp and then can make decisions about which area they want to pursue as they are choosing an endorsement and program of study.”
With support from Arlington ISD’s guidance and counseling department and educators across the district, Career Exploration Camp helped students connect their interests with real career opportunities and created a clearer picture of career and technical education.
Whether building robots, designing circuits, experimenting with chemistry, or coding their own games, students tackled real-world challenges that stretched their imagination and sparked a love for problem-solving.
For Lincoln Mcmillan, an incoming seventh grader at Young Junior High, Career Exploration Camp was the perfect mix of fun and creativity.
“I love crafting,” he said. “I like creating stuff, so my favorite part has been getting to do things that are artsy.”
And he’s not alone. Campers explored everything from building a tricky triangle game to designing a digital pet in a way that felt exciting and fresh.
“There are so many cool things every day,” Lincoln added. “There isn’t a single thing that isn’t fun.”
The experience even got him thinking about the future.
“I would like to try to get into one of these programs in high school,” he said. “I think I am good at it, and I would like to try out other things, too.”
That’s one of the goals of the camp, giving students a glimpse into the many pathways waiting for them in junior high and beyond. It’s about building confidence, sparking new interests, and helping students see themselves in the world of STEM and beyond.
And it’s not just students getting involved. This year, parent engagement played a new and exciting role.
“One exciting aspect this year was how parents have been engaged in this experience,” Mahoney said. “One parent wanted additional information so they could have conversations with their student at the end of each day to help them see what classes we offer that the student could take in Arlington ISD.”
There are many ways to explore the various CTE programs in Arlington ISD. Not sure where to start? Learn more about the opportunities students can take advantage of in high school on the CTE webpage.