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Board funds EPIC engineering camp and science camp for migrant students after alumni testimonials
Summary
Trustees approved contracts to send migrant middle-school students to Cal Poly EPIC engineering camps and a five-day conservation science camp; student and alumni speakers described how the programs inspired college aspirations and career pathways.
The Santa Maria Bonita School District board approved contracts to continue and expand migrant-education enrichment opportunities, including the Cal Poly "EPIC" week-long engineering camp for middle-school migrant students and a five-day outdoor science camp operated through the county superintendent.
Presenters described longstanding migrant-program relationships with Cal Poly (more than a decade) that have sent hundreds of students to camps exposing them to robotics, drones, renewable energy systems and college laboratories. Guadalupe Alvarez, a junior-high student who attended the EPIC camp, told trustees the experience "showed me how science and math we learn in school applies to the real world" and that the camp introduced her to many engineering majors.
An alum, Christian Velasco, said the program changed the direction of his life and helped him picture himself in college; he is now attending California State University, Fresno. District staff also asked the board to approve a county-run five-day science camp for roughly 100 migrant students (Camp Keach by the Sea) to provide conservation education, team-building and leadership activities. Student Nelind said the camp made science feel like a possible future and taught teamwork and perseverance.
Both contracts were approved after trustees heard several students and parents describe the programs’ positive impacts. District staff emphasized selection logistics — including parent availability during peak harvest season for migrant families — and described outreach and accounts for student participation.
What’s next: The district will finalize contracts and prepare logistics for summer program dates; staff noted plans to continue inviting alumni to share outcomes at future meetings to document longer-term impacts.
