A celebration of science and curriculum-based fun with Dennis Reglingís ěThe Magic of Scienceî Wonder Show is slated between 2:30 and 4 p.m. Oct. 23 in the J.C. Carson High School Auditorium in China Grove.
This free family event, sponsored by the Catawba Conservation Camp, celebrates three successful years of the summer camp held at Catawba College for girls from a six-county area.
Catawba Conservation Camp, or C3, began in 2009 with funding provided by a three-year grant from Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Directed by Dr. Cyndi Osterhus and Dr. Joe Poston, members of the Catawba College faculty, the campís goal was to interest rising sixth- and seventh-grade girls in the environmental sciences.
Students from Rowan, Cabarrus, Iredell, Davie, Davidson and Stanly counties participated in the weeklong camp that involved a stay in a campus residence hall and plenty of planned, hands-on activities related to science. Students banded birds, explored lakes and woods, identified and tallied plant life, explored amphibian and aquatic life with frogs, fish and turtles, examined insects and made friends who loved science.
More than 150 girls participated in the Catawba Conservation Camp between 2009 and 2011 and they and their families will be the special guests at the free Oct. 23 event. These former C3 students are asked to wear their camp shirts to the event so they can be recognized. The event is free and open to all families from the six-county area served by the camp.
ěLooking back on the past three years of Catawba Conservation Camp, we are proud to say that so many girls from our area have had their interest in science piqued by this experience,î Osterhus said in a press release. ěWe are currently in the process of seeking funding to continue the camp in 2012 and beyond.î
Osterhus encourages former campers and their families and families from the area to attend the Oct. 23 event and to make it an afternoon of fun. Regling, an educational entertainer, is based in Freeport, Ohio, and his shows are funny, engaging and filled with audience participation, Osterhus said. For more details about Regling, visit his website at www.greatassemblies.com
For more information about the Oct. 23 event, contact the Catawba Conservation Camp office at 704-637-4499.