Get ready for a summer of curiosity and connection!  Our summer camp offers gifted students the opportunity to dive into highly enriched activities alongside a community of intellectual peers.

Every course is thoughtfully designed and led by expert gifted-trained teachers, ensuring your child is both challenged and inspired in an environment where learning feels like an adventure.  It's more than a camp - it's a place for bright minds to SHINE together!

Who Can Join:

Gifted Students: Open to both DVUSD and non-DVUSD students.                                                                                                                                Siblings: Brothers and sisters of gifted attendees are also welcome.

Registration Details:

DVUSD Students: We will automatically verify your scores after enrollment.                                                                                                                             Non-DVUSD Students: Please email your gifted qualifying scores (Psychologist's report or CogAT) to giftedservices@dvusd.org for  approval before registering.

COURSES OFFERED:

POSTERS FROM THE PARKS! (Grades 1-3) Step back in time to the golden age of travel! In this immersive art and ecology lab, campers become National Park illustrators. Following the iconic WPA style of the 1930s, students will dive into the geography, flora, and fauna of America’s most beautiful landscapes, and create their own vintage travel posters.

MINI IMAGINEERS: DESIGN-A-RIDE LAB! (Grades 1-3)  Step into the role of a theme park imagineer! Students will design and build their own model rides while exploring motion, force, and creative storytelling. From roller coasters to spinning adventures, campers will combine engineering and imagination to create attractions that thrill guests and solve fun design challenges.

TRAILBLAZERS: PARKS EDITION! (Grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-8)  Grab your passport and get ready to explore! In this fun-filled camp, students will “travel” to amazing parks through creative crafts and exciting games. Each day features park-inspired art projects, team challenges, and outdoor-themed activities that build teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills.                                                                                             

PARADE DESIGN EXPERIENCE (Grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-8) Step into the magic behind theme park parades! Campers explore the history of parades—especially in theme parks—and discover how storytelling, design, animation, and engineering bring them to life. Students research iconic parades, then design and create their own float or parade attraction, ending the week with a spectacular showcase of imagination and creativity.

PASSPORT STOP: CHINA! (Grades 4-6, 7-8)  Travel to China without leaving camp! In this exciting adventure, campers will explore traditional Chinese games and activities: test your skills with the Chopstick Challenge, master the Chinese Yo-Yo (Diabolo), and try your footwork with Shuttlecock Kicking. Fun, laughter, and friendly competition await as you earn your stamp on this leg of your ‘Passport to the Parks’ journey!

BUILD YOUR OWN THEME PARK! (Grades 4-6, 7-8)  Spend a week designing the theme park of your dreams—centered on your interests, stories, and the things that make you unique. Students plan themed lands, sketch ride concepts, and create a scaled model of their park using recycled and craft materials.

ART IN THE THEME PARK! (Grades 4-6, 7-8) Through the practice of design and creation, students will examine the importance of the visual realm in theme parks. They will explore numerous visual elements including ride design, food presentation, characters, and more.

DIY LIVE SHOW! (Grades 4-6, 7-8) Students are tasked to create a live show and put it on for a specifically themed park. Students can choose their own groups and will complete research to find what a strong show idea would be (think Disney-style), work in small groups to create scripts, and rehearse.

RIDE-TO-REEL CHALLENGE (Grades 4-6, 7-8)  Create your own fictional theme park, design an original attraction, and invent a signature mascot guests will love. Next, produce a 30–60 second animated commercial trailer that builds excitement and sells the magic.  The week ends with our Theme Park Premiere Showcase, where you’ll pitch your park like a real creative entrepreneur.
It’s Shark Tank meets Pixar meets Imagineering.

HIDDEN STORIES FROM THE AMUSEMENT PARK!  (Grades 4-6, 7-8)  Step into the role of environmental storytellers. In world-class theme parks, every detail — buildings, colors, music, pathways, props, even trash cans — helps tell a story. In this design-focused course, students explore how physical spaces communicate meaning without using words.

BUILD-A-BOT THEME PARK! (Grades 4-6, 7-8) Get ready to combine creativity and robotics!  Using LEGOs and 6th grade robots, campers will construct an entire amusement park full of rides, games, and excitement.

The adventure doesn't stop here - more to come.....

Breakfast and lunch included. Questions? Please email giftedservices@dvusd.org.

**Our classes like to keep learning new moves, so the course rotation may occasionally change. Teachers are hired based on student registrations to ensure we have the right instructors for each class. Because staffing is arranged according to enrollment, refunds are not available.**