Designing a Summer of Fun With Masters of Innovation

9/16/2026

Imagine building catapults to launch water balloons, creating robots that play music or golf, and constructing Rube Goldberg machines and bridge trusses.

It was a summer of discovery, collaboration and hands-on engagement for middle school students at the inaugural sessions of Masters of Innovation camp held in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.

Seventh grader Nzinga Tippitt-Wilhite put her critical thinking and problem-solving skills to the test with STEM activities such as creating high-flying bottle rockets and conducting egg-drop experiments.

“In the first week, my egg broke when I dropped it,” Tippitt-Wilhite explained. “In the second week, instead of using balsa wood and a foam block, I substituted the balsa wood with a paper cup, hot-glued foam bits, and added a plastic bag parachute. Finally, my egg survived!”

Sixth grader Emi Kubo loved “how we were given a problem and found a way to solve it through engineering. One project we worked on was a catapult, which we had to make throw a water balloon as far as possible, which was personally one of my favorites.”

For Jonah Hardy, director of innovation, engineering and computer science, the camp offered students a chance to dive right into what interested them.

“One thing I really liked about the camp format is how different it feels from our classes during the school year,” he said. “Camp was much faster-paced and more exploratory. We can introduce students to a lot of different tools, ideas and challenges and keep that excitement moving from one experience to the next.”

Upper school students assisted as camp counselors during both camp sessions. Senior Sam Barek wanted “to share my love of the IEC with younger students, and help them realize the incredible resources they have available to them as Masters students. Also, as staff, we had to come up with a project that we would be excited to teach to a group. I thought natural coasters would be a fun way to get campers exposed to simple woodshop tasks.”

Well, it worked.

Tippitt-Wilhite discovered a passion for woodworking when she made some coasters for her family. She also enjoyed the team-building aspect: “I worked with a partner most of my time at camp, and I liked sharing ideas and having someone as a thought partner.”

That is just the kind of building that makes Hardy happy. “Of course we want kids building robots, launching rockets, using power tools, designing businesses and solving complex problems,” he said. “But we also want them to leave feeling like they found a place where they belong. That sense of community is something that feels uniquely Masters. I’m incredibly proud of the campers, the counselors and the rest of the staff who helped make the program happen.”