By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

Concordia College sent a group of teenagers back out into the world with more knowledge in the fields of math and science.

Concordia College Selma’s Ethics Education Empowerment Initiative celebrated the end of its two week long Carver Science and Math Camp at Wright Auditorium on the Concordia College campus.

Thirty two students from Alabama’s Black Belt region ranging from grades 7-9 came to the campus on July 11 in order to learn more about science and math.

“The camp was designed to be a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) camp,” said William Waheed, project director of the Ethics Education Empowerment Initiative and director of the camp.

“Our children were introduced to hands-on learning to take the philosophy of Dr. George Washington Carver, which is to learn by doing.”

Waheem said the students created model buildings, did chemistry experiments, learned about computer engineering and also public speaking.

“We wanted to introduce our children to academics through performance rather than testing,” Waheem said.

Quelonn Lucious, a student who attended the camp, said he learned a lot and enjoyed the camp experience.

“We learned a lot,” Lucious said. “We learned to depend on ourselves more and not depend on our parents so much, we learned leadership skills, how to take a computer down and how to rebuild it.”

Fellow camp attendee Halei Moss said she also enjoyed the camp.

“I learned about mathematics, engineering and science and how to deal with computer systems and how they work,” Moss said.

Waheem said the students also participated in a community service project.

“They refurbished computers that were out of service, stored in a closet,” Waheem said. “They took those computers in the classroom and learned how to repair them. They also made network cables to give to the Concordia College IT department.”

Concordia College assistant vice president of development, Reverend Dr. McNair Ramsey, said the camp also had another goal.

“The camp is to encourage younger people on lower grade levels to stay in school,” Ramsey said. “That’s basically the gist of it, to bring them to a college setting, to give them experience on a college setting.”

Keynote speaker, State Board Member of District 5 Mrs. Ella B. Bell, who helped fund the camp, echoed Ramsey’s sentiment of encouraging the students to continue their education, telling the camp attendees they must pursue righteousness and excellence if they want to achieve success.