CULLMAN, Ala. – In Leanna Smith’s classroom at East Elementary School Tuesday morning, third graders worked in small groups to construct robots tasked with collecting materials from the surface of a makeshift Mars.
“They’re studying the Mars terrain,” said Lindsay Brannon, Cullman City Schools director of academic affairs. “So they are designing and using the engineering process.”
Across the hall, third graders in Savannah Wood’s classroom used cardboard tubes to build marble runs – a lesson in potential and kinetic energy. They made adjustments and re-tested their work as they went.
Marbles in motion and ideas in action! 🌀🧠💡Our STEM campers are diving into the engineering design process—brainstorming, building, testing, and improving their marble runs using limited materials and lots of creativity. #STEMinAction @BOECullmanCity @LindsayBrannon pic.twitter.com/J1ZYThqNEU
— Savannah Wood, NBCT (@EESlibrarymedia) July 15, 2025
The projects are part of a summer STEM camp that gives students who have completed kindergarten through eighth grade a chance to strengthen problem solving, collaboration and communication skills in a hands-on setting.
Gov. Kay Ivey visited the camp Tuesday to spotlight National Summer Learning Week and highlight how districts are helping students stay engaged while school is out.
“Learning doesn’t stop during the summer,” Ivey said. “Learning keeps going, and we want our students to stay abreast of everything and have experiences during the summer that they don’t get during the regular school year.”
Now in its second year, the STEM camp is free to families and funded in part through a state summer and afterschool learning grant, along with partnerships with city government and parks and recreation. The camp runs Monday through Thursday mornings for two weeks and focuses on real-world applications of the skills students learn during the year.
Brannon said STEM lessons help reinforce academic subjects while building the kind of skills students will need in the workforce – especially the ability to think critically and work together.
“If you start at an early age, at kindergarten, and are very strategic about how you introduce those skills, they’ve had 10 years of practice before they go out to the work field,” Brannon said. “So we know that today’s graduates have to be flexible thinkers, use critical thinking. They have to work collaboratively, collaboratively within groups. So STEM education is a vehicle that we use to get those results.”
While districts are required to offer summer reading and math camps, Cullman’s STEM camp is optional – and in high demand.
Also, thanks to @cullmanprimary for hosting Representative Terri Collins and @ALSDEOXL earlier this week. Great things happening in Cullman City Schools! https://t.co/WPEHkQKWgF
— ALSDE Office of Extended Learning (OXL) (@ALSDEOXL) June 25, 2025
Last year, 100 students attended. This summer, enrollment grew by more than 50%, with 155 students participating and another 200 on the waiting list. Students came from Cullman’s city and county schools, as well as private and homeschool families.
“It started with a (federal) Stronger Connections grant that I received,” Brannon said. “We were able to offer STEM camp last year and pay our faculty through that. Then we partnered with Parks and Recreation to provide a field trip and to provide the supplies. Then we opened it up to our community, because we want to be an asset to the community. So private and home school children are able to attend as well.”
This year, Cullman City Schools received one of 72 grants awarded through a $2.9 million earmark in the state education budget for summer and afterschool learning. Lawmakers increased that funding to $17.3 million for fiscal year 2026.
The district does not rely on federal funding for its summer learning programs, so the current freeze and review of some spending is not impacting it.
The district faced a staffing challenge getting the camp up and running last year, Brannon said. Not every teacher wants to spend part of their summer break back in the classroom. But she said eight teachers signed on – including the high school’s computer science teacher who leads the middle grades camp – and nearly all returned this year.
Jeff Norris, who leads the Alabama Department of Education’s Office of Extended Learning, praised the district’s partnerships with local government.
Students need to keep learning over the summer, and partnering with government and community groups like Cullman is doing, is a great way for schools to keep kids learning, Norris said.
“If you have YMCAs or Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs or churches that are willing to partner with you and make it free for kids, that’s a win for everybody,” he said.
Cullman school board member Jason Neal credited Superintendent Kyle Kalhoff, appointed in 2021, with helping strengthen those community relationships. Kalhoff, in turn, pointed to Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, for emphasizing early on that local officials should work together.
“As soon as I got here, (Gudger) said in order for us to do what needs to be done, we all need to be on the same page,” Kalhoff said.
Those relationships were evident Tuesday, as all city council and school board members attended the visit alongside students and staff.
Camp Director Courtney Waters said one of the best parts of STEM camp is how few discipline problems arise.
“It just takes the power of active engagement,” Brannon added.