http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0814-ipsf-summer-20150814,0,3782668.story

To keep the minds of young students active during the summer, Irvine Public Schools Foundation’s 2015 Summer Enrichment Academy held classes including ocean exploration, LEGO engineering and musical theater.

The academy offered 265-plus courses to over 5,500 children in kindergarten through eighth grades.

The classes, held at school sites throughout the Irvine Unified School District during July and August, focused on activities in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, or STEAM subjects.

“We know through countless studies that students who engage in STEAM activities are more likely to thrive in school and gravitate toward the STEAM-related careers of the future,” Foundation President and CEO Neda Eaton said in a statement.

The academy’s Oceans class took students on field trips to Orange County beaches, exposing fifth through eighth grade students to oceanography while also letting them surf the waves.

Other young learners sharpened their acting and vocal skills in musical theater. These courses had students put on productions such as “Annie” and “Grease.”

The foundation has held the Summer Enrichment Academy for 19 years.

Registration is open for the last week of courses running Monday through Friday. Students from all school districts may apply. For more information, visit www.ipsfacademy.org