Sydney tentatively packed up for camp; she really wanted to feel included but didn’t want to get her hopes too high. She had been to summer camp previously but came home feeling less than fulfilled. 

As we entered the Howell Nature Center, all our hesitation and worry about potential disappointment disappeared. We were greeted with warm smiles and handshakes. Unsurprisingly, parents of gifted children are likely to have some, if not many, of the same traits that make our own kids so special and unique. As such, both of us almost instantly felt a sense of peace and belonging when we walked into the lodge. The opening meeting with the fellows felt like a gathering of like-minded people. We both wanted to stay for camp ourselves and learn more! We left Sydney with trust that she would grow as a person and find her people.  

When we returned that final day of her first camp, the energy in the closing ceremony was electric. Sydney’s smile and energy glowed through the room. The beautiful echoes of her laughter coupled with an obvious bond with the campers and fellows was heartwarming to witness. It felt collectively, all the staff, fellows, campers, and parents were a family on that day. A few tears were even shed. As we left, the first words Sydney said were “Mom and Dad, I have to come back next year!”  

Over the course of the following year, she continued to grow her spirit and mind along with her intelligence. She became more at peace with herself. The second summer at Yunasa continued this development. She reconnected with old friends and gained new ones. Again, she glowed when we picked her up. By virtue of the transformative impact and breath of fresh air the camp has provided us, we regularly reference positive things along the line of “this has a Yunasa type of feel.”  

Yunasa, and by extension IEA, have become a byword for good people doing good things.  

To close, a quote from Sydney: “To me, Yunasa is a place that is rather difficult to describe. It’s a place which fosters curiosity, companionship, and spirituality in young minds. I feel quite honored to be among that community – at camp, and at heart.” 

Joel and Molly Parker
Yunasa Parents of Sydney 

By Matthew B., Academy Student and Yunasa Camper

Three years ago, my mom brought home a flyer from a school meeting that mentioned IEA and provided their website’s information. I was so excited that I could take a course called Rocket to Calculus with other like-minded students. This experience led me to take more classes at the IEA Academy including: Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Mock Trial. My experiences at IEA helped me realize how much I enjoy learning at an advanced level in a group, so I started a MathCounts team at my elementary school to help others have the same experience.

MathCounts is a national mathematics competition for students in grades 6-8 that is the only one of its kind. Over five hundred chapters are found in all fifty states as well as in several territories of the United States of America. It takes place once a year. The MathCounts competition has three divisions: regional, state, and national. There are four rounds. The sprint round focuses on speed, the target round focuses on solving more challenging problems, and the team round focuses on group problem solving. The countdown round, done in gameshow style, prioritizes individual knowledge. What makes this competition special is that it features a team score and a team round where you are working as a group on math problems in a timed environment.

When I was in sixth grade, I formed a MathCounts team. I started by going around the playground at recess and asking some of my friends and other people who I thought would enjoy being involved. I told them that anyone who wanted to join our team could. Once I found three other people so that our team would have enough members, we went to the principal and asked if we could set up a MathCounts team to represent our school. Our school’s principal said yes, but she wasn’t sure if she could find a place and time where the team could meet at school. I said that was okay; the team could meet at my house. She gave us permission slips and required our guardians to sign them.

We began meeting once a week for one hour at my house. I led the rest of the team, and at first I was the only person who taught them. As the number of members rose and what we learned went beyond what I knew really well, some of the other members helped with teaching things they knew using review and practice materials. We had adults, who were supportive of our group, teach more difficult material. Suddenly our little MathCounts club became a very big deal, which eventually led to our school creating an after-school math competition program for students in grades 4-6. First it was just our members meeting once a week at my house. Soon, parents and siblings became involved, and many of the members wanted to learn and practice more than once a week. We set up additional times where anyone who wanted to learn on that day of the week could come. The entire school became involved in math competitions when other parents and the principal started an intra-school competition called Mathzilla that same year. This experience led me and the other team members to start taking more advanced math courses. Even after we finished the MathCounts competition, our team did not end because we had developed friendships, and we decided to continue the team and do more competitions.

Setting up our team taught me many important things. I learned how to work with a group as a leader, and I had to come up with ways to instruct them. When team members were having a difficult time, I encouraged them by reminding them that just by participating on the team they were being successful because we were working on much harder math problems than most people our age. The team was really more about understanding advanced mathematical concepts than about winning competitions, and every member of our team was in it to learn. I am very glad that I have had this opportunity. Organizing a MathCounts team taught me the value of a community, leadership skills, and that one person can make a difference.

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