Fueling statewide growth of GSSM STEM programs and counseling
Each year, the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) extends its academic opportunities to over 10,000 South Carolina students in the 3rd-10th grades for both summer and academic-year programs. This summer, GSSM’s GoSciTech Summer Camps will take place in 17 locations across the state. These Residential, Day, and Virtual camps are for rising 6th-10th graders, with courses that cover numerous STEM topics.
The Residential camp for rising 8th-10th graders is held on the GSSM campus in Hartsville; Day camps for rising 6th-8th graders take place in partnership with all 16 colleges in the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS); and Virtual camps allow motivated rising 6th-10th graders to participate in STEM courses from their homes or wherever they may be. These camps educate over 1,000 students a year, and in the last 15 years, over 12,000 students across all 46 counties in the state have participated. With classes in topics from Pre-Med to Game Design and Genetics to Engineering, students have no shortage of in-depth, high-quality STEM learning opportunities.
During the academic year, GSSM Outreach instructors welcome 3rd-10th grade students to GSSM’s campus or travel to schools across the state to offer hands-on STEM learning experiences through STEM Days at GSSM or STEM Days on the Go. On-campus visits during STEM Days at GSSM challenge students and allow them to explore multiple STEM topics while experiencing GSSM’s unique learning community.
For STEM Days on the Go, the GSSM instructional team provides a one-hour lesson where students explore and participate in an inquiry-driven STEM project at students’ home schools with all materials provided by GSSM. Both versions of STEM Days allow students to explore how scientists think and what they do through hands-on labs that immerse students in life science, physical science, technology, or engineering and help build critical thinking skills.
The 2024-25 academic year marked a milestone in the Outreach Center’s STEM Days, with almost 8,000 students and teachers served across 62 schools in 26 counties. In the 2025-26 school year, the reach of the STEM Days program has grown even further. The Outreach team is poised to educate over 11,000 South Carolina students and teachers at more than 75 schools in 25 counties.
Over the past two years, Power:Ed has donated $100,000 to expand these programs across the state. Starting in 2024, GoSciTech camps were offered at GSSM’s campus and at 10 SCTCS campuses, and in 2025, GSSM held camps at all 16 SCTCS campuses in addition to the residential and virtual camps. Thanks to funding from Power:Ed in 2024, GSSM offers educational workshops for parents at the conclusion of GoSciTech Residential and Day camps in which admissions counselors speak to parents and provide materials on how to prepare their children for high school and college and introduce potential career pathways.
Power:Ed’s partnership in these programs is, in the words of GSSM President Danny Dorsel, “truly transformative. Thanks to Power:Ed's support, GSSM's school year and summer STEM programs provide middle and high school students across the state with hands-on, world-class learning experiences….We look forward to expanding our reach and continuing to provide this meaningful impact.”