Girl Scouts of North East Ohio has opened the brand new Vivian von Gruenigen, MD STEM Center of Excellence on the Daley Family Campus for STEM Innovation at Camp Ledgewood in Peninsula.
This 8,000-square-foot STEM Center offers a wide range of program spaces, including a wet lab, tech workshops, outdoor classrooms and an observatory for stargazing. A green roof provides an innovative space for studying alternative energy, while the STEM Center’s commitment to sustainable, nature-inspired design reflects the Girl Scouts’ emphasis on environmental stewardship. Since the introduction of new STEM badges in 2017, Girl Scouts has continually enhanced its offerings, ensuring that girls develop critical skills for careers in STEM that this region needs to thrive.
“This is the only Girl Scout camp in the country located in a national park,” said Jane Christyson, CEO of Girl Scouts of North East Ohio. “That is why the theme of the building is ‘making the world a better place through nature inspired design.’ Visitors will come to understand that nature is the best engineer and inventor, and we know they will be inspired to create their own big ideas using STEM technology, showcased in and around the building.”
The area’s almost 19,000 Girl Scouts will use this facility and will be joined by girls and boys from all over the region when they visit on field trips. More than 100,000 K-5 students live within a 30-minute drive time of this location, whether in the urban core or rural communities.
Camp Ledgewood is open year-round and is located in the village of Peninsula in Summit County, within the boundaries of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The 350-acre camp features low and high ropes courses, zip lines, archery range, hiking trails, amphitheater, observatory, and Lake Loomis for canoeing, kayaking and nature studies. The camp is accredited by the American Camping Association (ACA) and has an average of 3,400 Girl Scout visits each year.