SHREVEPORT – With one full year as LaPrep director under her belt, Dr. Irina Ilioaea said she’s much better prepared as the summer program expands to its traditional two cohorts this year.
Ilioaea forged through her first year of the LaPrep program, a free math and science summer enrichment camp for middle school students at LSUS, and now she’s ready for round two.
She soaked up everything she could from founder Dr. Carlos Spaht, but nothing can substitute for the hands-on experience of operating this vital program for area youth.
“Having been through one full cycle as a director really helps a lot,” said Ilioaea, who brought back the LaPrep program after a one-year hiatus following Spaht’s retirement. “I learned a lot about the program from (Spaht). He stayed as a consultant to help me transition into this position.
“Going through the program is a different experience than just hearing about it.”
Ilioaea’s first summer featured just one cohort because of the hiatus, but that cohort will return for the second year while a second cohort will be added for this year.
The 2023 participants can expect new challenges.
Applications are open for first-year applicants, who must have at least an 80 percent average and are in the sixth or seventh grade. The program runs from May 28 to July 11 with classes and activities each weekday. Applications and program information can be found on the LSUS website.
Applications are due March 8.
LaPrep is offered at no cost to students because of generous sponsors.
The program will continue to offer its core courses like logic, problem solving, and leadership and life skills. Several new courses offered for the first time last summer were big hits.
Immunology and cybersecurity received high marks from students, and Ilioaea hopes to continue to include student and parent input when selecting topics each summer.
Engineering will also be making a return to the program.
“We’re learning continuously from the kids, it’s not only them learning from us,” said Ilioaea, an assistant professor of mathematics at LSUS. “Reviews from our participants and their parents allow us to improve the program.
“They tell us what they want to see more of and what they want to see less of. A lot of kids want to be doctors, so they really enjoyed the immunology class specifically.”
Ilioaea, who taught the logic class last summer, said she had to adjust her teaching style to better fit middle school students.
“I realized that the logic class cannot get too technical, and that I have to make it appealing to our energetic participants,” Ilioaea said. “Kids love competition, and they enjoyed playing games involving the subject matter.
“We are lucky to have young and passionate teachers, and the kids have really benefitted from that. The youth of our staff was certainly a strength of the program.”
Other new classes include technical writing and probability and statistics.
“We’ll have a class I algebraic structures – that’s the sequel to the logic class,” Ilioaea said. “We would like to add more subjects like technical writing, engineering, probability theory and statistics for the second-year participants.
In addition to classes, the campers experience field trips to different local places and guest speakers from a variety of industries.
Ilioaea is gearing up for her second summer, and the only “first” she’ll be encountering is the first year of having two cohorts in the program.
“I’m looking forward to another successful LaPrep summer program.”
