Aviation, boating, sailing and horseback riding.

These are just a few of the activities planned for the second annual STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) summer day camp, organized by Beaufort County Police Activities League. This year’s four-week camp began June 13.

BCPAL President Al Powell said his vision for the camp is to encourage students’ aspirations, while also teaching them the importance of succeeding in school, getting along with others and giving them real-world experiences.

“We’ve got the finest mix of kids we’ve ever had at the camp,” Powell said. “What we’re doing is filling in the gaps. … They’re talking to really exceptional people in the civilian and military world.”

The day camp has 16 participants, and to be eligible, the students must meet certain criteria: be of middle school age, have a positive attitude, be interested in boating or aviation activities and be referred by Beaufort County Boys & Girls Club, Washington Housing Authority, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council or a faith-based organization.

Participation is free for the students, thanks to a $161,000 grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Participants come from all walks of life, according to Powell, and this factor is important to the holistic, inclusive nature of the camp.

BCPAL’s approach has also garnered attention from the state’s Aviation Division, and representatives visited the camp this week to see the students in action.

“They’re really impressed with what we’ve been able to do in a Tier 1 county,” Powell said. “They’ve been trying to get down to see us for the past year.”

For the first two weeks of the four-week camp, students will continue to focus on aviation and aerospace activities.

On Wednesday, participants formed teams to build hot air balloons at Washington-Warren Airport and then tested them out. Afterwards, they watched members of Skydive Little Washington skydived from 12,000 feet.

The aviation curriculum also includes visits to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Powell said organizers incorporated different activities into the mix this year, including the skydiving and inflating an 80-foot hot air balloon on Wednesday.

In the coming weeks, camp participants will do more aviation activities, as well as focus on boating, marine ecology and swimming and diving.