KIPP Delta launches roller coaster STEM summer program in Helena
Helena families can enroll incoming 7th-12th graders in a June 8-18 roller coaster STEM camp at KDCH, a half-day option built around hands-on learning.
Enrollment flyers have gone home for Thrills & Skills: The Roller Coaster of Learning, a summer enrichment program that KIPP Delta Public Schools is opening to incoming 7th through 12th graders at the KDCH campus in Helena. The district says the program will run June 8-18 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and it is being framed as enrichment, not summer school, with students spending the morning on hands-on STEM work centered on the science and design of roller coasters. The session will end with a field lesson.
For families in Helena and nearby communities, the setup gives students a structured option during the break without feeling like a repeat of the regular classroom year. KIPP Delta, a free, open-enrollment charter network serving pre-K through 12th grade in Helena and Blytheville, has built its model around longer school days and quarterly Saturday school, and the summer program fits that wider approach to keeping students connected to school outside the normal calendar. The Arkansas Department of Education lists KIPP Delta Public Schools as serving four schools, grades P-12, on an alternate school calendar under Superintendent Kevin Smith.
The timing matters in Phillips County, where educational access is uneven and summer opportunities can be limited. The county’s estimated population was 14,255 on July 1, 2025, down from 16,568 in the 2020 census, and 24.9% of residents are under 18, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Census data also show a broadband subscription rate of 79.3%, a number that underscores why an on-campus program with set hours can be useful for local families who need dependable, in-person options close to home.
KIPP Delta’s own school calendar shows the regular year ending May 22, giving students a short break before the June 8 start of the enrichment program. The district’s academic push has been visible in other ways too, from aggressive action after probation and audit concerns in 2024 to KIPP Delta Collegiate High School’s recognition for High Math Growth in the Southeast Region in 2025. In Helena, the roller coaster camp is another sign that the district is trying to keep learning moving forward through the summer, not after it.
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