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Ohio Wesleyan Extends Application Deadline for OWjL Summer Camp for Gifted Middle Schoolers

DELAWARE, OHIO – Ohio Wesleyan University is accepting applications through March 15 for its summer OWjL Camp, held in June for talented-and-gifted middle school students from 10 central Ohio counties. The campers take classes in mathematics, logic, computing, science, humanities, and creative development.

Pronounced “owl,” the Ohio Wesleyan/Junior League of Columbus (OWjL) camp expects to host 400 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders for one of three weeklong sessions on the OWU campus from June 11-16, June 18-23, and June 25-June 30. New this year, each week will include pupils from all three grade levels, helping to accommodate all students.

Students selected to attend OWjL camp are nominated by principals, guidance counselors, or teachers from more than 120 middle schools in 10 central Ohio counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway, and Union counties. The students all have earned high test scores on nationally normed tests and demonstrated exceptional talent, creativity, or leadership.

Typically, the OWjL campers choose from more than 50 classes in mathematics, logic, computing, science, humanities, and creative development as they make friends and learn it’s OK to be smart. Examples of previous classes include “Murder in the Chem Lab,” “Design Your Own Home,” and “Hunger Games: Can You Survive?”

The campers are taught by Ohio Wesleyan faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as national board-certified secondary school teachers, teachers of gifted and talented students, and other experts in their fields. They also are mentored by camp counselors including students from Ohio Wesleyan and various other colleges and universities.

Josie Bair, OWjL director, said the camp is perfect for youth who are “open to life-changing learning and social experiences guided by fully invested educators, counselors, and staff.”

She said the written feedback provided by campers each year confirms the value of the residential campus experience. For example, Bair said, a 2022 camper shared: “All of OWjL was special to me. The whole of the camp is unlike anything I’ve experienced before now. Having the classes and night time activities made it something I doubt I’ll forget anytime soon.”

The Ohio Wesleyan/Junior League of Columbus camp was founded in 1981 after a two-year study that determined the region’s gifted and talented middle school students were underserved during the school year and would benefit from programs to promote discovery and foster skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, research, leadership, and communication.

Learn more at owu.edu/owjl or contact the OWjL office at (740) 368-3939 or owjl@owu.edu.

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Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “Best Colleges” lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.