June 12-16 & July 31- Aug. 4, grades K-5

Tennis pro Mark Haffner has been running a tennis camp at Shady Side for more than seven years. Campers will learn basic fronthand and backhand skills, practice serves, learn game strategy and have a blast with the best kids' tennis coach around!

June 12-16, grades 2-6

SSA varsity basketball coach David Vadnais welcomes all future hoops stars for a week of fun and training. From shooting and ball handling to defense and strategy, coaches and staff will work with kids on fundamental skills and situational game play.

August 7-11, grades K-8

SSA is excited to announce its 2023 SSA Coaches Summer Hockey Camp, led by SSA Boys Prep Hockey Coach and former NHL player Eric Tangradi! Joining him are SSA Girls' Prep Hockey Coaches Pam Lloyd and Kate Binnie. We are excited to announce the addition of Stephen Volek to run off-ice instruction. Current SSA hockey coaches and players will serve as counselors.  

The camp will be exciting and fun as always but more direct and focused on player development for all ages. Kids will develop their skills through power skating, passing, shooting and positional awareness. Camp will conclude with a skills challenge and scrimmage game on Friday. 

To enhance player development,  there will be three different age groups. Each grade-level group (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) will receive two on-ice sessions, hockey-specific off-ice sessions, and lunch. Please note that players may be moved based on skill level as evaluated by the coaching staff. 

Players must provide their own equipment: helmet with full face mask, should pads, elbow pads, hockey gloves, hockey pants, hockey jock, shin pads, skates and a stick.

June 26-29, 9am-12pm, grades 1-6

July 3, 5, 6, 9am-23pm, grades 1-6

July 10-13, 9am-12pm, grades 1-6

Note: this program is not eligible for bussing, before, after care, or in conjunction with any current program. Lunch is not provided.

June 12-16, grades K-5

If you just can't wait to be a star, take the stage with some singing, dancing and acting! Taught by SSA drama staff, students will create a set, make their own costumes, learn some songs and dances, and perform for an audience of friends and family on the last day of the camp.

Summer 2023 Performance:

Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR. follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whomever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats, but the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket, who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka's rules in the factory!

Passport to Mindfulness I, June 12-16, grades K-5

Campers will experientially "travel" to 10 different countries from India to Peru while trying a variety of contemplative practices. Folk tales, art projects, nature walks, yoga, cuisine from different countries and music are just some of the activities involved! This is a truly unique camp combining world cultures, art and fun learning!  Each camp combines a fun blend of mindfulness, crafts, games, songs and even a daily international cooking activity for snack time.

Passport to Mindfulness II, July 31- Aug. 4, grades K-5

Passport to Mindfulness II has the same hybrid of wellness, social engagement, world cultures and contemplative art as Passport I, but explores 10 different countries.  Each camp combines a fun blend of mindfulness, crafts, games, songs and even a daily international cooking activity for snack time.

Aug. 7-11, grades K-5

In this unique camp, students journey inward to work on self-regulation and social-emotional learning as well as outward to play with nature and art. While having fun at the intersection or mindfulness and sustainability, campers will enjoy games, songs, cooking, STEAM experiments and opportunities to take advantage of the special environmental spaces on campus. Each camp combines a fun blend of mindfulness, crafts, games, songs and even a daily international cooking activity for snack time.

July 31- Aug. 4 and Aug. 7-11, grades K-5

This multi-sport camp offers basic guided instruction and semi-competitive play in sports including tennis, soccer, basketball and track & field. Recreational sports such as kickball, dodgeball and volleyball will complement “training” sessions. All campers will get a chance to relax and recuperate in our beautiful indoor pool.

June 12-16 & August 7-11, Grades 1-5

Join us this summer for tons of challenging chess lessons, exciting games and cool prizes! Kids will improve their chess skills, meet new friends and work out their most powerful muscle - the brain! Camp includes fun team chess games (like bughouse), recess time (of course), snacks and lunch, tournaments and puzzles. Each camper will receive а Chess Wizards T-Shirt, trophy and puzzle folder. Unleash your brain power and spend some of your summer break with Chess Wizards!

A brand new offering for our Minecraft enthusiasts! Spend the day in the Glimcher Tech & Design Hub learning all about Minecraft redstone! Using redstone, you can create lights, open doors, and build devices that lift stones, raise bridges, or move water. It all starts with simple building blocks and power sources that you bring together to create the tools you need.

Participate in physical design challenges using basic engineering principles on hands-on activities based on minecraft in our Makerspace! Create physical redstone blocks we will design, 3D print and add magnetic circuits to which you will then be able to take home! This camp is a healthy mix of physical design, prototyping, engineering and playing Minecraft!

June 12-16, grades K-2

Overcome a series of challenges using basic materials, simple machines, tips from famous inventors and most important of all – your mind! Create catapults and forts, build shelters, bridges, and learn about density.  While Thomas Edison said “invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration,” this program is 100% FUN!

July 31-Aug. 4, grades K-2

Dig up the ancient past! Solve real-life mysteries! Kids Learn about archaeology and the techniques scientists use to excavate long lost cities! They discover ancient civilizations and the tools and artifacts they used in everyday life! They also study bone fragments, pottery shards, amber deposits and fossils to understand what they can tell us about history! What’s more, each class includes a make and take-home project, like a fossil reproduction, an amber time capsule and coins from around the world!

August 7-11, grades K-2

Mad About Science is a full-day exploration of the world of energy, physics, chemistry and the environment around us.  From the ocean's depths to the inner workings of a molecule, this hands-on program challenges campers on a quest of discovery. They learn about the process of oxidation, energy conversion, and even the science behind movie effects!

July 31-Aug. 4, grades 3-5

Codemoji’s Code It program’s mission is simple: teach students to enjoy all things related to coding and the web while building problem-solving and creative thinking skills. Our teachers deliver clear and entertaining instruction to ensure students have fun while learning complex coding skills using emojis that represent HTML text, which lowers the barriers to new coders and increases their excitement and understanding of computer science. Students build animations, websites and video games; explore multiple coding languages; program robots; create STEM-based projects both on and offline, and are encouraged to share their projects when they get home. Students also work with interactive circuit boards to understand the basics of currents and work with their teacher to build a handful of fun hands-on projects.

August 7-11, grades 3-5

Is your child already a video game wizard? Let them take their skills and understanding to the next level and design their own games and screen animations! Codemoji's Game On! computer science camp teaches students coding basics and how to bring video game components to life. Students leave class excited to show off their creations to friends and family!

Mad Science of Pittsburgh is a leading science enrichment provider. They deliver unique, hands-on science experiences for children through after-school programs, birthday parties, workshops, special events and summer camps. Their innovative programs are as entertaining as they are educational.

Codemoji's computer science curriculum for schools allows grade 3-5 students to learn the basics of web development and coding, including HTML, CSS and Javascript, in a fun and easy way, allowing them to create their own websites, animations and much more with our unique and adaptable learning platform. Codemoji's unique approach to programming websites ensures the user has fun while learning basic coding skills applicable to all areas of STEM.

Summer Focus on Reading is an elementary language arts class that builds upon and encourages students' love for reading and storytelling at each grade level. Students will seek to address "summer reading loss" through daily reading and written response, which helps significantly with reading comprehension and vocabulary growth. Students read books from Shady Side Academy's summer reading lists and other age-appropriate library selections. The selected books provide opportunities to discuss the literary elements of setting, characters and plot. Students learn to discern a story’s main ideas and to discover literary signposts that point to significant moments within the narrative. Since the focus of each six-week session is on a specific book or readings; writing will be focused on identification of literary elements, signposts, and summaries. These are hands-on courses that meet students at their current level and help prepare them for the challenges of the school year ahead.

Elementary math classes are hands-on, skills-based, engaging courses that meet students at their current level and help prepare them for the challenges of the next school year. Through projects, play, and problem-solving activities, students bolster their math skills and passion for the subject.

We recommend enrolling your child in the course most closely aligned with the math course they will be taking in the 2023-2024 school year.