Madison Palladino just wrapped up her second summer as a counselor at Hill Top Summer Adventures camp. She joined the staff in 2021, excited for the opportunity to work with children with learning differences.
Maddy is entering her senior year at University of the Sciences where she is finishing her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She plans to further her education and pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. She hopes to work conducting research on neurodevelopmental conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD.
For the past two summers, Maddy worked with the STEM Scholars program, which is geared towards campers with interests in science and technology. The group ranges in age from about 7-14.
“It’s exciting to get kids out of their comfort zones and doing science-oriented things. They might be a little bit nervous, but when they see the reward when the experiment is a success, it’s amazing,” Maddy says.
Her favorite activity this summer, which was a hit amongst her campers, was creating “paint bombs”. The process involves adding Alka-Seltzer tablets to canisters of mixed paint water, with the resulting chemical reaction causing the canisters to shoot up and splatter the paint.
Maddy’s favorite aspect of Summer Adventures is watching her campers get along and encourage each other either despite their diverse range of personalities and interests.
“It’s very unique to see how they all have different niches, but they’re all willing to help one and other.”
For more information on Hill Top Summer Adventures visit: hilltopsummeradventures.org