More than 200 of the nation’s brightest students are spending part of their summer getting even smarter at WKU.

Amy Bingham explains the VAMPY tradition in this week’s “View from the Hill”.

VAMPY stands for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth.  It’s been around for 26 years and students say they can’t get enough of it.
So what is it about VAMPY camp that seventh through tenth graders love?
 
“Everything…independence…being away for three weeks…”

 “These camps can’t compare to any other camps they are just amazing and a great opportunity.”

For six hours every day, students find themselves in classrooms…
 
“This ones a snail—it didn’t work out too well.”

For example this is forensic chemistry where every day they try to solve a crime scene.
 
“Today it’s Big Bird has died and there’s blood on the trash can and three suspects so far, and a car was stolen and knives were stolen.”

Center for Gifted studies director Julia Roberts started the camp in 1984 as Duke University’s very first cooperative program.

The camp has grown from 40 students the first year to 215 in 2009.
 
“Our VAMPY grads are in all kinds of professions..achieving at really high levels..they are coast to coast with many coming back to Kentucky.”
This will be Hallie Bates last year to attend Vampy and she says it’s both the knowledge and the friendships that make it so special.
 
“The best thing…I’m not sure if it’s the classes or the friendships….both of my brothers came here…and are still friends even though they are about to graduate college.”

VAMPY …which wraps up next week….. is also the perfect venue to tout Kentucky’s prestigious Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Math and Science on WKU’S campus. The Gatton Acadamy  was recently listed on Newsweek’s 2009 list of “The Public Elites.”

With this week’s “View from the Hill”, I’m Amy Bingham.