The Frisco Education Foundation camps engaged elementary and middle schoolers in health care, graphic design, filmmaking, engineering, robotics, entrepreneurism and more.

At the Career and Technical Education Center, weeklong Mindbender Academy camps were keeping students engaged and active during the summer.

In one classroom, rising fourth through sixth graders were becoming entrepreneurs. They broke into groups, developing marketing strategies, writing recipes and testing their ideas for a “souped-up lemonade stand.”

Across the building, middle schoolers used pasta boxes and paper coffee cups to make bridges.

Next door, students were creating characters, 2D versions and gifs, then storyboarding and animating those characters.

In the hallway, young filmmakers were calling “cameras rolling!” and “action!” as they filmed a scene for their movie-making lesson.

And outside, Frisco police were showing students how to fly their drones, soaring blocks away to capture images of a nearby water tower.

That was just what was going on at the CTE Center. Elsewhere, campers on the health track were visiting local hospitals and learning about how they work, from top to bottom; at UNT Frisco, there were robotics, STEM games and time in the sound lab.

This was the goal of the Mindbender camps, which the Frisco Education Foundation has run since 2008: to provide an engaging week of hands-on STEAM learning and discovery.

Upstairs at the CTE Center, Baylor Scott & White staff used adaptive equipment to show students how people heal after injury or illness. Nurses joined occupational, speech, physical and recreational therapists to demonstrate tools and techniques that engaged students and showed them the healing work that goes on in a hospital.

“I’m a speech therapist myself, and I didn’t even know there was a medical adult side to the field until I was in college; Mindbender students learning about these health care job options is so helpful,” said Mary Grace Shafer, business development liaison for Baylor Scott & White.

Pearson sixth graders Abigail and Kendall chatted as they made seahorses and other animals with clay, learning how someone would regain the use of their fingers after a stroke.

Abigail was thrilled by her week at Mindbender. “It’s way more fun than I thought it would be,” she said. “We got to cook, then make and eat ice cream at Collin College. It seemed hard, but they taught it very well.”

She and Kendall were excited to explain how they also learned video game development and tested strawberry DNA at Collin College. Would they attend again? Absolutely.

“Camp is really fun, and you get to do a lot of cool stuff,” Kendall said.

Learn more

The Frisco Education Foundation serves the students and staff of Frisco ISD with grants, scholarships and educational programs to maximize student potential.

This year, FEF awarded its most senior scholarships ever — $801,325 to 882 students.

Grants for Great Ideas award money to innovative educators for their programs and classrooms. In 2024-25, over $81,000 was awarded. Applications are open now!

A panel of business experts awarded INCubator students with start-up funding this spring, through the Frisco Education Foundation.

FEF celebrated its 25th anniversary this year; listen to Director Ashley Sine talk about the program’s impact on the Frisco ISD community.