ADAMS TWP — A new camp known as “Planet Innovation” will arrive in the Mars School District this summer.

Kara Eckert, the district’s director of curriculum, instruction and innovative practices, told the school board on Tuesday night that the camp would be for students in second through sixth grades.

Planet Innovation will be held during a morning session from June 19 to 22 at the school district campus.

The camp will cost $100 per student, which will cover the outlay for the program, Eckert said.

Mars teachers in all grades will be invited to teach at the camp, which Eckert said will offer a wide variety of courses.

If there is a shortage of Mars teachers, Eckert said, she will reach out to the Carnegie Science Center, local theaters and other venues to provide instructors.

Eckert said more information on the program will be unveiled in the coming months.

Support Personnel

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the school board approved the use of two companies to provide substitutes for the district’s support personnel.

Delta T and Manpower Agreements will be contacted by the school district when a secretary, paraprofessional or custodian reports off work.

Superintendent Wesley Shipley said the district previously relied on a list of support personnel substitutes, but only a few names are now on the list for each job.

“We were frequently finding ourselves short,” Shipley said.

The move is to provide substitutes only, and is not related to the current stall in contract negotiations between the district and its support personnel.

The district has looked into using a contracting company for its secretaries, paraprofessionals and custodians, but has taken no action on that matter.