Welcome to the STEM Experience Center

A message from Tara Foor

Director of STEM Experience

Greetings!

It is my great pleasure and joy to introduce you to the newest state of the art facility focused on STEM education.

Girl Scouts of Central Indiana is committed to ensuring that women and girls feel seen in the STEM space—a field that is vastly underrepresented by females. The STEM Experience Center is dedicated to not only providing opportunities to pursue different fields in science, technology, engineering, and math, but to also encourage, motivate, and mentor girls as they explore different topics of interest.

As a lifetime Girl Scout I know personally what it is like to be impacted by this great organization and all the amazing programs that it has to offer. From calculating trajectory at our archery range to engineering a bicycle on our bike track or figuring out how to level up in our Evolution of Coding Room, activities throughout the STEM Experience Center campus engage visitors in STEM.

I believe that being a Girl Scout empowers girls to make a change in the world and can build the confidence that is needed to be a great contributor to the community. Girl Scouts allows girls to be themselves while growing up in a safe space, and that is pivotal in helping girls learn about being socially conscious in an ever-changing world. Considering that only 28% of the STEM workforce is female, serving as the Director of STEM Experience allows me to work with girls every day to improve that statistic.

I am so excited to welcome you to the STEM Experience Center at Camp Dellwood. Please join me as we help girls explore all the unique ways they can make their world a better place.

Activities at the STEM Experience Center

With more than 100 acres of woods, Camp Dellwood offers plenty of room to explore and have outdoor fun while taking part in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities. The STEM Experience Center offers a multitude of activities such as camping, hiking, archery, swimming, maker activities, and much more.

History of Camp Dellwood and STEM

Camp Dellwood has a STEM history dating all the way back to the 1930’s. See how our experience has grown over the years.

1934

“Under leadership of Mrs. Wildred Ewen Michael, a group of Scouts is making a study of freshwater life. The picture shows four of the youngsters – (left to right) Jean Mullin, Mary Ann Jackson, Marjory Hasbrook and Betty Feasy – collecting specimens from Big Eagle Creek.” There were 110 campers each week for four weeks that participated in one of the many outdoor STEM activities such as this.

1939

Camp Dellwood, first established in 1926, offered camping opportunities for Girl Scouts in the Indianapolis area and training opportunities for older girls and adults throughout Indiana. The 1939 Camp Program pictured here details camp sessions, costs, and equipment needed.

1947

Archery is one of the many long-standing camp traditions! Local Girl Scouts used Camp Flatrock, located southeast of Shelbyville, during the 1940s. [From the caption] Patricia Underwood, of 636 S. Miller St. (left) and Dorlene Howell of 35 Mildred St. look pleased as they note the “bull’s eye” scored during archery classes at the camp. Archery is one of several sports in which classes are held at the camp.

1962

In the 1950s, GSUSA organized “Girl Scout Roundups,” events gathering Girl Scouts from across the U.S. and international Girl Scouts and Girl Guides. The 1962 Roundup was held in Button Bay, Vermont. Each Girl Scout council selected Senior Girl Scouts to be sent to the Roundup. The chosen Girl Scouts practiced their camp skills, including lashing at the newly opened Camp Gallahue in Brown County before attending the Roundup.

1966

Lawrence Brownie Troop 33 visited an airport in 1966 and conducted their “Fly Up” ceremony there as the troop members moved up to Junior Girl Scouts.

1973

Dedication program for the Dellwood Program Center, June 3, 1973. Our council, then known as Hoosier Capital Girl Scout Council (HCGSC), continued to invest in Camp Dellwood. The program center would provide a new year-round space for campers and troop activities with sleeping quarters and a full kitchen and activity space. The program center is still in use today!

1990

From the first national Earth Day in 1970, Girl Scouts have participated in activities about the environment. Local Girl Scouts learned how long it took items to decompose during Earth Day activities in 1990.

1999

GEMS was a unique program for girls at risk in the Indianapolis area. Established in 1986, with support from the Lilly Endowment and the Indianapolis Foundation, trained Girl Scout staff established troops and offered a variety of activities. Girl Scouts from the Watkins Park area learned about computers during an event in 1999.

2000

Local Girl Scout troops visit the Brownsburg Challenger Learning Center in the early 2000s. The Challenger Learning Center was part of a national network of centers that allowed participation in a simulated space mission. The Centers were established in honor of the crew.

2003

Older Girl Scouts participated in “Geology Rocks” at the Math & Science Center at Camp Dellwood 2003. The Math & Science Center opened in Fall 2001. Twenty years later, the “Geology Rocks” program is still being offered in the newly renamed and renovated Math and Science Center—the Exploration Lab.

Welcome to the STEM Experience Center

A message from Tara Foor

Director of STEM Experience

Activities at the STEM Experience Center

Archery

Camping

Tinkering

Hiking

Swimming

and much more!