New Marlborough — The Flying Cloud Institute, an educational enterprise headquartered in New Marlborough, is known for its emphasis on STEM, the popular shorthand for education in science, technology, engineering, and math. Although many know Flying Cloud as a first-rate summer camp, Jane Burke, its founder and director, calls it an “education center,” since it is active in schools all year long.
“A school without walls” is one way Burke describes Flying Cloud. “We take ourselves into schools because that’s where you can change the way education is delivered. You have to be in the schools to change them,” she says.
Amy Rudnick, mother of a long-time camper and current president of Flying Cloud’s board, says “Flying Cloud takes the school curriculum to places it ordinarily does not go, especially in terms of inspiring girls to engage in the sciences. That is the absolute best thing it does.”
The Flying Cloud camp is on a 200-acre farmstead established in 1771 that was in one family’s hands until the 1930’s. After World War II, a retired naval captain bought it and named the property “flying cloud,” because he thought it looked like the Flying Cloud clipper ship, famous because it made the fastest passage from New York City to San Francisco in the late 19th century.
Flying Cloud started as a camp in 1984 with financial help from a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant. Their first class had six 10-12 year olds who attended two days a week, with most attention paid to ceramics and dance. Today, Flying Cloud’s camp runs for five weeks in the summer. But their in-school educational programs operate in 14 public schools throughout the school year.
Given Burke’s longtime interest in ceramics, the camp is equipped with numerous kilns and art studios. The campers also explore science ideas in the labs and then write a story based on those themes. Each summer campers produce rock operas predicated on science themes: energy, time, and light. Given their season, there is a lot of outdoor education, including wetland studies and gardening. They even choreograph robots to dance.
Flying Cloud hosts two sessions of 50 campers each during the summer. They like to keep the instruction intimate so there are no more than ten students in each group. “We’re not expandable,” Burke says. “We can expand to more weeks, but not more kids.
We’re not interested in growth,” she continues. “We’d rather deepen the quality of what we’ve got.” Nonetheless, they are adding new faculty members for doing residencies in school.
In addition to its camp, Flying Cloud is part of the curriculum for 1,300 students in four school districts in Berkshire County. The Massachusetts Cultural Council enables Flying Cloud to present their programs at various places to defend “STEAM” as a viable tool for learning. “STEAM” enlarges STEM by adding art as an equal component.
“We do a lot of professional training for teachers,” says Burke. They provide two full-time educators, one in engineering and another in biology and outdoor education. Burke also teaches along with another half-time arts educator. And now there is an administrator and a development professional. “Where I used to do everything,” she says with a grin, “now I have a staff.”
“Officially, on paper, I’m a science educator,” says Burke, whose degree is in chemistry. She also has a master’s degree in science education from Harvard. “But the arts have played a large role in my life,” starting with dance lessons at age 8. As an adult Burke took ten years off to become a professional potter, and still works in that medium. The many kilns at Flying Cloud are testament to her longtime interest in pottery. Indeed, part of her fondness for Flying Cloud is that it allows her “the joy of integrating ceramics, geology, chemistry, and pottery.”
Her husband Larry Burke, a filmmaker, ran Flying Cloud with her in the early years, and taught photography. He created the Film Department at Simon’s Rock, from which he retired in May.
Burke comes from an education heritage. “I love teaching,” she proclaims. When she arrived in the Berkshires, she felt that young students were not getting the type of high quality arts education that she got growing up in suburban New York. “I’m always wrapping science into what I do, and Flying Cloud became known officially for science.”
Burke is modest about Flying Cloud and its achievements. “I never had a plan. I just followed my nose, pushing myself into situations that I thought needed attention.” It’s not for nothing that she’s known as the “velvet bulldozer.”
About half of the campers start attending at 5 years old, and return year after year. “We do lose some to sleepaway camp when the kids turn 12,” says Burke. Some Flying Cloud alumni remain involved with the organization, becoming counselors or helping out in other ways. Jake Levin is one such alumnus, going so far as to build a beaver lodge large enough for campers to get inside. “Jake invented a pond,” says Burke, “where frogs landed.” At any given time, at least ten campers stay on as assistants. Burke says, “We’re very accepting of kids with crazy ideas. It’s very safe here.”
Parents and other interested folks can see the work produced by Flying Cloud campers at the New Marlborough Meeting House on the third weekend in July. The “SMArt Student Art Show” features film, ceramics, paintings, and photography. The finale to the student art show is the performance of a rock opera the campers write for the occasion.
“We never turn anyone away because they can’t afford tuition,” says Burke. About 40 percent of the campers are on scholarship of some sort. “We’ve discovered some amazing kids in public schools who have creative energy not satisfied in the regular classroom.”
The Burkes raise over $200,000 each year in grants and donations to keep their programs in the schools. Part of their success in raising funds is that there are a number of foundations and donors who recognize that public education falls woefully short in experiential learning. These donors want to help principals and teachers provide the “something extra” for which Flying Cloud is known, primarily integrating science, engineering, and math with arts and environmental studies.
“We treat kids as if they’re adults,” says Burke. “They’re so engaged that we have no behavior issues.” This attitude helps the Flying Cloud crew as they operate their summer program, engage in the schools, and achieve their high educational goals.
