Ohio University Southern is giving kids an alternative to mind-numbing marathons of video game playing this summer as they host their annual summer youth program.

The Academy of Excellence is scheduled for July 15-26, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This year’s program will provide students entering grades 1-8 in August 2013, the opportunity to participate in courses designed to appeal to their intellectual and creative interests.

“Participants will enjoy personal attention in small classes taught by outstanding instructors as well as interactions with children of like interests,” a university news release stated. “Students can choose from a variety of classes with topics ranging from math, reading and science to dance, music and theater.”

This year’s classes include:

The Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss, Once Upon a Time … Fables and Folktales, Holiday Hoopla, Kids Culinary Adventure, Ooey Gooey Science, Go, Team, Go!, The Magical Making of Harry Potter, Hip-Hop Happenings, Mad Scientists at Work, MatheMagic, Creativity with Computers, Shutterbugs: Intro to Photography, Mad About Musicals, CSI: Creative Science Investigators, The Four Seasons in Clay Pottery, This is the Voice, Hi-Ya! … Introduction to Martial Arts and Singspriration.

“The kids who attend the Academy of Excellence will experience fun and exciting classes within a college setting,” Michelle Dotts, a program coordinator, said. “This will allow them to envision the college experience as one that they could obtain for themselves in the future. In an area of the state where college isn’t always considered an option, we try to instill in them while they are with us that a college career is not an unreachable goal, regardless of where they come from.”

The Academy of Excellence will take place at both OUS’s Ironton and Proctorville campuses.

Anyone seeking more information on the camp or registration can contact Michelle Dotts at 740-547-3874 or Lisa Cantrell at 740-533-4543.