Press Release
Greenwich, Connecticut – November 20, 2017 – Level Up Village (LUV) and Zaniac Greenwich today announced they are teaming up to bring one of LUV’s innovative global STEAM (STEM + Arts) programs to Zaniac’s winter vacation camp in Greenwich this December. LUV’s Global Inventors course will provide students the opportunity to connect and collaborate one-on-one with peers from Hong Kong on a 3D printing project applied to real-world issues.
“We are delighted to partner with Zaniac in order to offer our popular Global Inventors course at its Greenwich campus this December, and we look forward to working together on other similar ventures in the future,” said Amy McCooe, CEO and Co-Founder of Level Up Village. “Level Up Village is focused on helping students develop essential 21st Century skills in an authentic global context. By collaborating virtually with partners in another country, students not only develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, but also the ability to appreciate different perspectives – all skills they will need to be successful in our global economy.”
In Global Inventors, students will learn about the power of 3D printing, one of the most innovative technologies of our time, to engineer solutions to the real-world issue of energy access. In this exciting course, they study the Engineering Design Cycle and learn how to use Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to create and modify a series of designs. The final project is to work together with their global partners to create and 3D print a solar-powered light source, all while exchanging video messages about their projects and daily life in each of their countries. The course will be offered from December 18-22 at Zaniac’s Greenwich campus located at 644 West Putnam Avenue, Suite 201.
Both Zaniac Greenwich and Level Up Village are STEM education companies led by Greenwich women entrepreneurs. Amy McCooe co-founded Level Up Village in 2012 and Camilla Gazal and Flavia Naslausky opened up Zaniac’s Greenwich campus in 2013, followed by two additional locations in Westport and New York City.
“This is an amazing collaboration and we are so excited. The opportunity to use LUV’s platform to put Zaniac’s students in touch with students from different parts of the globe is amazing,” said Flavia Naslausky, Co-owner of Zaniac Greenwich.
“The aspect of collaboration and inclusion is wonderful and we feel so lucky to be involved,” added Camilla Gazal, Co-Owner of Zaniac Greenwich.
Zaniac offers after-school and summer camp curriculums designed to get K-8th grade students to fall in love with math and science and empower kids with 21st century technology skills to change the world. Zaniac puts modern technology within reach of young children and couples that technology with strategic curriculum designed to deliver both education and fun all at the same time. Students are encouraged to think critically, design and produce. Zaniac creates a positive and safe place for students to take risks and experiment without the fear of making mistakes. Zaniac also impact the community through role model instructors – high school and college students – passionate about inspiring kids with STEM.
A pioneering provider of global STEAM enrichment programs, Level Up Village empowers children to make a difference in the world with courses that promote design thinking and one-to-one collaboration on real-world problems between K-9 students in the U.S. and Global Partner students in 20+ countries. In all Level Up Village courses, students at both schools and learning centers across the U.S. are paired with partner students taking the same course at one of LUV’s fully vetted and trained Global Partner organizations in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.Through a combination of guided discussion, hands-on activities and interactive media, students identify an issue and apply design thinking to solve a real-world problem. They interact with their global partners via LUV’s global communication platform by exchanging video messages, participating in live video chats, collaborating on shared project files and creating personal profiles. In these ways, students not only work together on projects, but also discuss the real-life application of their learning and learn about each other’s daily lives and cultures. The result is meaningful global collaboration and an enhanced understanding of the world.
About Level Up Village
A social impact company based in Old Greenwich, Conn., Level Up Village (LUV) delivers pioneering Global STEAM (STEM + Arts) enrichment courses that promote design thinking and one-to-one collaboration on real-world problems between students from around the world. Launched in 2012, LUV runs courses during school, after-school and in the summer at more than 300 U.S. schools and learning centers, with 40+ Global Partner organizations in more than 20 countries. Level Up Village is a P21 member, a SETDA Emerging Private Sector Partner and the first to receive the ISTE Seal of Alignment at the Proficiency Level for the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students. LUV’s pioneering global STEAM courses also align with NGSS and Common Core standards and are connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) Please see our blog page. For more information, visit us at levelupvillage.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter @LevelUpVillage.
About Zaniac Greenwich
Zaniac Greenwich Campus offers K-8 after school programs and summer camps for STEAM enrichment. Zaniac’s campuses are inspiring, high-tech environments where kids want to learn. Walk in and you will see glass walls, bright colors, iMacs, and collaborative learning areas. Each campus features an open environment with cutting-edge technology to teach programs like Math, Minecraft, Coding, 3D Printing, Robotics and more. For more information, please visit us at zaniaclearning.com/greenwich or find us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
Sandra Bilbray, Director of Marketing & Communications for Zaniac c: 214.850.3479 Sandra.Bilbray@zaniaclearning.com
Andrea Sherman, PR & Communications, Level Up Village, andrea@levelupvillage.com
