Camp Overview

About This U & Maps

Staff Ratio Guarantee

Safety & Peace of Mind

Sample Week

In the News

Testimonials

FAQ

Computer Camps Held at St. Mary’s College of CA

iD Tech Camps, Ages 7-17

WEEKLONG | CO-ED | DAY CAMPS
COURSE TOPICS: VIDEO GAME DESIGN, PROGRAMMING, APPS, WEB DESIGN & MORE

About Our California Computer Camp Courses

Ignite your internalDrive and do something BIG this summer! iD Tech Camps is a family company – and our company is a unique place. Some call it magical. We’re the World’s #1 Tech Camp – consistently ranked a Top Workplace. One of our big secrets? Ridiculously small ratios. Small ratios mean personalized instruction – just 8 students per instructor or fewer – or you get a free week of camp, guaranteed! Our adult-only staff are tech-savvy undergraduates, graduate students and professionals, passionate about teaching game design, film, computer science and more.

This is our 14th season hosting summer camps at our St. Mary’s College of CA location in Moraga, CA. We strike the right balance between off-computer activities (creative games, sports, life skills, etc.) and essential technology education to foster STEM skill development (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Our popular SMC summer day camps are among a handful of elite CA summer camps in the Silicon Valley and the East Bay accredited by the American Camp Association.

We offer a variety of cutting-edge summer camp courses for beginner through advanced learners. Kids and teens learn one course topic per week, specializing in video game design, iPhone® app development, Flash® animation, programming, video editing and more – using the best brand name products from Adobe®, Apple®, Autodesk®, Google, Microsoft® and beyond. Come explore the college campus and gain skills that will last long after summer camp ends. Continue to Step 2 for Course Availability, Tuition & Dates.

About St. Mary’s College of California

NOTE: Looking for our exact location on campus? You must first be enrolled; you can then access that information through My Account. Not yet enrolled? Go to Step 2 to enroll. The maps included here are for general information only.

Many students use their summer camp experience with iD Tech Camps to explore colleges that they’re interested in attending in the future. Learn on campus, eat in the dining halls and ages 10+ can even stay overnight (at most campuses).

We have chosen St. Mary’s College of CA to host our summer kids’ computer camps and teen camps in the East Bay because of its high academic standing and beautiful campus. Boasting a rich scholastic heritage and advanced technology facilities, St. Mary’s College of California offers the young iD student unique insight into the collegiate experience at a pristine private college.

Oakland International Airport is located 16 miles from St. Mary’s College, and the closest BART stop is the Contra Costa County stop. Come and experience our California computer camps!

St. Mary’s College of CA

Located in the beautiful foothills in Moraga – also close to Lafayette, Orinda, Walnut Creek and the Danville area, and just half hour east of San Francisco – our East Bay computer camps on the St. Mary’s College campus enjoy secluded Spanish-style architecture on a picturesque college campus. This campus is ranked among the top 20 most beautiful campuses in the country and enjoys a moderate climate which permits year-round outdoor recreation.

St. Mary’s College of CA University Facts

Nickname: The Gaels
Founded: 1863
Schools at St. Mary’s College of CA: Four schools define the cornerstone of learning at SMC: the School of Liberal Arts, the School of Science, the School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA), and the School of Education.
Student Population: St. Mary’s has just under 5,000 total students with 2,500 undergraduates and 2,200 post-grads.
Athletics: Sports teams at the college are called Gaels. SMC has a big following for its basketball, baseball, rugby and women’s volleyball teams. Many intramural and non-competitive sports are also open to students of different abilities at the college. At SMC, almost all of the Division I varsity teams compete in the West Coast Conference (WCC). There have been many appearances in the respective NCAA tournaments over the years. Basketball? Men’s hoops is one of the top programs in the country, especially considering the size of the college. The team has been ranked of late in the Associated Press and ESPN top 25.
Distinguished Alumni & Personnel: Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Actor, nominated for 2009 Screen Actors Guild Award “Outstanding Performance by a Cast” for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Joseph Alioto, former mayor of San Francisco; Brother Alfred Brousseau, mathematician and widely-renowned authority on the Fibonacci numbers after whom the recently built science building is named; Greg Reyes, former Chairman & CEO of Brocade Communication, San Jose Sharks ownership group; Tracee Talavera, gymnastics national champion, Olympic medalist, and USA Gymnastics Hall of Famer; Herman Wedemeyer, football star, Hawaii legislator, and original cast member of “Hawaii 5-0.”

Meals

All meals are included with our overnight and extended day programs. Day campers have the option of purchasing the lunch plan or bringing a sack lunch. The lunch plan is recommended, but not mandatory. If the lunch plan is purchased, lunch is provided Monday-Friday. Many university dining facilities do not permit outside food to be brought into the dining hall; students bringing bag lunches may eat outside of the dining hall with their classmates and instructors. Lunch is provided to all students on Fridays, as part of an iD-style picnic.

Maps/Carpool

See maps and driving directions in My Account for detailed directions on how to get to our exact location on campus.

Want to Carpool? Go green and save some green when you carpool to camp! Sign up for our Carpool app in My Account to see the other families in your area that are interested in carpooling.

Staff Ratio Guarantee

iD Guarantee

Students learn in small classes for a personalized experience. How small? Classes typically have 5, 6, 7, or 8 students – but never more than 8 per instructor. That's the iD Guarantee - if we ever go over an 8:1 ratio, you get a free week of camp!

Adult-Only Instructors

iD Tech Camps recruits energetic, experienced instructors to teach our technology courses and supervise our students. Our summer staff is adult-only, with no Counselors-in-Training.

Personalized Instruction

Courses are personalized to students' abilities, and therefore suitable for beginner to advanced levels in most cases. Because of the ridiculously small ratios (max 8:1 or a free week with the iD Guarantee), instructors have time to consistently work with students 1-on-1 and adjust curriculum to their interests and experience level.

Project-Based Curriculum

We encourage a hands-on approach to technology; students learn by doing. Each student is provided with a computer and learns to work with the same products that professionals use in their fields. Students complete a project showing off their new technology skills by the end of each weeklong session they attend. By focusing on practical applications of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills, iD prepares students to take their new tech knowledge back into the real world.

Staff at this Location

Meet some of the amazing instructors that have taught at St. Mary’s College over the years.

• Matt: Matt was a Java Engineer at a San Francisco startup before he took his skills to Berkeley High School where he now supervises all things technical. He was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and thinks that summers in Moraga are a little cold. He attended college at Wesleyan University (the one in Connecticut) and in his free time, Matt likes to do anything Frisbee related, root for the Giants and break world records.
• Josh: Josh wishes iD Tech Camps had been around when he was a kid. As it stands, he began his programming career in the third grade with an Apple and BASIC programs in the back of math books. He holds a degree in Media from Massachusetts College of Art and has nearly two decades of hands-on experience in media, now teaching at Springhill Elementary in Lafayette. Josh believes that a good grounding in programming theory enables any student to excel.
• “Dingo”: A former camper himself, Dingo learned all about Autodesk Maya at iD Tech Camps, and he used what he learned to make his college application video. He now attends Chapman University where he is studying Digital Art and Animation. He aspires to be a storyboard artist for film studios such as Pixar, and also hopes to be writer. Dingo is an enthusiastic camp instructor, with extensive leadership experience provided by his journey to Eagle Scout. Here’s to a great summer!
• “Bearista”: When you think of designing platformers in Fusion during summer programs at iD Tech Camps, the name that should immediately spring to mind is Bearista. When not providing young minds with the best introduction to video game design possible, Bearista develops radical new theories on manifold tensor fields for non-Euclidian spaces. He isn’t exactly sure just what this means either, so don’t ask.

Safety & Peace of Mind

Risk Management

Adult staff and instructors supervise all activities. iD has a policy of never using Counselors-in-Training (CITs).

American Camp Association^® Accreditation

iD Tech Camps is accredited by the ACA at multiple locations, meaning we have met over 300 health and safety requirements. All camps follow ACA guidelines.

Background Checks

We conduct criminal background checks, sexual offender background checks, multiple reference checks and identification checks on all summer staff.

CPR & First Aid

All camps have Directors and Staff that are CPR and First Aid Certified.

Sample Week

A typical day varies depending on session and location, but it might look something like this:

	SUNDAY	MONDAY - THURSDAY	FRIDAY
7:30 am		Extended Day Campers – Check In Overnight & Extended Day Campers - Breakfast
8:30 am		Day Campers - Drop Off & Arrival Activities
9 am		Welcome & Opening Activity	Finesse Projects to Gold Version
9:30 am		Instruction – Jump on the computers!
10 am
11 am			Friday Activity
12 pm		Lunch – Overnight and Extended Day Campers eat in the campus dining hall.  Day Campers can choose to bring a bag lunch or purchase the meal plan.	Picnic Lunch
			Raffle
1 pm		Instruction – Back to the labs, woo hoo!	Showcase Prep
2 pm			Family Showcase
2:30 pm		Techtivities – Ultimate Frisbee?  Apples to Apples anyone?  Gaming tournaments?  We’ve got it all!
			All campers - Check Out
3:30 pm		Instruction – Back to the labs!	Ultimate Gaming Weekends – Option available at select locations.
5 pm		Day Campers - Pick Up & Closing Activities Overnight & Extended Day Campers – Open Lab/Free Time
5:30 pm	Overnight Campers - Check In
6 pm	Welcome	Dinner
6:30 pm	Dinner	Evening Activity - Movie Nights, Local Outings, Gaming Tournaments & more!
7 pm		Extended Day Campers – Pick Up
7:30 pm	Evening Activity	Evening Activity – cont’d.
8 pm
8:30 pm	Drills
9 pm	Chillax
10 pm	PreTeen Lights Out
11 pm	Lights Out!

Off-Computer Camp Activities

Students typically spend 5-6 hours on the computer each day. iD Tech Camps is careful to balance technology and fun - giving students Tech-Reation time. When they're not on the computer, students participate in fun summer activities like talent shows, play board games, compete in sports, take part in gaming tournaments and more.

Family Showcase

Every Friday afternoon, we invite parents and friends to come and experience iD Tech Camps. See the labs where students learn, explore campus, meet our staff, applaud students' course projects and attend the personalized diploma ceremony.

Hours/ Camp Options

Day Camp - Day Camp runs Monday through Friday, with drop off between 8:30 - 9 am and pick up between 5 - 5:30 pm (3:30 pm on Fridays).
Extended Day - Extended Day Camp runs Monday through Friday, with drop off at 7:30 am and pick up at 7 pm (3:30 pm on Fridays).
Overnight Options - Overnight camps are available at most locations for students ages 10 and up. Overnight camp runs Sunday through Friday, with drop off at 6 pm on Sunday and pick up at 3:30 pm on Friday.
Ultimate Gaming Weekends - Stay the weekend and game with us. UGW is fully supervised and includes housing, meals and supervision. It is available at the end of an Overnight Camp week or as a bridge between two consecutive weeks of Overnight Camp. Not available at all locations.

Attention SMC Teens!

Our summer camps in California at St. Mary’s College of California just got even cooler for our teen students. We have specialized teen activities including free time to hang out, movie nights, extra project time, and as always, plenty of gaming. Check out our other cool teen-only programs like the iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, iD Visual Arts Academy and Ultimate Gaming Weekends (offered at select locations).

iD in the News

St. Mary’s College of California News

As appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek - Computer Camp: No Canoes, Just Coding (and Kickball)

Aug 4th, 2011

As appeared in the Davis Enterprise - Camp gives Davis teens a tech advantage

Jul 29th, 2011

Kara Tsuboi, CNET reporter for CBS Newspath, visits iD Tech Camps held at Stanford University

Jul 14th, 2011

As appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle - article about our CA summer camps

Jul 11th, 2011

As appeared in the The Sunnyvale Sun- article about our CA camps held at Stanford

Jul 11th, 2011

Testimonials From St. Mary’s College of California

What Parents Are Saying

“My 8-year-old son thought iD Tech Camps was awesome. He was excited to go every morning, and was tired at the end of the day. He was ecstatic the whole week. Anyes G., parent, St. Mary’s College of California

“Wow! My son had a great week at camp! He was thrilled with his instructor, and so excited with the things he was learning every day. The extra activities during the day helped round out the experience for him. I’m so thankful for this opportunity! Savanna M., parent, St. Mary’s College of California

“This is my son’s 2nd year at iD Tech Camps, and he looks forward to it all year. He was even willing to attend a 2-week Speech Camp as a bribe in exchange for a week at iD Tech Camps. It’s great for him to see and interact with the instructors, who stand out as great role models for his future development. Stacey S., parent, St. Mary’s College of California

“Our son’s enthusiasm was infectious. He mentioned how nice the other kids were, how supportive the staff were to meet individual needs…he had an incredible experience. It exceeded our expectations and we hope his interest continues. Bey F., parent, St. Mary’s College of California

“Excellent program – this is my son’s 6th year. He obviously loves iD Tech Camps and looks forward to it each year. He really wants to continue learning and growing in the field. Thank you. Toni T., parent, St. Mary’s College of California

What Campers Are Saying

“Another great year at iD Tech Camps. This is my 4th year, and it’s just as fun as the first. I was looking to learn Unreal script, and code makes so much more sense now, thanks iD! Matthew W., student, St. Mary’s College of California

“This was the first camp I have ever been to, and it made me want to experience more. It also made me want to come back every year and try many new things because I will never forget this summer. Taylor L., student, St. Mary’s College of California

“My instructor was fun, and the camp director was organized and energetic. You can tell the instructors were very enthusiastic about their jobs. All in all, this was one of the best camp experiences of my life. John Robert W., student, St. Mary’s College of California

“I loved being here and making my own website! It was so fun and it will last me for life! My camp counselor helped me so much. Eve S., student, St. Mary’s College of California

“Camp was awesome! The atmosphere was friendly, the instructors kind and informative and I made some friends! I feel like a learned a ton. Nick O., student, St. Mary’s College of California

Frequently Asked Questions

What courses are offered at this location?
Go to Step 2.

When does camp start?
See Step 2 for the dates of our weeklong university summer computer camps.

How much does camp cost?
The cost of tuition varies depending on the course, location and camp option that you choose. Basic Day Camp ranges from $749 to $1,049 per weeklong course. There are additional costs for program add-ons.

How can I save on tuition?
There are many ways for you to save!

• Register early to take advantage of our seasonal promotions.
• Refer-a-Friend and you and your friend both save $50.
• Sign up for multiple weeks to save $50 off each additional week.
• Register multiple siblings and save $50 for each sibling.

Do you offer financial aid?
iD Tech Camps is proud to offer tuition assistance for families who qualify. Application deadlines are announced each year in the Spring.

What is your cancellation policy?
Balance payments, less the non-refundable deposit, are refundable up until 3 weeks prior to the start of the confirmed camp week/session. No refunds will be issued for cancellations or withdrawals within 3 weeks of the start of confirmed camp weeks/sessions. All cancellations must be made online in My Account or submitted in writing to the internalDrive Inc. office no later than 3 weeks prior to the start of camp. For more details, please see our Terms & Conditions.

Does my child need to have a high computer IQ?
No, our courses are for beginner to advanced students. Because of our small ratios, instructors can work with students 1-on-1 and personalize the curriculum for each student's level.

Should my child bring a personal laptop to camp?
No, students do not need to bring laptops to camp. We provide a computer for each student to use for the week. All materials necessary for the course will be provided.

Do you have any teen programs?
iD Tech Camps has a Teen Scene that provides older students with a more independent experience on campus. Teens enjoy extra privileges appropriate for their environment and maturity levels, and although we maintain standard supervision ratios, teens will feel a sense of freedom. Special Teen Scene activities include computer gaming tournaments and Gamingpalooza.

iD also offers specialized iD Teen Academies in Gaming, Programming and Visual Arts at select locations across the country. These teen camps are intensive, two-week courses with tours of nearby industry hot spots and bi-weekly portfolio building workshops. See our iD Teen Academies page for more information.

How do I register? How do I contact you?
To register, find availability at the location you desire, and you'll be guided through the process. Registering online is the fastest way to get into camp. Or, you can phone us at 1-888-709-TECH (8324) or 1-408-871-2227. You can also email us at info@internalDrive.com. And, if you'd like a brochure sent to you, please click the brochure link.

Course Tuition (Program options are found on the next step)