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Prairie Backpack

College Community School District’s “green” approach to distributing information from school sponsored activities and non-profit organizations.

Activities

Events

  • Community STEM Day

    Location
    Collins Aerospace
    Cost
    FREE
    Organization
    SE Iowa STEM hosted by Collins Aerospace
    Contact
    Jesi Ray
    Email
    jesi.ray@collins.com
    Phone
    (319) 263-8629

    Information

    It is our favorite time of year, Community STEM Day planning. This event will be returning for its 4th year, we can say once again, BIGGER and BETTER! We have the honor of hosting this event on Collins Aerospace campus. This annual event will be held on Thursday July 16th from 9AM- 2PM. This event is STEM Themed and will be geared towards Kindergartners through 12 graders. We will have our Big Top Tent with market style booths set-up outside with engaging activities for students of all ages. We already have over 75 booths registered with more coming in each day. All the booths are hosted by a local business here in the Corridor. The Air Ambulance will be onsite for everyone to check out. We will have numerous in-depth STEM workshops and lab tours available (these will require pre-registration; registration will open the first half of June) please see the attached flyer for distribution. We will also have a large variety of Food Trucks, they will be serving lunch, and desserts for you to purchase. We hope to see you for this great event full of STEM learning and lots of engaging fun.
    For more information you can check : https://se.iowastem.org/community-stem-day
    Please Share with everyone! We are trying to get the word out to everyone to make this event a huge success again this year. Please share to digital backpacks or share in newsletters for any organization you might be a part of. If you know any business/clubs/organizations/other groups that might be interested in joining please share we have spots available for additional booths.

  • Cedar Amateur Astronomers Public Night: Aurora: What the Northern Light Teach Us About Space

    Location
    The Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center, 1365 Ivanhoe Rd, Ely, IA. 52227
    Audience
    All ages and levels of interest
    Cost
    Free
    Organization
    Cedar Amateur Astronomers
    Contact
    Gordon Baustian
    Email
    gordonbaustian@gmail.com
    Phone
    (319) 721-0659

    Information

    PhD Candidate, Lillian Daneshmand from the University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy will discuss how aurora help us understand the complex dynamics of our atmosphere.

  • Youth Show Choir Camp (Current Grades 1-8)

    Location
    Prairie High School Choir and Show Choir Rooms
    Audience
    Current Grades 1-8
    Cost
    $175
    RSVP
    Jun 05, 2026
    Organization
    Prairie Music Association
    Contact
    Justin Sands
    Email
    jsands@crprairie.org
    Phone
    (319) 848-5340

    Information

    Join us for a three-day show choir camp led by the Prairie Show Choir Directors and a guest choreographer!

  • Cedar Rapids Reads: Summer Reading Challenge

    Cost
    FREE
    Organization
    Cedar Rapids Public Library
    Contact
    Amber McNamara
    Email
    mcnamaraa@crlibrary.org
    Phone
    (319) 739-0404

    Information

    Celebrate the love of reading all summer long! The Cedar Rapids Public Library Summer Reading Challenge starts June 6 and runs through August 8, 2026. Read 600 minutes to complete the Challenge and be entered to win a grand prize! Enjoy special events for all ages, earn reading badges, and visit the library for prizes. Explore the many events all summer long for all ages: CRLibrary.org/summer

  • Get Ready with Girl Scouts – Kindergarten Readiness

    Location
    Cedar Hills Community Church
    Audience
    Pre-K Girls
    Cost
    FREE Girl Scout Membership through September 2027
    RSVP
    May 15, 2026
    Organization
    Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois
    Contact
    Grace Coffman
    Email
    gracec@girlscoutstoday.org
    Phone
    (319) 232-6602

    Information

    Starting kindergarten this fall? Kickoff your journey with Get Ready with Girl Scouts
    a special summer program designed just for NEW Girl Scouts—perfect for making friends
    and beginning your Girl Scout adventure!

  • Metro STEAM Academy Weather Balloon Launch

    Location
    Cedar Rapids Downtown Public Library LivingLearning Roof
    Audience
    All ages, K-12, STEM learners and educators
    Cost
    Free
    Organization
    Cedar Amateur Astronomers
    Contact
    Gordon Baustian
    Email
    gordonbaustian@gmail.com
    Phone
    (319) 721-0659

    Information

    In collaboration with the Eastern Iowa Cosmic Conference, the Metro STEAM Academy is launching a Weather Balloon from the LivingLearning Roof of the Cedar Rapids Downtown Public Library on May 16, 2026.

    Launch pep starts at 9:30 AM with the launch at 10:00AM. Come watch and learn how and why this is done to study our atmosphere and how this relates to Astronomy. The students will be tracking the balloon’s flight using onboard tracking telemetry and you can follow the flight as it approached 100,00 ft over Eastern Iowa. Learn about the experiment the students are doing using onboad beetles that will be launched with the balloon.

  • Eastern Iowa Cosmic Conference

    Location
    The DoubleTree Hotel and Convention Complex, Downtown Cedar Rapids
    Audience
    All ages and learners and educators
    Cost
    The morning lectures are free. The afternoon session is $40 for a family of up to 4.
    Organization
    Cedar Amateur Astronomers
    Contact
    Gordon Baustian
    Email
    gordonbaustian@gmail.com
    Phone
    (319) 721-0659

    Information

    Two free open to the public presentations: 10:45 AM, Dr. Ryan French about Space Hazards and 11:45 AM Dr. Dominic Benford about Exoplanets. A Weather Balloon launch at 10:00 AM at from the LivingLearning Roof of the Cedar Rapids Public Downtown Library. Plus many other activities from 1-4 PM including a portable planetarium, 5 NASA Solar Ambassadors, Hands on Activities from the Van Allen Observatory Team at the Univeristy of Iowa and more.

  • Cedar Amateur Astronomers Public Night

    Location
    Palisades-Dows Preserve at 1365 Ivanhoe Road.
    Audience
    All ages and learners
    Cost
    Free
    Organization
    Cedar Amatuer Astronomers
    Contact
    Gordon Baustian
    Email
    gordonbaustian@gmail.com
    Phone
    (319) 721-0659

    Information

    Dr. Dustin Swarm will discuss Dying White Dwarf Stars: When stars die, that isn’t the end of the story. Stellar corpses can reanimate in the presence of a companion star. I research a type of reanimated stellar corpse: accreting white dwarfs. White dwarfs are the most common type of stellar remnant. When white dwarfs pull material (accrete) from a nearby star, they produce light from optical to X-rays. I will discuss my research of X-ray emission from a variety of accreting white dwarf systems to understand these undead stars.

  • Write Now: Microstory Writing Contest

    Location
    Virtual
    Cost
    Free
    Organization
    University of Iowa Center for Advancement
    Contact
    Tegan Donahue
    Email
    write.now@foriowa.org
    Phone
    (319) 467-3393

  • Coe College Men’s Basketball Youth Summer Camps K-8th Grade

    Location
    Kohawk Arena, Coe College, 500 Coe Road
    RSVP
    Jun 15, 2026
    Organization
    Coe College Athletics
    Contact
    Mark Lowe
    Email
    mlowe@coe.edu
    Phone
    (319) 855-2006

    Information

    ur camps are designed to introduce and teach the basic fundamentals of basketball. The camps utilize a variety of innovative teaching methods, drills and games to teach these fundamentals while not losing sight of the primary purpose of camp – TO HAVE A GREAT EXPERIENCE!