PORTLAND – The Maine Humanities Council will offer two free week-long day camps this summer for high school students who are interested in history.

“Find a Way or Make One” will be held Monday to Friday, July 13 to 17, at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, and will focus on Arctic exploration. Students will be introduced to the race to the Pole that captured the public’s imagination at the start of the 20th century.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Admiral Robert Peary’s successful quest, and students will have the opportunity to explore the new exhibit celebrating the milestone at Bowdoin’s Peary-Macmillan Arctic Museum. Participants will travel by boat to Eagle Island, Peary’s summer home, and will hear a first hand account of sailing to the Arctic from Charles Hildreth, who, as a young man, accompanied explorer Donald B. Macmillan.

“Immigration: Perspectives for ME” will run Monday to Friday, July 27 to 31, at Museum L-A in Lewiston, and will explore Maine’s long history as a home for immigrants from other countries.

Students will explore and discuss past and present immigration and the experiences of immigrants to learn more about how Maine has been shaped by the diversity. The group will visit sites pertinent to the story of immigration and hear from immigrants themselves, among whom will be former millworkers.

Both day camps are free of charge. For more information or to register, contact the council at 773-5051 or 1-866-637-3233 or visit mainehumanities.org/programs/history-camp/index.html.