Every year around the middle of June, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students move out of classroom learning to summer fun mode. During summer break, the hallways no longer have students rushing to class but classrooms full of excited summer camp goers.
This year is no different. The many CCPS summer camps throughout the county are giving students an opportunity to learn, have fun and grow their academic abilities before the school year begins in the fall.
Summer enrichment camps
The words enrichment camp may sound like students are working hard in an academic environment like the regular school year, but that could not be far from the truth. Students in CCPS enrichment camps are learning about literature through paper mache masks and drawing, the solar system through outdoor scavenger hunts and the difference between a toad and a frog with Jeopardy Junior. The camp allows campers to learn important academic concepts in a more engaging way.
The Readers Theaters camper created paper mache masks to illustrate their group’s book of choice. “They are divided into three groups, and each will paint their paper mache to resemble their character in their story,” Kelly Craft, learning resource teacher at Mary B. Neal Elementary School and camp leader, said. “Yesterday they broke into three groups and they each picked a story that they are going to then develop into a play to perform at the end of the week. Everybody made paper mache masks yesterday and today they are working on some backdrops and props.”
Lackey sport camps
“Pass the ball,” students at the Lackey sport camp yelled during a game of Tchoukball. The basketball and handball hybrid game had students running from one side of the gym to the other calling on their teammate to pass the ball and score a point for their team. The game was played by the adult camp counselors and of course the young campers. “I have been a camper since I was little, was a volunteer for two years and now I’m getting paid as a counselor,” Kate Cox, camp counselor, said. “This job is the best way to get paid, you get to run around and have fun with the kids.
STEM camp at the JER Science Center
What’s better than a 2D project? — A 3D model illustrating trailblazers in space exploration history. Students in one of the three STEM camp sessions at the James E. Richmond (JER) Science Center described their findings through their own 2D or 3D artistic expressions. “They have made rockets, described colors that come to mind and created cartoons,” Beth Freeman, science teacher at Berry and Neal elementary schools, said. “The group is very creative with the materials that they have been given.”
Middle school students could learn more about important figures in the space exploration industry and tap into their artistic skills at the same time. “My mom thought it would be a good idea for me to come to this camp,” Phoenix Huntt-Davis, seventh-grade student at Matthew Henson Middle School, said. “I like to work with technology with computers and coding, but I want to be a photographer when I grow up.”
Elementary students in another STEM camp session at the science center focused on coding through the program, Ozobots. Ozobots are small robots that are programmable through drawn lines and color codes with the OzoBlockly block-based coding editor, according to www.ozobot.com. Many students enjoyed the activities as they had to work together as a team to accomplish their goal. One student in the group, said that it was the challenges that interested her in the activity. “I like to do coding outside of the camp,” Darasimi Odubena, fourth-grade student at Neal, said. “But I want to be a surgeon when I grow up.”
