Spring Grove’s first summer camp a hit with students
Trevor Eclarin has had a very productive summer.
He’s been busy creating Power Point slide shows on his computer,
brushing up on his word processing skills and fooling around with a
few algebraic equations.
Spring Grove’s first summer camp a hit with students
Trevor Eclarin has had a very productive summer.
He’s been busy creating Power Point slide shows on his computer, brushing up on his word processing skills and fooling around with a few algebraic equations.
But Trevor is not a high school graduate preparing for his first year of college, or a high-powered executive stressing over his next big presentation.
The 11-year-old fifth grader spent 20 days at Spring Grove School’s Tiger Summer Camp. The enrichment program offered classes in areas such as ceramics, visual and performing arts, mathematics, sports, science, computer skills and even French.
“I’m so glad they offered this,” said Dana Eclarin, who sat with her husband, Johnny, in Spring Grove’s gym watching Trevor and his campmates perform during a parents’ open house program Monday. “We are new to the district this year, so it’s given Trevor a bit of a heads up about what Spring Grove is like and it has helped him keep up with his math facts. He learned about Power Point and I don’t even know that, and he’s learning things like how to ride the school bus. It’s been great.”
Although the North County School District, which is home to Spring Grove School, regularly offers the traditional summer school program to students who need help academically, this was the first time the district offered Tiger Summer Camp. The camp, which was open to students throughout the county, was geared towards offering students opportunities to learn things not generally taught during the school year, coordinator Julie Neff said.
About 205 students, including approximately 60 students from outside North County, attended the camp.
“I think this was pretty fun,” fourth-grader Corissa King, 9, said. “I liked that we ran and did all kinds of sports, like soccer, volleyball, baseball and football. And computers was cool because I got to learn how to type and how to get on the Internet.”
Camp began June 10 and was open to any local students in grades K-8; days were broken into two sessions, from 8-10 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Students picked their two top course choices, along with an alternate, in case some courses filled up before others, Neff said. Breakfast and lunch were included in the cost of the camp, which was $260 per student (siblings were an additional $200 each).
“It worked out beautifully,” Neff said. “We had mixed grade levels, and the older students really stepped up and helped with the younger ones, which was a positive aspect I really liked.”
Classes were small – approximately 22 students to each of the 13 teachers who participated in the camp. This allowed staff to be a bit more creative with their lesson plans than they normally would, science instructor Tony Balbas said.
“This helped us teach things we can’t hit in the classroom during the school year,” said Balbas, who helped his students write a song about the solar system they performed during the open house. “Some of these kids won’t get astronomy for another couple of years, so it’s been great. I think it went really well.”
The open house gave parents the chance to see how much their children had learned during the camp, which ended Tuesday. Performances included the solar system song by Balbas’ class, as well as dancing by the art/movement students and a 20-minute Power Point slide show featuring shots of students from throughout the camp. Artwork created by students hung on the walls of the gym, and parents and guests chatted as they checked out the various displays.
“I liked the camp because I learned how to type a little faster, and in sports we got to play different types of games and improve in them,” eighth-grader Relly Reyes, 12, said. “Plus, I got to be with my friends.”
Balbas said he would consider rejoining the staff if the camp was offered again next year, and Neff said that was a definite possibility based on the positive response to this year’s inaugural effort.
“We are already looking at how we can expand our offerings based on some of the parent feedback we’ve received and make it even better,” Neff said. “It’s really been a collaborative effort. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback and the kids had a great time. It’s a positive climate for them to spend their summer learning new things while being nurtured at the same time.”
