Children Discover the Arts at a Special Summer Camp
Wow, imagine that. A summer school for kids, and there’s a long list of children waiting to get in.
The fifth-annual Arts Discovery Camp will convene June 21-25, 2010, at two separate sites in Davidson County. One of the five-day camps will occur at Grace Episcopal Church in Lexington, and the other at Welcome Elementary School in Welcome.
“The two camps are for 30 students apiece who will be entering third, fourth and fifth grades,” says Christina Howell, executive director of Communities in Schools of Lexington/Davidson Counties, which coordinates the Arts Discovery Camp. “Youngsters are chosen through an application process, and the first four years have been an overwhelming success.”
Howell says the camp was originally formed because there is a need for children to become more familiar with the arts.
“That is especially true for at-risk kids who live in communities and attend schools that don’t offer such arts-related programs,” she says. “This camp will continue to occur every June so that 60 children will have an enriching summer experience.”
Students attend a painting/visual arts class each day. In addition, they choose two other classes to attend from disciplines such as dance, drama, guitar, piano and violin.
“The kids also get recreation time, as well as breakfast, a snack and lunch, and are treated to several presentations from talented artists, dancers, actors and musicians from Davidson County,” Howell says. “As far as classrooms, students get a lot of personalized instruction because there are usually only about five students in each individual class.”
At the end of the five days, students showcase what they have learned during a concert that can be attended by family members and friends.
“When you break down the costs, it’s about $200 per child to attend the camp – but they pay nothing,” Howell says. “It is funded by community agencies, companies and individuals who care about the arts and Davidson County.”
In addition to the Arts Discovery Camp, the Communities in Schools of Lexington/Davidson Counties also organizes an annual Lunch Buddy program, which features volunteer adults mentoring at-risk K-12 students throughout an entire school year.
“Volunteers eat lunch once a week with their assigned student, just to be there as a friend to talk with,” Howell says. “A caring, supportive adult can mean a lot in a child’s life, even if it’s only one hour a week.”
Nearly 250 mentors are signed up for the Lunch Buddy program for the 2009-10 school year, mentoring students in 19 schools throughout the county.
“We ask mentors to stay with their students during the entire school year, if possible,” Howell says. “But ideally, we would love for the adult to mentor their same student every year all the way through high school graduation. That would truly be rewarding for everyone involved.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
