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Monday, Jul. 06, 2009

FVSU camp in Warner Robins extended through July

WARNER ROBINS — On a recent afternoon, 10-year-old Mikey Rembert collaborated with his co-star, 11-year-old Terykah Hollis, on the song “I Don’t Need Anything” for an upcoming production of the musical “Annie” in which he’ll play Daddy Warbucks.

But acting in the play has only been a part of his participation in Fort Valley State University’s Summer Kids University at the university’s Warner Robins Center.

Mikey also has taken classes in dance and commercial design while participating in basketball and tennis. However, when he first started in June, he expected something a little different.

“I was expecting it to be more like camp, not something like school,” Mikey said.

Summer Kids University is FVSU’s first foray into offering summer camp services in Warner Robins for children ages 6 to 14. Originally, the program was supposed to end June 26, but parents began to inquire about it running later into the summer.

“We brought it back by popular demand,” Laquanda Whitehead, the camp director said of the camp now running through July.

A typical day at the camp may start at the university’s campus in Fort Valley, where the children participate in athletic activities such as basketball, tennis and swimming. In the afternoon, students can participate in classes such as reading development, science or even fashion design, commercial design and wrestling. Students can even learn how to give PowerPoint presentations or start their own business.

“We wanted to venture outside the box,” Whitehead said.

The students, who average in number about 40 each week, have appeared appreciative of the opportunities as they’ve ventured to take advantage of as many as possible. Each student has to get his or her parent’s permission to change classes.

“If they don’t like something, they can choose something else the next week,” Whitehead said.

With all the different class options, many of the 30 staff members must pull at least double duty.

Leah James, a junior sociology major at Valdosta State University, serves as one of the camp counselors while also teaching drama and Spanish.

However, she noted that while it has been a learning experience for the students, it has been a learning experience for her as well.

“It’s been really interesting,” James said. “I didn’t realize how much I liked working with children until I came here.”

For Hollis, the camp provided an opportunity to expand her horizons as she has tackled many of the classes offered, including journalism, dance and commercial design.

“It’s been a great experience,” Hollis said. “I’ve been making a lot of friends and learning a lot of different things.”

To contact writer Natasha Smith, call 923-3109, extension 236.