| Summer camps on ISU campus offer learning experiences for all |
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| Written by Philip Lasseigne, Daily Vidette Features Editor |
| Tuesday, 30 June 2009 18:00 |
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The motto for ISU is ".and gladly would he learn and gladly teach." Even though the University is home to thousands of students during the academic year, the motto takes on a different meaning during the summer months. Each summer, the University welcomes hundreds of high school, middle school and elementary school students to attend camps held on-campus. Many of ISU's facilities, ranging from Hancock Stadium to the Bone Student Center, are utilized for the various camps. From national events to sessions held by different departments at the University, the on-campus camps offer pre-college students experiences in a variety of fields. Al Light, director of the Gamma Phi Circus and leader of the Gamma Phi summer camp, stressed the importance for students to stay involved during the summer months. "It's very important [for students to stay involved.] It's important on several different levels," he said. "It keeps them engaged both mentally and physically. Activity is really good, it engages both their mind and body." Attending a summer camp can be paradise for the students. It gives them an opportunity to get out of the house, participate in activities and in some cases, stay in the dormitories for a few nights. "I think it's really great to see so many students doing camps and staying involved on the campus," Brendan Reichert, a senior German major, said. "Camps were some of the highlights of my summers when I was younger and it's cool seeing younger students participating too." The University's camps give students a broad spectrum of different types of camps to choose from during their recess from school. With options ranging from math and reading camps to cheerleading and other sports camps, students have plenty of options to choose from to stay involved. While many of the camps are put together by different academic or athletic groups on campus, there are national camps that make ISU their headquarters for the summer. The Music for All Summer Band Symposium is one of these national camps. Held on ISU's campus from June 22 to 27, the 1,078 campers from 34 states were sure to be noticed, and heard, by campus regulars. "Our mission statement is to create, provide and expand positively life changing experiences through music for everyone," Debbie Asbill, director of marketing for the Music for All Band Symposium, said. ".one of the focal points of what we do is give the students a national learning experience that's beyond their own school program." Although some camps held at the University are national, not every ISU camp reaches students at a nationwide level. Most of the camps held at ISU over the summer are headed by different departments and faculty from the university. With all of the camps being held on the campus, there is one factor that makes all of the summer activities possible: the ISU facilities. "We couldn't do it [without the ISU campus]," Megan Koch, head coach of the ISU speech team and director of the speech camp, said. "If it weren't for the fact that we use the dorms and the on-campus facilities, we couldn't do it. There's no way." Koch also added that there is more work involved in hosting a camp than just bringing students in and using the dorms and academic buildings. "Students who attend here take it for granted, but you're bringing in a lot of underagers and they might be looking at things that could be offensive to high schoolers. There are hoops to jump through and everyone has been great about helping us out," she said. While the summers camps seem to only be benefitting the campers, everyone who attends and helps with the camps benefit. Some camps like the Music for All Band Symposium offer programs for current college students to get experience, other camps like the Gamma Phi Circus and Speech Camp help their collegiate volunteers and workers learn in a different way. "Sometimes when you're a pupil and have to turn around and teach someone what you've learned, you become a better pupil," Light said. "I see a lot more improvement with the college students when they return because they are better listeners and appreciate the role of coaching even more." So whether it is during the school year or the dog days of summer, the learning and teaching never ceases on the ISU campus. |
