Keep Learning This Summer With an Educational Camp

In less than two months, Weedsport’s High School doors will open for the last time and an impatient mob of students will pour through them and race home to throw parties at which they will send ten months’ worth of schoolwork up in flames in a celebratory bonfire. And after this ritualistic display of defiance is performed we will all be left going through the uneventful motions of summertime. Perhaps one or two of us will sit around a pool in a lawn chair attempting to tan our sun-deprived skin, or desperately try not to overheat during a game of backyard soccer, but let’s face the facts: the majority of high school students will spend their summer locked away in their sunless rooms with a cellphone and an assortment of junk food. We will neglect our personal education and spend our days lazing about, complaining that we’re  bored, because that is what a teenager does.

However, if you’re a little more motivated than that, you might try venturing into the mysterious world of Doing Something with Your Life. For example, you could try going to an educational camp over the summer. Educational camps usually focus in on certain topics, so you get to choose what you learn, unlike school where the curriculum has already been decided. Nearly all community colleges provide these camps to high school students who are looking to expand their knowledge (or just bored out of their minds). SU (Syracuse University) and OCC (Onondaga Community College) are nearby colleges that are participating in this. The classes offered teach subjects like theater, literature, art, photography, architecture, technology, graphic design, criminal justice, and countless other things that could help you excel in whatever career path you choose to follow. You could also take classes in which you will learn basic life skills like business, public speaking, how to cook, and how to not go broke and be a successful adult. OCC also provides sixty-four (I counted myself) different courses to people eight to fourteen years old in its College for Kids program.

To determine the worth of summer camps, the Johnny Green sat down with two seniors and a high school guidance counselor and interviewed them on the subject:

Lillie Janes:

Q: How do you wish you’d spent the first three summers of your high school career as opposed to how you have spent them, in terms of preparation for college?

A: “Well, I think I should have spent more of the years working toward college, going to camps or trying to figure out where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do and how to do it because I am completely confused on the whole college thing. I think taking classes in the summer would help cut down on my credits that I need to get and relieve some stress my freshman year of college.”

Q: Do you think taking classes during the summer is worth your time and money?

A: ”I think taking summer classes for college would be good because it would help limit how many credits you have to get for college during your freshman year and it’d just be a lot easier on you  instead of making sure you have all the credits you need.”

Q: Do you think that students at Weedsport understand the value of academics during the summer? Should they?

A: ”I don’t think students at Weedsport really understand the value of academics because you can see that when we used to do the summer reading nobody would really do it, and if they did do it, they did it the week they got the book and would get it done and over with, so they didn’t really care. They should care, though, because academics is how you get into college and how you figure out what you want to do with your life.”

Gina Fischetti:

Q: How do you wish you’d spent the first three summers of your high school career as opposed to how you have spent them, in terms of preparation for college?

A: “I really should’ve gotten a job for the summer when I was sixteen. Last year I did get a summer job, which was great, but all of the summers I’ve spent have been at home.”

Q: Do you think that taking classes during the summer is worth your time and money?

A: ”Yes. If you’re not strong in a class then you should definitely take summer classes to get it out of the way before college, because in college they’ll grade you much harder and treat you much harder in terms of class material, but if you take it at a high school level they’ll go easier on you. I, personally, would try to take as many college courses as you can in high school, because the cost is way cheaper than when you get to college. And when I went to go schedule for fall semester they had seen that I had already taken college English and because I had taken college English I had two places on my schedule where I had free periods so I didn’t have to take as many classes and all my classes ended around four because I had taken a college course already.”

Q: Do you think that students at Weedsport understand the value of academics during the summer? Should they?

A: ”No, I don’t think so, most kids either just goof off if they’re too young to get a job. Even if you can get a job, most people will be more concerned with earning money than college stuff. So, yeah, they should, but most kids don’t.”

Mrs. Bradtke:

Q: What is the point of students taking classes during the summer or going to educational summer camps?

A: ”I think there’s a lot of different reasons that students will go to educational summer camps. At times it’s so that students can get ahead of the game, so sometimes students will go and take courses to try and get ahead in their high school curriculum. Other times it’s because students have certain interests that may not necessarily be covered within their high school career. For example, someone might have a fashion design interest. There may not be a program or a class that they could take here at Weedsport or at any other high school that allows for them to get the experience they’re looking for as they get ready to head to college, so they’ll take educational courses to get a feel for the career interest that they have and then make their determination from there to see if it was the career they thought it was going to be or see if they need to change direction. Then there are certainly other students who will go to educational summer camps to help bolster the skills that they’re trying to work on. Maybe they have a weakness in an area that they’re hoping to gain some more strength in or improve in.”

Q: What advice do you have for students interested in taking summer classes or going to summer camps?

A: ”Definitely look into it. Don’t let cost or other concerns stop you from at least looking into it. Seek out your school counselor if you have questions about summer camps that you’re looking into, especially in the educational realm or a career because we are well-versed in the areas of where you can get help with that or can give you some advice as to what we think you should do or sometimes we are able to help you balance things out, so if you’re curious about summer activities and how it would balance out with the camp that you’re interested in and we can talk through that. But overall, go for it. If it’s something your family is able to take on and you are able to participate in go for it because you should take any opportunities you have within high school to explore interests that you have or sharpen skills that you have because it’s only going to help you succeed when you graduate high school.”

Q: Are there any scholarships or other forms of financial assistance available that can help a student pay for summer camp?

”A: ”Right now, I am not aware of any scholarships that we offer at Weedsport that would allow for a student to go to summer camp, but often times larger summer camps➖for example, SU, is offering a pretty expansive, educational summer camp program➖will offer scholarships or will have different opportunities for students to get some fees waived. It’s always helpful to contact the camps that you’re interested and talk with a counselor or an admissions representative so that they can provide you with some insight as to how you may be able to afford the camp on your own if you family is not able to provide for that.””

Q: Do you think that taking summer courses is worth the time and money?

A: ”I think the majority of the time, absolutely, it’s worth the cost and the time. Certainly, there’s things you need to be realistic about, especially when it comes to finances, but if it’s going to help you get a better feel for a career or an area of interest that you have moving forward in your future, or if it’s going to help you bolster skills or strengths that you already have, or if it’s going to help you improve in an area, I think any opportunity that you have to grow, you should take advantage of it, especially in the high school level because you do have a little bit more time and opportunity to do these things versus when you get into college or move on in life where you have a full-time career and a family, you don’t have as many opportunities to have fun and go an learn things and get experience with other students that might not necessarily be in the Weedsport building. It’s all an opportunity to grow and any opportunity you have for that is definitely something to jump on.””