This summer, students took a break from the classrooms to discover new hobbies and create memories.
“I will definitely be doing the camp next year,” said sophomore Alyvia Knittle, describing her experience at the Dr. June E. Baskin’s art camp. “I made so many memories. It was amazing to see all the talented young artists brought into one room.
The art camp takes place at the Taber Museum. It is held in honor of June Baskin, a former art teacher. Students from surrounding schools get together and participate in the many activities the camp provides.
“At the end of the camp, you get to take home all of the supplies you used. As for your art, it will be displayed at the Taber Museum for the entire month of September,” said Knittle.
After the art has been displayed, Knittle said retired art teacher Mrs. Victoria Stetts will deliver students’ artwork to them.
“I participated as a student at the camp. The camp helps aspiring young artists become even better and sheds light on their talent,” said Knittle.
Many artistically talented students are interested in the camp, she said.
“To get in you could be hand-picked by an art teacher, which automatically gets you into the camp” Knittle said. “Or you can email Mrs. Stetts to get put on a waiting list. The camp only takes around 20 people, so the sooner you email her, the better. Not only is the camp super fun, but it’s also educational. You learn about different artists, techniques, and the history behind different pieces. I love learning new things, especially when it comes to art, so I was ecstatic when I was first selected to be a part of the camp.”
Senior Leah Kaufman also experienced learning from experienced teachers in area of her interest at the PSEAs, or the Pennsylvania School for Excellence in the Agricultural Sciences, at Penn State over the summer.
“I would totally recommend this for others because it’s a way to see if you like the college type of education and the atmosphere of college,” said Kaufman when talking about her experience at PSEAs.
“The motivation was my Ag teacher and my environmental teacher. [They] told me about it so I applied as soon as they started taking applications,” Kaufman said.
“I was almost like a college student, we got to live in dorms with roommates and we ate at the school and we were taught by the professors at Penn State,” said Kaufman when asked about her role in the activity. If juniors are interested in the program they can, “Apply to the PSEAs program through PennState and get accepted,” said Kaufman.
The experience at PSEAs is very similar to the college student experience and gives students a look at what they can expect in furthering their education beyond high school. “We were on the move from 7:30 a.m. to about 10 p.m. with the same people every day for two weeks straight,” said Kaufman when describing how daily life is at PSEAs.
Senior Brenna Rosenbaum also had an active summer, vounteering her time.
“I went and volunteered at Young Life camp for a month,” said Rosenbaum.
Young Life is a Christian summer camp, and Rosenbaum, was on staff.
“I was on work crew with 40 other high school students,” she said. “I was a server, I would serve up meals and help clean the dining hall. If anyone was interested in work crew they would have to start at Young Life, and once you’ve gone and enjoyed it, talk to the leader, Jocelyn, and go on from there.”
Most students who attended the camp as staff were originally campers themselves, Rosenbaum said.
“I joined Young Life freshman year and joined the staff last year.”
When asked if she was interested in going again next summer she said, “I want to do it next summer, and in college, I would want to do summer staff,” she said.
Summer camp is an experience that most people view as something young students do over the summer, but not many get to see the staff side of it. It opens many opportunities for young adults to experience being a role model for many kids and get them interested in so many new things. “I wanted to be that role model for the kids there. I wanted to share how Jesus changed my life, and for the kids to experience their own journey to Jesus,” said
Cathrine Hittle, sophomore, attended Mercersburg Academy Young Writers Camp. Hittle said that it was a two-week overnight camp that has students explore their writing abilities and learn many new things and create new memories with other students.
“We learned writing techniques and poetry, it was basically a big writing workshop,” said Hittle.
However, it wasn’t all writing, they also had many other activities to experience at the camp.
“The other half of the day we did fun stuff. We went to a ropes course, tree trek, water balloon fights, capture the flag, and many field games.”
Not only do young students get to have the experience of a classic summer camp, they also get to learn many writing skills.
“I would highly recommend it. I learned a lot about poetry, poetic prose, how to write and speak poetry, etc.,” said Hittle.
Hittle talked about her motivations to join the camp, which were “To further my writing skills and to be immersed in my writing for more than just a day to see if I would be interested in it for my career, which I definitely am,” she said.
Featured photo (above): Staff members, including senior Brenna Rosenbaum, gathered for a Work Crew Night at Young Life camp. During the event, staff members, including Rosenbaum, shared their experiences with Young Life and what it was like volunteering.
Socials