Published: July 21, 2007 11:47 pm         

Inspire 12 camp a huge success at LCJH, WOMS

By Tommy Mann Jr.

The Orange Leader



If you judge by what students are saying about the first-ever Inspire 12 technology summer camp, then the program is a resounding success.

Select students from the West Orange-Cove and Little Cypress-Mauriceville Consolidated Independent School Districts are finishing their second week of a four-week technology camp today.

The purpose of the program is to provide students with the tools and knowledge needed to be successful in school and in today’s world.

The program was created by Inspire 12 and is the first venture the organization has made into the Orange schools since announcing in January its plan to pay for college for graduating students, who meet specific requirements, of both districts.

According to Rebecca Patterson, Inspire 12 director of operations, the camp was created with younger students in mind.

Approximately 75 students from each district in grades three through eight are attending the camp at Little Cypress Junior High and West Orange-Stark Middle School.

“We are already doing a lot for the high school kids with the ‘promise,’” Patterson said. “But these are the kids who will really shape our future. They will grow up in the ‘promise’ and see what is expected of them from school work to behavior. We want them to be the ones that give back to the community in later years.”

Patterson said more than 1,000 applications were received, but only 150 children could be accepted into the program this summer.

“This camp has gone exactly like we wanted, which is a big surprise since it is the first year,” Patterson said. “Typically you see things which could be done differently or go better, but we have been really happy.”

Patterson hopes the success of this year’s camp will show the community what Inspire 12 can do for the children of Orange.

“Hopefully, we can build on this year’s success and have more sponsors on board next year,” she said. “This would allow us to grow and accommodate more than 150 children.”

Each child who successfully meets attendance and performance requirements for the four-week camp will be awarded a new personal computer from Inspire 12 and its sponsors.

Kane Tezeno, 12, is attending the technology camp being held at West Orange-Stark Middle School, where he will be a seventh-grade student this coming school year.

“I really thought it would be boring at first, when my grandma told me about the camp,” Tezeno said. “I’m glad she talked me into doing it because it’s really been fun.”

Tezeno said the students worked with handheld computers on Tuesday, better known as personal digital assistants or PDA’s, which he found very exciting.

“We went outside and took a picture of something dealing with nature, and then we would add other images or things to it on the PDA,” Tezeno said.

Tezeno said he had never really done such work or programs on computers before now, instead usually surfing the Internet or playing games.

“I told my grandmother about how we made a collage about ourselves on the computer the other day,” he said. “She didn’t even know that was something you could do.”

Tezeno’s exuded enthusiasm about the camp as he was eager to return to class.

“Everyday we are learning something new,” he said. “Working with the PDA was really fun, and it was the first time I ever actually used one. I really like being here.”

Ten-year-old Olivia Day, who will be a fifth-grader at Little Cypress Intermediate this year, is attending the technology camp being held at Little Cypress Junior High.

“I thought the camp might be boring at first, but after a couple of days it got better,” she said. “I’m excited to be here everyday now because we are learning so much stuff on the computers.”

In the first two weeks of the program, Day said she has learned how to make charts, graphs and is learning how to type properly. She and her classmates have been learning about Powerpoint since Tuesday and how it works.

“We’ve also worked with Pixie, which is like Paint, but we can crop pictures and it has more colors,” Day said. “We also get to play around with e-mail on Gaggle.net, which is for students. We have buddies who are kids at the West Orange camp that we talk to everyday through e-mail.”

Day said another part of the camp she is excited about is learning how to set up a new computer. After all, she and the other students could possibly each receive a free computer if meeting attendance and achievement requirements at the camp.

“It would be really cool to know how to set up a computer,” she said. “That way when I get to take mine home, I will already know what to do.”

Not only do the students attending the summer technology camp seem to be enjoying themselves, but so do some of the teachers who volunteered to work with the children this summer.

“I asked the kids if they thought the camp was what they originally thought it would be, and they all said no, which was good,” said Lacy Hale, West Orange-Stark High School video and technology teacher. “They are really picking things up quickly.”

Hale said four weeks seems like a long time for a camp such as this, but “it really is not for teaching technology.”

Even though Hale must teach at a steady pace so all students can be successful, she said it is not uncommon for students to be so eager they jump ahead and want to learn more.

Hale said Inspire 12 is a blessing for many students and their families and should be a positive factor on the future of Orange.

“They can’t do enough for education, and that is the beauty of it,” Hale said. “You are giving these children a future. It’s not all about an ‘A’ average. It’s more about being consistent and hard work, and this program promotes all of that.”

Natasha Franks is the technology specialist at Little Cypress Junior High. She is also a volunteer the summer camp on her campus.

“This program is really a good opportunity, not only for me, but for the children as well,” Franks said. “They are able to learn more about computers and where technology is headed.”

Franks said students at the LCJH camp have learned how to use digital cameras, upload photographs and then use the images in Excel and Powerpoint projects.

“They all seem like they really enjoy the camp and are excited to be here,” Franks said. “They love being able to use the Gaggle.net e-mail, which is a teacher-monitored, student-based e-mail system.”

Franks said guest speakers are also part of the camp each week, including a local law enforcement representative of the D.A.R.E. program and even a program on Internet safety.

“I know I have really enjoyed myself,” Franks said. “And the children have too. Everyday they are ready to learn something new.”



Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com

     

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