LCS-O offers Kids 2 College

Published 8:19 am Saturday, May 27, 2017

By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

Youths age nine – 14 have an opportunity to experience college this summer at Lamar State College – Orange during Kids 2 College day camp.

In a program in its second year, it continues to grow and expand to keep kids learning during the summer.

Starting on June 12, the program is building on writing, reading, math and game designs to incorporate arts and theater.

“We have added fine arts this year,” Education-Mathematics-Leisure Learning Division Director Suzonne Crockett. “They will be exposed to theater and ballet.”

The ballet section is geared towards learning theater and staging with minimal dancing.

“We will also have a sidewalk art gallery,” Crockett said. “It will start with planning and sketching before the final day.”

A grand presentation will be held at 5 p.m. on the final day, Thursday, June 15, for parents to see what the youths have learned.

“We are looking forward to a good time,” Crockett said.

The tuition for the program is $55 and includes lunch each day.

During lunch each day, the group will be split in to ‘blocks’ so half at a time will attend a mini class. The lunch blocks will expose the youth to dental hygiene, a mock hospital room, and EMT/lab.

“We will have a mock hospital room which will allow the students to see what a room looks like in a non threatening environment,” Crockett said. “Sometimes the first experience in a hospital room is when a loved one is in the hospital. This will hopefully ease the stress for them as well as give them a career choice as well.”

The mock hospital will also explain some of the common items found in a hospital room such as an oxygen tube as well as help the students understand what can and cannot be touched.

Crockett said there has been campus wide support for the program.

“Every morning we will start with a speaker,” Crockett said. “We will end the day with Vitamin D and Tai Chi with Donny Thompson. So the kids will leave with a good feeling.”

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that, today, is practiced as a graceful form of exercise. It involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner and accompanied by deep breathing. Vitamin D is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it’s produced in ones skin in response to sunlight. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin in a family of compounds that includes vitamins D-1, D-2, and D-3. Getting a sufficient amount of vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance against certain diseases.

Crocket was inspired to create the program because she saw a need within the community for working parents who wanted to send their children to camp at an affordable cost.

“Lamar had a form of the program when my kids were little and they enjoyed it,” Crockett said. “We could not do this without all the volunteers on our campus.”

For more information on the program contact Charlotte Chiasson at 409-882-3053. Deadline to apply for the day camp is June 8. The program is open to all youths between the ages of 9-14. Residency of Orange is not required.