After five weeks of learning and fun, the Lincoln University Cooperative Extension summer camp is complete, and hundreds of children who participated were able to celebrate at the Black River Coliseum on Thursday morning.
The camp is hosted by the Charleston Outreach Center throughout five weeks in the summer. Being affiliated with Lincoln University, there is typically much focus on agriculture; however, this year focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
This year was also the first year Mount Calvary Power House Church of Poplar Bluff was involved as a camp site.
“When we learned that STEM was going to be the focus, we immediately said we wanted to get involved,” explained Poplar Bluff site supervisor Betty Henry.
“Today is the day that we come together to celebrate the accomplishments of the 11 sites that participated in the camp,” said program educator Amy McElveen. “This is such a great program for the kids to be involved with; and this year’s camp was exceptional.”
Children involved in the camp applied their newly-acquired knowledge to experiments on Thursday to demonstrate what they learned. Throughout the auditorium of the coliseum, numerous displays were set up so parents could see the results of the children’s work.
“This is designed to make education fun and allow the children to do some things they can’t ordinarily through the school year,” McElveen explained. “In addition to all the STEM material, each camp site had a garden that the children were responsible for maintaining.”
McElveen went on to explain that there were numerous organizations involved with making the camp possible.
“I especially want to thank the Missouri Highway Patrol,” McElveen remarked. “They have been so wonderful with the way they interact with the children. They’re able to show these children that law enforcement officers are their friends and that they’re there for them.”
Near the end of the celebratory lunch, children with the best camp attendance records had their name placed into a container for a drawing.
“One lucky child per camp will be selected through the drawing to go on a back-to-school shopping spree,” McElveen said.
All of the children went home with something to prepare them for the upcoming school year. Each child received a new backpack, as well as a gift card for back-to-school shopping.
“Inside the backpacks is also information for the children just to have, like crisis hotline numbers and things like that,” McElveen said.