Summer gets a jumpstart

Photo by jill russell

SUMMER DAY CAMPER BRANDON SHIRTS, 5, WEARS HIS GOGGLES AND SMILES FOR A PICTURE.

School is over, but giggles can still be heard echoing off the walls of Columbia Junior High School in Fife. Summer day camp counselors wearing bright green shirts lead group of children in games, art time and discussions during Fife’s Fundango summer day camp program. This nine-week camp for ages 6-12 began on June 22 and will last through August 21. Friday field trips, arts and crafts, swimming and presentations are just some of the activities campers can expect throughout the program. The camp staff said pre-registration began in April, so most weeks are full, with little chance of openings.

So far, the program has already finished up the first week, taking campers on a “welcome to the jungle” themed adventure. For week two, the group will focus on all things “green,” with discussions on reducing carbon footprints and creating art that is eco-friendly. The following weeks will include themes like, “lights/camera/action,” “around the world,” even “under the sea.” Every week provides a new theme, a new field trip and new friends to be made.

Julia White, recreation coordinator for the program, wrangles children into the arts room. She wears a smile on her face and paint on her hands. On that particular day, the group made picture frames out of recycled puzzle pieces.

“Most of the paint ends up on hands or on the mat below them,” joked White. This is 7-year-old Aliya Hunter’s favorite part of camp. She is a small, friendly child with a big smile and tons of energy.

“I like doing art the best. Painting is my favorite,” she said.

Camp counselor Michelle Chatterton walks with 5-year-old Brandon Shirts to the gym for a group activity. Brandon has been wearing his small blue goggles for most of the morning, in anticipation of the group’s trip to the city pool. Chatterton, a Western Washington University student, has been a counselor for three years.

“I really like it. It’s a nice break from the adults I’m around all the time at school,” Chatterton said. “Kids are a lot more open, they act silly and don’t really care. It’s hilarious.”

This year the city has been working on improving its Leaders in Training program, which coincides with the day camp. The program teaches teens ages 13 to 15 how to be counselors. For the next two weeks, participants will begin to learn skills such as first aid and CPR. During the second week of the program, Leaders in Training participants had the opportunity to assist in planning and coordinating activities for the younger campers.

Another way the city is reaching out to the community is through a new scholarship program, aimed at making programming more accessible to lower-income families, who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Eligible families can receive 50 or 100 percent scholar-

ships for a week of camp for each child in the family. Roughly $8,000 in scholarships were awarded this year for all the city’s summer youth programs.

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