Royals 2

My most important leadership experience has been working at Camp Discovery. Camp Discovery is a STEM summer camp for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. I was hired as a camp counselor in the spring of 2021 and was re-hired for the summer of 2022. This experience allowed me to work with a classroom full of preschool through second-grade-age campers. One of the reasons Camp Discovery is so great is that the camp is free of cost for families. I value this because it gives all families an equitable chance to attend camp and continue their child’s education over the summer. The campers are always very excited to learn. As a future educator, I believe that keeping students engaged and reminded of STEM skills during the summer is important. I can remember back to when I was a young girl and attended STEM-focused summer camps. They were always so fun, allowed me to make awesome friends, helped me learn new ideas, and I created great memories.

At Camp Discovery we start our day with camp songs and short activities. These are led by the camp counselors. Some of our most popular songs were Bear Hunt, Tarzan, and Hey Burrito. These songs allowed campers to get moving and let their voices go wild while working on teamwork. An example of a short team-building activity we did is called Treasure Hunt. For this activity, the counselors would pair campers up by age and give each pair one blindfold. The objective of this activity is to have partner A lead partner B (who is blindfolded) to the “treasure” using directional phrases (“take three steps to the left!”) without touching. Once the pair finds the first hidden treasure, the campers switch roles and are on to find the next treasure. This activity challenges campers to use their critical thinking and communication skills. As a counselor this activity allowed me to learn from the campers around me and watch how their young minds work. It also helped me model those clear communication skills.

After we sang camp songs and split into our groups, our camp director would give counselors the lesson plans for the day that corresponded with that week’s theme. Some of the themes from last summer are: Rainforest Reigns, The Science of Art, Creepy Crawlies, and Amazing Archeology. As a counselor, my job is to carry those plans out and adjust as needed, based on the campers. Camp Discovery gives the campers a chance to take part in activities that would not be traditionally offered during the school day. These activities included sifting through over 600 pounds of sand for fossils, dissecting “dinosaur poop” (brownie batter), creating tie-dye items, and mapping the chocolate chips in a cookie. Most teachers would not select these activities due to the messiness and time commitment but at Camp Discovery, we have the freedom to be crazy fun! Another way we had crazy fun was with the older campers. This past summer they created a life-size Velociraptor out of donated recycled materials. This worked great because it forced the older campers to work on their math skills and problem-solving skills while being hands-on. Even though I did not specifically work with the older campers, I was still able to watch the process happen and see the campers’ mindsets change as the model was created.

This past summer one of the challenges I had to overcome was working with young campers and their fine motor skills. Personally, this was one of the biggest obstacles I faced because I never anticipated having to deal with it. At times I found myself wanting to complete small tasks for the campers like tying shoes and cutting out paper. Because of this, I had to work on identifying what was developmentally appropriate for their ages and to not push younger campers to do something alone that may have been too hard for them. Likewise, I had to resist doing these skills for bigger littles (third graders), simply because I was faster. It took a few days of brainstorming to figure out a solution, but I problem solved by partnering some of the younger campers with slightly older buddies to guide them with fine motor tasks. Not only did this solution end up working for the rest of the summer, but it also made lessons run smoother and allowed me to change buddies based on growth.

Camp Discovery has gifted me with so many opportunities that I am truly blessed to have. Since I was young, I have always enjoyed helping others and learning new ideas. Being able to learn and teach in a classroom setting has solidified my choice to study Elementary Education. This fall I will be attending the University of Kansas to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education followed by earning my Master’s degree. While a student at KU, I plan to continue being a leader and serving my community by being a model student and pledging into a service sorority.

After graduating from the University of Kansas, I want to become an educator in the Kansas City metro area. It is important to me to stay local because I want to help my community grow. I have seen so many times in my school and at Camp Discovery how little acts of service can blossom into something beautiful. Being an educator in Kansas City means that I will get to inspire future generations and give them the drive to succeed. Not only will I get to educate students, but I will be able to form deeper connections with my students and co-workers since I will be serving the community I grew up in. Coming back to my community as an educator also means that I will already understand the local resources that are available to my students and their families. It is important for students to have relatable teachers because students should have the opportunity to see themselves in all positions and feel valued. Because of Camp Discovery, I now know my true purpose in life but also how to have crazy fun inside a classroom while being the type of leader I want to be.