What we can learn from Kingdom East School District’s summer camp?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The 2020-2021 pandemic school year was uniquely challenging and extraordinarily exhausting. As the summer of 2021 got underway, the typical summer break excitement was tempered for many families due to tapped out energy sources and monetary resources.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Vaccine rates were climbing and some aspects of life started feeling more normal. Yet students walking away from surreal school experiences may have wondered what summer had in store for them. Kids who had participated in virtual academies were especially eager to reconnect with peers, which isn\u2019t always straightforward in spread out rural communities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Supporting families by connecting students to peers, learning, and fun<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Kingdom East School District (KESD) saw a variety of needs and moved decisively to create an ambitious summer camp to serve the community. It would support families with childcare, strengthen student social connections, and provide engaging learning activities. It would be five full days per week, free of charge, and draw on resources throughout the community. And it would be fun!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One catch: KESD had never done anything like this before. Here\u2019s how they pulled it off and what they learned.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Summer camp priority number one: create compelling experiences<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Morgan Moore masterminded the 2021 summer camp as the Director of Experiential Learning and Summer School Program Director. This newly created position sent a clear signal that meaningful experiences were going to be at the heart of summer camp. As Morgan explains it,\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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I think experiential learning opens so many doors. I think project based learning, and personalized learning really fall under experiential learning. Say you are a student who’s taken on a project and you have an idea like \u201cI want to start a community kitchen in my community.\u201d You\u2019re going to start with that idea and go through those cycles where it might not work out right and then you kind of start over again. So you\u2019re learning through those experiences.<\/p>\r\nMorgan Moore, KESD Summer Camp Director<\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Experiential learning<\/a> was the guiding philosophy of the summer camp. Days were logistically split into morning academics and afternoon recreational activities. Regardless of format, the main design principle was to create concrete and memorable learning experiences for students. This allowed teachers to focus on fun and engagement. And it provided a steady stream of novelty and excitement that provided rich soil for social connections.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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