Steuben County Literacy Coalition details Base Camp after-school sites and expanded summer camps
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Summary
Nicole Baumgartner of the Steuben County Literacy Coalition described Base Camp after-school sites across the county, a new Ryan Park site opening next school year, and a slate of summer camps including STEM, drama, art (partnered with the Indiana Arts Commission) and kindergarten readiness camps.
Nicole Baumgartner, representing the Steuben County Literacy Coalition, described the coalition's after-school Base Camp program and a series of summer camps the coalition runs or sponsors across local schools and libraries.
Base Camp operates in Henry Park, Carlin Park, Angola Middle School, Prairie Heights, Fremont and Hamilton, Baumgartner said, and the coalition plans to open a new Base Camp site at Ryan Park next school year. The coalition's online programs page lists Base Camp and summer camps; Baumgartner said individual summer camps target specific grades and typically run for one week (STEM camp) or multiple weeks (art camp runs three weeks; drama camp was scheduled for two full weeks).
Camp highlights described in the presentation include a STEM camp (formerly called Space Camp) that uses hands-on activities such as building rockets and exploring buoyancy and symmetry; a drama camp this year producing a staging of The Jungle Book with about 45 participating children; and an art camp held at Fremont Public Library that includes clay work, recycled-material projects, glass painting, resin work and other studio experiences. Baumgartner said the art camp is partnered with the Indiana Arts Commission and led by middle-school art teacher Nora Majors.
The coalition also offers three-week kindergarten-readiness (K) camps in Angola, Grama and Hamilton; Baumgartner said a previously offered K camp at Prairie Heights may not run this year because of staffing issues. She described camp logistics such as snack and lunch service, hands-on transitions practice and handwriting exercises, and said families can sign up using Google forms listed on the coalition website.
Baumgartner said enrollment opens early for some camps, creating occasional wait lists, but staff turnover and early cancellations frequently allow the coalition to fill spots from wait lists. The presentation concluded with thanks and handoff to the webinar host.
