PVCC volunteers wanted for summer academies

“CSI Charlottesville,” “TV Production,” “Saving Lives” and “Game Design” are just a small number of week-long academies being offered this year at PVCC to 6th through 10th grade students at the Summer Career Academies.

The day camp program was started for rising middle and high school students by the Piedmont Futures department from Workforce Services.

Piedmont Futures will hire four PVCC students as camp counselors to work all seven weeks of the academies, and one additional counselor to work selected weeks throughout the summer.

Erin Hughey-Commers, program coordinator of Piedmont Futures, said, “Camp counselors help students have fun while maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment.”

PVCC students interested in working as counselors will act as assistants for the instructors on field trips and will lead recreation time, such as basketball and other games.

According to Hughey-Commers, these students should be “creative, enthusiastic, and able to work well with young people in addition to being reliable, trust-worthy, and hard-working.”

The camp is looking for college students to work from noon until 5 p.m. She said, “This is a great opportunity for someone who is interested in working in education or with kids in the future.”

PVCC student Emily Traylor worked as a camp counselor during last year’s academies.  She said, “The best thing about working with the kids was seeing them get into the various activities and really having fun learning…[and] it was really neat to get to know each child and help encourage them along in their academic interests.”

Traylor worked with an astronomy academy, making telescopes and visiting Monticello and a local observatory with the students.

“The time the counselors invest in the kids truly makes a difference for them, and it’s a pretty cool experience for the counselors too,” Traylor continued.

Each academy will be five days long, from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The first part of each day, until about noon, is spent in a classroom.

Students work with PVCC instructors and guest speakers to participate in hands-on, project-based learning.

In the Biology Experiments: Mad Scientist academy, middle and high school students will conduct experiments, such as extracting DNA from strawberries and working with bluegill fish to see if they prefer large or small prey.

The remainder of the afternoon, from about 1 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. will be designated for field trips to UVA and area businesses, to allow the students a chance to see how their interests can be applied to careers in the local community.

Students who participate in the “You “Look MAHVALOUS!” academy will have the chance to see a design business and a theater department.

Registration for all camps is on a first come, first serve basis until all the sessions are full.

Last year, the camp hosted 195 middle and high school students in the academies.

This year, Hughey-Commers said they hope to see at least 450 students participating in the camp.

Each academy costs $225, and the Career Academies has partnered with the Great Expectations program for foster youth to offer $200 scholarships. According to Hughey-Commers, “A committee from the Central Virginia Career Pathways Consortium selects students based on financial need and their written responses to three questions on the application form.”

For more information about applying for a camp counselor position or to learn more about the Summer Career Academies, visit pvcc.edu/futures or email piedmontfutures@pvcc.edu.

 

LAUREN BERG
FORUM STAFF WRITER