Arts camps to begin next week

by Michele Roberts/For Carolina Gateway
The Lancaster County Council of the Arts is still accepting registrations for its annual Arts and Sciences Camp, the first of which begins July 9 at Covenant Baptist Church in Lancaster.
The camp, which is held at several different locations throughout the county, is designed to spark elementary-age children's imagination and creativity.
“There are choices of lots of creative classes, and each child is able to choose two classes,” said Debbie Jaillette, LCCA executive director. “For example, we have a movie-making class, which would represent theater arts, a Mighty Rangers class that represents kid-friendly non-contact martial arts and a Clay Works class that would represent 3-D arts, since the children would use their hands to create things.”
There is a minimum of eight children required for each class to be held, and maximum capacity is dependent upon the class. Different camps will offer different classes, based on enrollment.
“Some of the classes could accommodate 10 or up to 20 children, it just depends on which class it is,” Jaillette said. “We encourage parents to register their children as early as possible, though, so they will have a good selection of classes to take. We will accept registration up until the time the camp actually starts, but once the classes begin to fill up, the selection becomes limited and based on availability. Also, the more enrollment we have, the more classes we are able to offer.”
Jaillette said the summer camp is a long-standing program and is popular among children and parents alike.
“We have a lot of repeat children at this summer camp,” she said. “And some grandparents even schedule visits from out-of-town grandchildren around the time that the camp is held. This is a great opportunity for the kids, and for those who teach the classes as well.”
The classes are taught by certified teachers and art professionals from the area, and Jaillette said the camp provides a wonderful partnership between the teachers and the arts council.
“One of the best things is that it gives our certified teachers an opportunity to teach during the summer, and we try to put as many of them to work as possible,” she said. “And our artists really enjoy the time they spend teaching these kids. It’s a really great program that benefits a lot of people.”
Each class runs from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $85 for members of the Lancaster County Council of the Arts and $100 for non-members. The camp will be held at Covenant Baptist Church in Lancaster on July 9-13; at Tabernacle United Methodist Church in Buford on July 16-20; at First Baptist Church in Kershaw on July 23-27; and at Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church in Indian Land on July 30-Aug. 3.
For more information, call LCCA at (803) 285-7451. To download registration forms and see a list of available classes at each camp, visit www.lccarts.net.
 

Reece Murphy/reporter

Campers, from left, Hannah Cook, Evan Berry, Dakota Perry and Patrick Shaheen make turtles during a Clay Creations class at the 2011 Arts and Science Camp in Indian Land. This year's Indian Land camp, operated by the Lancaster County Council of the Arts, will be July 30-Aug. 3 at Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church.

Buy this photo