WALKING INTO UNI this summer, you might have caught a glimpse of senior Malcolm Taylor being attacked by a group of rowdy fourth- and fifth-graders or history teacher Bill Sutton narrating to a group of students who seemed slightly smaller than usual.

These campers were a part of Uni's ambitious multi-session summer program organized by counselor Sam Smith (who has since left Uni for a position at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts). The camp was created four years ago to introduce underprivileged and racially diverse children into the Uni community in the hopes that they might later apply and add more of a mixture to the school population.

About 20 students from Uni were also involved and took a break from their busy summer schedules to become an enthusiastic group of volunteers who guided and supervised the 20 to 30 young learners each week. Here are some brief summaries of the four sessions.

Junior Nile Hamer was one of the Uni students who volunteered this summer. Photo by Natsuki Nakamura (click to enlarge)

Session 1: Robotics (June 23-July 4)
Enrollment cost: $50 (fees waived upon request)

Kicking the camp off to a great start, the robotics session encouraged hands-on learning and creativity. During this two-week camp, the campers first learned the basics of robotic programming using Lego Mindstorms.

Once they had that down, they put their new skills to the test, programming their robots to do sophisticated tasks such as moving through mazes and sensing colors.

Throughout the camp the Uni volunteers were surprised at the interest shown by the campers,

“I thought it would be a bunch of kids who did not want to be there so it would be hard to work with them,” freshman Aramael Pena-Alcantara observed. “But actually I saw that they all wanted to work on the project as much as I did, which was a lot.”

Pena-Alcantara was also surprised at the level the campers were able to work at and was amazed at the complex and unusual programs created. Overall it was a productive and impressive two weeks.

Spanish teacher Jenna Finch helps a camper work on her paper quilt. Photo by Natsuki Nakamura (click to enlarge)

Session 2: Culture (July 7-11)
Enrollment cost: $25 (fees waived upon request)

For the artist in the camp the session on mask-making and different cultures was a fun one. Led by Spanish teacher Jenna Finch, the campers got to explore other lands by learning about masks, quilts, and symbols.

The kids themselves even got to make a “paper quilt” in which they drew symbols and designs on pieces of paper and put them all together to make one large creation.

Sophomore Erick Dietz noticed how the drawings enabled the kids to open up more.

“One kid really stood out because he acted really tough, but when we made flags he really had deep thoughts about what it meant and just wanted to learn,” Dietz said.

While the focus of this session was more on the academic side, this didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the young campers. As senior Natsuki Nakamura said, “I like it when I ask a kid, ‘Did you have fun today?’ and they respond ‘Yeah!’ excited for the next day.”

Session 3: History (July 14-18)
Enrollment cost: $25 (fees waived upon request)

This session was led by Uni’s own U.S. history expert, Bill Sutton, who taught a class that focused on the kids’ personal histories. Campers were able to delve into their past and make a poster that represented themselves and their culture. Not only were they able to be creative with unique poster ideas, but they also got their first glimpse of the Mac lab when they went in to do some research.

“Sometimes it was difficult because the [campers] kept on trying to go to YouTube instead of doing the actual work,” said sophomore Eleni Yannelis.

But even so, it was a great time for the volunteers and campers to bond and create relationships.

Malcolm Taylor was also a volunteer and mentioned that when he first came in to help, none of the kids liked him. But when he drew a picture for them, they suddenly warmed up to him, and he became a very active volunteer.

“They were so innocent and different,” Taylor remarked.

This session was great for campers and volunteers alike as they got to learn more about themselves and each other.

Session 4: Dancing and Poetry (July 21-25)
Enrollment cost: $25 (fees waived upon request)

Many of the weekly campers claimed that this was their favorite session of all. It was by far the most active of the weeks, between the walking on campus and the two hours of dancing.

Each morning started out with stretches and exercises followed by instruction in two different types of dance: A martial Brazilian dance called Capoeira and an interpretive Indian dance.

The last hour after the dancing was spent with Aaron Ammons , head of the S.P.E.A.K. café. He helped guide the campers through the process of brainstorming and of expressing themselves through poetry. Many of the finished poems were later performed for their families.

For those Uni students who volunteered, this week was one of the best: “The kids enjoyed it a lot, so it made it better for us,” Taylor commented.

Junior Linda Ly said that while it was challenging keeping the campers focused on dancing, the kids “really got into the poetry.”

The camp this summer was definitely a success with the great turnout of campers and volunteers. It was an effective and fun way to reach out to youngsters whom current Uni students hope to see walking the halls as subfreshmen in a few years.