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During the month of June, Williston-Elko Middle School (WEMS) was transformed into a creative and art-integrated wonderland where students could hone their interests in a variety of areas.
Seventy-five middle schoolers from WEMS and Macedonia Elementary-Middle School in Blackville, including a handful of rising fourth and fifth graders, all joined together to take classes in circuits & electricity, crochet, photography, cooking, printmaking, music production, and much more.
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Photography was one of the many courses offered during the summer camp. Students learned the basics of photography and left with their own photo portfolio.
Photography was one of the many courses offered during the summer camp. Students learned the basics of photography and left with their own photo portfolio.
Photography was one of the many courses offered during the summer camp. Students learned the basics of photography and left with their own photo portfolio.
For the second year in a row, the needed teachers and materials were all provided by Engaging Creative Minds (ECM) at no cost to the school district, bringing free summer fun to Williston and Blackville students.
“It was so successful last year that we knew we wanted to do it again,” said program organizer and band director Jessica Pym.
Based in Charleston, ECM is a non-profit funded by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the South Carolina Department of Education through American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds.
For over 10 years, ECM has been hiring and training local artists, STEM professionals, and cultural leaders to guide summer camps, afterschool, and in-school programs. WEMS teachers participating in the summer program are also funded through ECM to lead classes.
Ernest Anderson is one of those instructors. He taught cardboard creations, where students are taking what would otherwise be trash and transforming it into shields and swords.
Not only were students encouraged to recycle, but Anderson found they were excited to create something and hold their finished product in their hands.
One difference between this summer and last was an increased number of programs and the implementation of student choice. Every student was able to select their first, second, and third choice for classes.
“One of the things we wanted to change this year was implementing student choice, because kids are happier when they get to explore what they like to explore,” said Pym. “We couldn’t necessarily get them into everything they wanted just based on scheduling options we had, but we were able to get them at least two of their choices.”
This style serves as a break from the traditional school-day for not only students, but teachers as well.
“I’ve really enjoyed talking to kids I don’t normally get to talk to,” said WEMS interventionist Emilie Mallett.
At the four-week long camp, students learned both arts-based and core curriculum content in five scheduled blocks. For those also enrolled in the traditional summer school, two are arts-based and three are core curriculum. Mallett enjoys how the arts subjects are broken up throughout the day to provide the students and teachers with a mental break from the usual curriculum.
This format also requires students to travel to their required classrooms independently and work with a different teacher and students each block, providing insight into time management aspects of high school.
To further give these middle schoolers a preview of high school, some of their classes were taught by Williston and Blackville teenagers such as Gabe Refugia.
Refugia is one of the 15 junior counselors paid by ECM to guide summer programming. Junior counselors serve as assistants to teachers and can also lead their own classes with adult oversight.
Refugia was a junior counselor last year, and this year he is leading a class on circuits.
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Circuits were one of the many classes offered during the summer camp. Taught by Junior Counselor and Williston-Elko alumni Gabe Refugia, students learned the basics as well as some advanced skills.
Circuits were one of the many classes offered during the summer camp. Taught by Junior Counselor and Williston-Elko alumni Gabe Refugia, students learned the basics as well as some advanced skills.
Circuits were one of the many classes offered during the summer camp. Taught by Junior Counselor and Williston-Elko alumni Gabe Refugia, students learned the basics as well as some advanced skills.
Circuits were one of the many classes offered during the summer camp. Taught by Junior Counselor and Williston-Elko alumni Gabe Refugia, students learned the basics as well as some advanced skills.
“He had the students make a drawing, any drawing they wanted, and they put a paper circuit behind it…so when you touched a certain spot on the drawing, something would light up,” said Pym.
One student created a Star Wars themed lightsaber battle.
Although not in the circuits class, soon-to-be WEMS seventh grader Jade Saturday has been expressing creativity in the kitchen as part of the cooking class. Two stand-out foods she made were walking tacos and guacamole.
It was Saturday’s first year in the camp, and overall she liked “being here with my friends,” she said. She also participated in cardboard creations with Anderson.
The students held an end-of-the-year celebration with performances and a cookout on June 27 described as “bittersweet” by Pym.
For more information about Engaging Creative Minds, visit https://engagingcreativeminds.org/.
