by Kate Evans
Morgan County Schools summer programs return this year with a variety of remediation and enrichment activities and fun for kindergarten through twelfth grade students.
Summer programs include Camp MoCo at Warm Springs Intermediate School, Camp Alpha at Warm Springs Middle School and credit recovery at Berkeley Springs High School and Paw Paw High School. The deadline for registration for the summer programs is Friday, May 13.
More information is available at the Morgan County Schools website and registration forms and health forms can be filled out and submitted online at https://www.morganschools.net/. Camp MoCo registration and health forms are also available on the Starting Points and Morgan County Extension Office websites.
Camp MoCo
Camp MoCo is free for upcoming kindergarten through fifth grade students and runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday from June 27 to July 21 at the intermediate school. The schedule is Tuesday through Friday Fourth of July week, said Morgan County Schools Elementary Education Director Kandy Pentoney.
Camp MoCo will offer reading, writing, music, art, movement and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities, games, problem-solving, Positive Actions and outdoor activities.
They’ll spend two weeks on water and the watershed and two weeks on birds, Pentoney said. Students will receive take-home books each week.
Pentoney said they’re planning for 100 kids for Camp MoCo. Students with the highest academic need will be placed first.
Pentoney is excited about the LitCamp reading program. She said that kids will enjoy reading, writing and science activities and will have fun practicing their skills at camp.
Transportation, meals
Door-to-door transportation is being provided to Camp MoCo and Camp Alpha from students’ homes.
Parents can arrange before and after camp wrap-around care for their children at the Boys and Girls Club (304-258-6741) or Little Learners Village. (304-258-8001) Parents must call the Boys and Girls Club or Little Learners to set that up, Pentoney said.
Morgan County Schools will provide breakfast, lunch and snacks to camp participants.
Camp Alpha
Camp Alpha will be held for upcoming Warm Springs Middle School sixth to eighth graders and upcoming Berkeley Springs High School ninth graders from June 27-July 21 at Warm Springs Middle School from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The program runs Monday through Thursday except for the week of July 4-8 when it’s Tuesday through Friday due to the holiday.
Camp Alpha is similar to Camp MoCo but offers more credit recovery, targeted reading and math instruction and enrichment activities, said Morgan County Schools Secondary Education Director Beth Golden. They’ll be using the LitCamp program by Scholastic for reading and the Math For Love program with students.
Afternoon enrichment activities offered by MC After 3 staff and others will include art, cooking, STEM activities, career exploration and outdoor activity, games and fun. Social workers and Community in Schools facilitators will do social/emotional learning with participants.
Camp Alpha will be targeting students with higher academic need that could benefit, but other students can apply. Golden said they’ll accept up to 50 students for Camp Alpha.
Berkeley Springs High School
Berkeley Springs High School’s summer school program goes from June 6-July 15 and is a virtual program. Golden said one teacher oversees students that either failed classes or weren’t on track to graduate on time.
A lot of coursework can be done online at home, but teens get a tutor a few days a week. Students must complete the program in six weeks, Golden said. Bus transportation is available during Camp MoCo/Camp Alpha weeks of June 27 to July 21 but otherwise high school students have to get there on their own.
Paw Paw High School
Paw Paw High School’s summer program is scheduled for June 6-July 15 and is for grades 7-12. It’s also a credit recovery program like Berkeley Springs High School’s summer program and is a virtual program, Golden said. Two teachers will provide instruction virtually.
If students are struggling or have failed a class, they’ll be referred to the program. Parents can contact Paw Paw High School at 304-947-7425 for more information and for the application.
For more information
For more information about Camp Alpha or the Berkeley Springs High School or Paw Paw High School summer programs, call Beth Golden at 304-258-2430 extension 2019.
For more information about Camp MoCo, call Kandy Pentoney at 304-258-2430 extension 2029, Audrey Morris at Starting Points at 304-258-5600 or Morgan County Extension Agent Cindy Smalley at 304-258-8400.
MC After 3, Paw Paw
Grades 6-12 have the option to go to the MC After 3 Summer Camp at Cacapon State Park from July 25 through August 5. Activities include horseback riding, swimming, outdoor games, hikes and team-building competitions. Watch the Morgan County Schools website for more information and registration forms.
Starting Points will hold activities for elementary school age children and their parents at the town park in Paw Paw this summer. Fun Fridays and Magic Mondays will run on June 10, 13, 17, 20 and 24 and will have similar activities to Camp MoCo such as reading, arts and crafts and outdoor games.
All ages are welcome but are generally children up to 12 years old. Call Tina Badley at 304-258-5600 to sign up.
Morgan Arts Council
The Morgan Arts Council is offering a summer youth theater camp from July 11-22 for ages 5-7 (9 a.m.-12 noon) and ages 8-14. (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) Participants will learn theater skills and put on a full production.
The Morgan Arts Council is also holding a summer youth visual arts camp for ages 6-14. Participants will learn about African safari animals, their environment and the arts and crafts of native people. They will sculpt clay animals, make masks, paint, draw and do other crafts.
Tuition assistance is available for the theater camp and the visual arts camp. Call 304-258-2300 or visit the Morgan Arts Council website for more information and registration forms.
Cacapon Institute
The Cacapon Institute is offering a week-long Stream Scholars Summer Camp from July 25-July 29 for grades 5-8. Program activities include stream and watershed science education, stream sampling, hiking, canoeing and camping. Two days of daytime programs are followed by three days and two nights of camping along the Potomac River headwaters.
Scholarships are available. Call 304-258-8013 or check the Cacapon Institute website for more information.
Other summer programs
Other Morgan County organizations and agencies offer summer camps, summer workshops and additional summer programs.
These include the Boys and Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle-Morgan County unit, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department, BlackCat Music Cooperative, Morgan County Parks and Recreation, Morgan County Tennis Association, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4-H. Check their websites or Facebook pages for more information.
