Memories Created at Great Hearts Summer Camps

This year’s Great Hearts Arizona Summer Camps, which ran from June 3rd to June 28th, were a huge success. Hosted at Great Hearts Archway (Grades K-5) academies across the Valley, the camps and kinder readiness programs served an average of 800 scholars per week, totaling over 1,240 scholars throughout the summer. This marks one of the highest attended summer programs at Great Hearts Arizona to date.

Sierra Dempsey, Campus Coordinator at Archway Lincoln, commended the camp’s success. “We enjoyed all of the vendors and felt like they did a great job including all of the campers in their activities. Campers particularly enjoyed Kyle Yote, Carter’s Farm, and Time Bandit Entertainment. Along with vendors, the campers seemed very excited to work together on different lesson crafts and activities. The curriculum this summer was so much fun for them, and they were all engaged!”

The vendors mentioned by Dempsey featured a variety of visitors who share engaging demonstrations and hands-on activities with the campers each week. Ken Koshio, a taiko drumming artist and performer from Japan, provided a demonstration and gave campers the chance to try taiko drumming themselves. April Mafi taught Hawaiian culture and dance through interactive performances and lessons, giving campers an immersive cultural experience. Playwell provided an engineering challenge, where campers learned how to build engineer-designed projects and customized LEGO bots to compete in a Bash ’em Bot challenge, applying real-world engineering and physics concepts. James Reid from JR Juggling performed juggling tricks from around the world, engaging and teaching campers.

A camper and faculty favorite, Carter’s Farm, provided a petting zoo that allowed scholars to interact with farm animals such as miniature goats and rabbits directly on-site. “My favorite experience of camp was the petting zoo,” shared Stacy McIlvain, Campus Coordinator at Archway Glendale. “Seeing the smiles on their faces when they saw the animals in the [multi-purpose room] was priceless!”

The summer camp curriculum was diverse and engaging, with themes such as Operation Summer Camp, Nature’s Hidden Wonders, Celebration of Nations, and Farm to Table. Each theme offered unique activities and learning opportunities, ensuring that campers were always excited and engaged.

“This year’s summer camp was a success,” said Krista Hrabe, Campus Coordinator at Archway Veritas, who emphasized the importance of art in their program. “For us, we loved all of the arts and crafts. The scholars all took their time, listened to instructions, and really took it all in.”

The summer camps not only provided fun and engaging activities during the hot Arizona summer but also created a sense of community and learning among scholars. The success of this year’s program is due to the hard work and dedication of the coordinators and the enthusiasm of the campers. We look forward to continuing this tradition of excellence in the years to come. For more information, visit https://arizona.greatheartsamerica.org/summer/

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