March 28, 2024

Summer Camps Can Stop the Brain Drain

Posted for St. Mary’s Ryken High School
Community Builder

Studies show students advancing into a new grade in the fall can be as much as five months behind their peers if they haven’t been engaged during the summer. Patterned on summer camps, the Summer Knights programming at St. Mary’s Ryken High School combats this “summer slide”  with a wide range of offerings for all ages.

This summer, nearly 300 teenagers and middle school students participated in 22 Summer Knights students programs. Depending on the summer camp, students had opportunities to meet with local and state government officials, solve mysteries, brush up on study skills, and learn to sail. Classes allowed Summer Knights to tap into their creativity, confidence, and leadership abilities.

Summer Knights’ ever-popular academic programs are designed to boost skill levels as well as a student’s confidence in the classroom. Others help them prepare for the upcoming fall SAT and ACT exams. A few of these programs are modeled directly upon St. Mary’s Ryken High School’s regular course offerings, such as CSI Ryken which involves students discovering clues from a crime scene, analyzing bones, and collecting fingerprints and splatter blood.

Another popular program is the American Red Cross Babysitter’s Training course. Here, hands-on activities, role-plays and lively discussions  teach students the basics of child-care and first aid. The summer camp teaches leadership and communication skills needed to supervise children and infants. Specifics are taught on handling bedtime and discipline issues, communicating effectively with parents, and finding and interviewing for babysitting jobs.

Always in high demand are the St. Mary’s Ryken High School athletics camps. “This was the best summer camp my son has attended,” said one parent. “The coaches and staff were excellent. My son said the coaches were always motivating him in a positive way. Thank you!”

“LOVED Tracey Jubeck,” said another parent about the volleyball coach. “She organized instruction based on each individual’s level of need… Super impressed on a job well done.”

Another parent remarked that “Everyone was very cheerful, accommodating and darn right friendly! Best camp and instructors around!”

Summer Knights at St. Mary’s Ryken in Leonardtown, Maryland, takes place from mid-June through the end of July each summer. Missed signing your child up this year? Registration opens each March at www.smrhs.org/summerknights, so mark your calendar now.

Don’t miss it again, the best summer camp solution to the “brain drain” in Southern Maryland.

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