Camp’S Fiesta Atmosphere Gets Students Shouting ‘Hola’

For some Spokane students, summer school has been nothing short of a two-week fiesta.

No homework. No assignments. Just handson fun.

In Jessi Thompson’s Spanish Camp at Roosevelt Elementary School, 22 kids in kindergarten through sixth grade have been learning Spanish language basics while having a good time.

They played hopscotch and duck-duck-goose while counting in Spanish, made tie-dyed ponchos and yarn weavings, played Spanish games, read Spanish books and sang Spanish songs.

“We hope that when they leave they have a love of learning new languages,” said Thompson, who teaches third grade at Longfellow Elementary School during the school year. “Even if they don’t remember the vocabulary words, we hope they’ll remember the fun.”

That seems likely. Last week, kids filed into the class spouting cheery “Holas” to Thompson and went to don their ponchos. Outside, a bright green parrot pinata hung from a basketball hoop, waiting for the end-of-camp celebration.

Longfellow fifth-grader Stacie Cobb said her favorite part of the camp has been singing Spanish songs. She said she likes the novelty of knowing something many others don’t.

I want to keep learning Spanish so I can teach other people,” Cobb said. “Then we can talk to each other and other people won’t understand.”

Space available at Adventure Camps

Shaw and Garry students: Are the days of summer already starting to stretch before you like an endless desert of boredom?

Why not try the oasis that is Adventure Camp? Spend your days canoeing, kayaking, swimming, horseback riding, playing beach volleyball, ice skating, fishing and biking - all for free.

Shaw and Garry middle school students, and sixth-graders who will be going to those schools, are invited to attend the camps.

The Garry camps will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays. Sessions run from Monday through July 31 and from Aug. 2-23.

The Shaw camps are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with sessions running from July 11 to Aug. 1 and from Aug. 3-24.

The Adventure Camps are sponsored by the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department’s Northeast Youth Center and The Hubs: Centers of Activity, District 81’s 21st Century Community Learning Center.

For more information or to register, call 482-0708.

North Siders off to Leadership Camp

Heather Kaesemeyer of Rogers High School and Dane Carlson of Mead High School will be among 100 students from around the state to participate in the 2000 National Teen Leadership Program at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.

The three-day program, which starts Friday, features motivational speakers and workshops designed to help students appreciate diversity, overcome image issues and confront challenges.

Established in 1992, the National Teen Leadership Program aims to develop leadership qualities and inspire students to become more active in their school and community.