Summer camps return to Polk State

For students looking to exercise their minds or bodies this summer, Polk State College has options.

The College will offer a pair of summer camps that will take place in June and July. Kids at College, a summertime staple in Polk County, returns with a third location at the Polk State JD Alexander Center in Lake Wales. For the third year in a row, Polk State will also offer Civics Leadership Academies.

Civics Leadership Academies

Civics Leadership Academies offer hands-on learning at the leadership level. Over the weeklong camp, teams of students will identify an issue within their city, school, or community that they are passionate about and then work together to find a solution.

“We’ve had great feedback over the last two years,” said Cathryn Goble-Smith, Program Director for Public Service Career Pathways. “This has given students the opportunity to interact with leaders across the county – mayors, Polk County School Board members, leaders at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Fire Rescue, the list goes on. We’ve had leaders from nonprofits, including the United Way, as well. Some students have already signed up for a third year in a row.”

The camp, which lasts daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., is available for students from sixth through ninth grade. Session 1 takes place on the Lakeland Campus from June 23 through 27. Session 2 will be held on the Winter Haven Campus from July 14 through 18.

“Our academy reinforces some of the civics benchmarks they learn in middle school,” Goble-Smith added. “It’s great for kids who love civics or social studies, but it’s also great for those who struggle with it because it makes it fun.”

The cost is $150 per session. Included in the cost of tuition are two camp T-shirts, a backpack, and a water bottle. Goble-Smith noted that there are civics career academies in nine of Polk County’s public high schools.

“This is a chance for them to see if maybe that is something that they’d be interested in,” she noted. “It’s also a chance to engage with other students and to work with our leaders. They’ll get to know the issues we’re facing and what they can do to make a difference.”

Students can register at polk.edu/cla. More information is available at www.polk.edu/summer-programs/civics-leadership-academy.

“Our sessions will be running simultaneously with Kids at College sessions in Lakeland and Winter Haven,” Goble-Smith concluded. “For students who have participated in Kids at College in the past, aged out of Kids at College, or have younger siblings participating in Kids at College, this is a great alternative.”

Kids at College

Kids at College will offer five sessions this summer, including one at a new location – the Polk State JD Alexander Center in Lake Wales. The fifth and final session of the summer, the Lake Wales session will be held daily July 21 through 25 from 8:15 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.

“While many students from Lake Wales have attended Kids at College on the Winter Haven Campus in the past, this is an opportunity to make KAC more accessible to that part of the county,” said Brenda Bracewell, Project Support Specialist for Kids at College. “We’re excited to have the JD Alexander Center as a third KAC location; hopefully, this creates new opportunities for students to attend and provides added convenience for parents.”

As customary, the Winter Haven and Lakeland campuses will offer two sessions each. They will run daily from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily during all four sessions. Kids at College offers sessions at the Lakeland Campus from June 16 through 20 and from June 23 through 27. Sessions will be available at the Winter Haven Campus from July 7 through 11 and from July 14 through 18.

“KAC is unique in that we offer a wide variety of classes within one summer program,” Bracewell added. “A student can take Rocketry, Radical Reptiles, and Balloon Twisting in the same week.”

The camp, which also introduces many children to the idea of college, is available for children from ages 5 to 13. There will be three daily classes for two hours each with a wide variety of topics. The class schedule is available here. Registration opens May 1. More information is available at www.polk.edu/kids-at-college.

“Many summer programs are limited to one topic, or they are merely babysitting,” Bracewell concluded. “We task our instructors with creating classes that are so engaging the students are begging to be there, but at the same time, the parents know that their children’s minds are actively engaged. Our instructors regularly meet and exceed our expectations.”