Catlettsburg celebrates school camp, future careers
Jul. 2—CATLETTSBURG — The gymnasium of Catlettsburg Elementary filled with excitement Friday as the Career Carnival Camp came to a close.
Students brought their families along for the final day's festivities. A balloon arch welcomed students to the floor where each class or pair of classes presented for the crowd.
The crowd was made up of community partners, teachers, middle school mentors, and the campers' families. As each group was called to the gym floor the crowd gave a round of applause. Parents grabbed their cell phones and turned their cameras on to capture the moments.
The kindergarten and fourth-grade students together read a poem about careers. A particularly heartwarming moment occurred when a fourth-grade boy held the microphone for a kindergartener and whispered his line word-by-word for him to repeat to the crowd.
The students then shared what they wanted to do for a career when they grew up. The answers ranged from dentist to YouTuber, from hairdresser to ship designer.
Helen Bocook, the 21st Century Director, shared about those who made the four weeks of camp happen. From the teachers to the cafeteria staff, from the community partners to the middle school mentors who volunteered their time. All were given individual thanks and gifts.
The students were able to go on multiple field trips over the course of the four weeks of camp. They went to the Newport Aquarium, which Bocook said was "the best adventure we ever had."
The teachers and students also headed to the Highland Museum and Discovery Center and visited the Kool Hits radio station. The group watched a commercial be produced and saw the behind the scenes work of a radio DJ.
Bocook said the camp, which was themed Career Carnival, was aimed to help the students explore future career options, especially those not so mainstream or popular for kids at the elementary school level.
The students watched as the radio DJs produced a commercial which aired on 105.7-FM the next day. The commercial was played for the crowd Friday as well.
The Greatest Showman was played during camp, and the students had fun math and reading activities based on the movie. On a screen opposite the balloon arch in the gym, a video played.
Photos from the camp's four weeks of interactive learning and career finding displayed as A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman soundtrack reverberated through the gymnasium.
Gifts and awards were given out. Then the families headed to the back of the gym for lunch and cake.
Families were able to take home books along with other learning resources thanks to community partners. Partners present include Cub Scouts, the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center, the Boyd County Public Library and the Boyd County Health Department.
Other partners were King's Daughters Medical Center, 4-H, the Girl Scouts and the Boyd County Extension Office, according to Bocook.
Families went home with full bellies, passes to the Highlands Museum and with students who saw gains or maintained their math and reading skills. The whole goal of the camp, which is funded through the 21st Century CCLC grant, is to avoid learning loss.
Bocook said the students took STAR testing in reading and math at the beginning of camp and retook the tests at the end of camp. Many students made gains, but all maintained. Maintaining is a win due to the typical loss a student experiences in the summer. Gains of even one point are great, Bocook explained.
Each teacher, volunteer and staff member who helped make the camp possible was introduced and bragged on by Bocook. The families gave a round of applause for each person.
Then, a bouquet of flowers emerged along with a gift. The flowers were handed to a student to present to Bocook for her work in making the camp possible.
