Camp is just around the corner, and we want to know what students at Edison Intermediate School go to camp. There are day camps and sleepaway camps all around us. According to Newsweek, nationally “approximately 20 million kids go to summer camp each year.”
In addition, so many students go to camp yet when did the idea of going to camp begin historically in the United States? According to Daily History.org, “The first organized summer camp for children occurred in Gunnery, Connecticut where Fredrick W. Gunn, a well-known abolitionist, established a recreational camp….. more summer camps were established in the 1870’s-1880’s.”
Students at EIS said that they love going to camp. Sixth grade student Maidah Sheikh stated, “I go to day camp at the JCC, and I love swimming.”
Another sixth grader Sia Punia explained that she goes to day camp at Tamaques and her favorite thing to do is play card games. Overall the majority of sixth graders we interviewed went to day camp.
On the other hand, seventh grader Tesla Pifer said that she does go to sleepaway camp and explained, “I went to sleepaway camp called Hilltop, and my favorite activity at camp was using the trapease.”
Just like the seventh graders, the majority of eighth graders go to sleepaway camp instead of day camp. Hannah Greenberg, eighth grade student, said, “I go to sleepaway camp at Iroquois Springs for six weeks. My favorite thing to do at camp is going in the pool and hanging out with friends.”
Even students who don’t go to sleepaway camps wish that they did. Audrey Sewald, an eighth grader, shared, “I don’t go to sleepaway camp, but I wish I went to sleepaway camp because I could have made many connections with people that would have been lifelong friends.”
Not only students can go to camp. Seventh grade math teacher Mr. Zachary Crutcher stated, “I went to day camp when I was in elementary and middle school. Afterwards, I became a counselor at the camp.”
Another heated debate is whether sleepaway camp is too expensive. Eighth grade student Kayla Rose Redding mentioned that sleep camp is too expensive. The average cost for a six-week camp can be $11,000 not including trip fees. A day camp it can range from $50 a week to $500 a week.
Some students also wonder who can go to camp as well. “There is not a specific type of child that goes to summer camp. Campers who attend the many thousands of summer camps throughout the United States each year come from all walks of life, and countries from around the globe, and have about as many different interests as there are types of camps. Here’s the secret. It is not about being the ‘type’ of a child that goes to summer camp”(Camp Weequahic). When it comes to financial issues, some camps provide scholarships for people who need them.
