Tracy Elementary School students who participated in the 2013 Camp Discover in June gathered with their families and community members on Nov. 11 to share memories of camp and enjoy a variety of activities.
The mission of Camp Discover is part of an ongoing community partnership project designed around the natural connections that exist between literacy and the development of social connectedness, with an emphasis on exploring, sharing and celebrating the community’s stories and heritage.
“The excitement about the reunion had been building for weeks at Tracy,” said Emily Partin, coordinator of the Grundy County Schools Family Resource Center and a community partner. “The kids remember so much about the summer camp and can tell wonderful stories about their time in the community. They are already anxious to learn where we will visit next year!”
Community volunteers who participated in the reunion also included wildlife rehabilitator Margaret Matens, who brought snakes and turtles for students to hold; State Park Ranger George Shinn, who provided information about their different habitats on the Plateau; and A.J. Gulley, who cooked up a large kettle of mulligan stew for the group to sample and told the history of frontier cooking.
Photographs were collected to create a community calendar that celebrates the camp and provides additional information on locations campers visited and books they read for families that may want to visit or read together. Students and their families had a chance to see the calendar on Monday for the first time and were encouraged to reflect on and write about some of their special memories.
In addition, student photographs were on display in an exhibit in Tracy Elementary’s new Learning Lab. Sewanee art professor Pradip Malde and College student Chandler Sowden worked with students this fall to write reflections on the photos they took. The exhibit will move to the University in January for a show at Stirling’s. In the future, the Learning Lab will offer a space for students and families to complete school project assignments in a supportive environment.
University of the South Executive Chef Rick Wright shared a no-bake apple cookie activity, and Christopher Faults told stories of Tracy’s history as students rode a hay wagon around the town.
The evening ended with a barbecue dinner for everyone prepared by Priscilla Graham, while the Bazzania band provided entertainment. Sherry Guyear, one of the camp’s lead teachers, shared the book “Owl Babies,” and all students received a bag of books and calendar provided by Scholastic, along with some special treats.
More than 60 Tracy Elementary students in grades 1–7 participated in the 2013 Camp Discover, which is part of an ongoing collaboration between the University, Yale Child Study Center, Scholastic and Tracy Elementary. Funding from the Friends of the South Cumberland and University of the South Environmental Studies, rangers from South Cumberland State Park, and curriculum, program materials, and books supplied by Scholastic supported the two-week program. Plans are underway for the 2014 Camp program. For more information email <southcumberlandfamilies@gmail.com>.
—Special to the Messenger
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