On top of the world: Memories of summer camp

The Arts Scene

The Averitt Center for the Arts' "Little Mermaid Jr." summer camp music director Robert Cottle, center, runs through a musical number with Izzie Yarborough, 8, left, and Selah Lunsford, 9, last summer. Campers learned the acting, singing and dancing aspects of musical theater while producing a one-hour version of Disney’s "The Little Mermaid," which they performed at the end of the week. - photo by SCOTT BRYANT/file

Little Mermaid camp — The Averitt Center for the Arts' "Little Mermaid Jr." summer camp music director Robert Cottle, center, runs through a musical number with Izzie Yarborough, 8, left, and Selah Lunsford, 9, last summer. Campers learned the acting, singing and dancing aspects of musical theater while producing a one-hour version of Disney’s "The Little Mermaid," which they performed at the end of the week. - photo by SCOTT BRYANT/file

Once upon a time in the late 1960s and early 1970s — yes, last century — I, as a child, had the pleasure of participating in art camps. I still remember to this day the ultimate “on top of the world” feeling that attending these camps gave me. I remember the feel of the paper. I remember the smell of the tempura paint. I remember making color wheels and learning about warm colors, cool colors, and complimentary colors. I hope many Discovering Bulloch readers have similar memories.

The Averitt Center for the Arts offers these same types of art camps for youngsters in our community. We also offer theater, music and dance camps. All are designed to offer children an immersion into a full arts experience, whether by painting with brushes, strumming a ukelele, delivering lines from a play, or doing ballet leaps across the room. These “on top of the world” experiences happen every summer right here in Statesboro at the Averitt Center.

Organized by either half-day or full-day camps, many of our summer camp instructors are also members of our year-round teaching faculty, while others are from our community and local schools. Half-day camps are usually held from 9 a.m. until noon or 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Full-day camps are typically scheduled from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., with a supervised 30-minute break for campers to enjoy lunch from home.

Our art camps are usually held in the Roxie Remley Center for Fine Arts on East Vine Street, while our music camps fit perfectly on the third floor of the Averitt Center’s main building on East Main Street. Our theater camps are held in the Mical Whitaker Black Box Theater, located inside the Performing Arts Center on West Main Street. Dance camps are also held there, as well as at our Cotton Rose School of Dance location on North Main Street.

Full information about each camp can be found at the Averitt Center online where, with a few clicks, you can sign up your child at a time that’s convenient for you — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.