ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Claflin's summer arts intensive camp has come to an end, but the nine campers who attended put on a virtual demonstration Friday to showcase what they learned.
"Now that we did playwriting, I feel like my typing, art, and writing have improved," said Eva Cooper, Brookdale Elementary 3rd grader.
Claflin's theatre program created the summer arts intensive camp in 2008. It's designed to pair young students with college professors and students to expose them to different forms of art.
"Our goal is to offer high-quality instruction to first and tenth-grade students," explained Annette Dees-Grevious, Claflin Summer Arts Intensive's Director. "College professors offer that instruction, and the curriculum is centered around the visual and performing arts standards for South Carolina."
"Our hope is that they will receive exposure to these various disciplines if they choose to major in artistic disciplines when they get to college," explained Dees-Grevious.
The program's director says the program received a grant for $10,692 from the South Carolina Arts Commission last year. However, the pandemic shifted the event to a virtual learning experience.
The campers showcased an original play, song, and artwork they did over the span of two weeks. That work will be published in a book later for them to have. One of the campers, Carrington Wallace-Johnson, believes the camp will help her with time management skills when she returns to school.
"I think it will help us a lot knowing we don't have to rush," Wallace-Johnson said. "With the time we had, we can still up with something amazing."