On Thursday, July 30, the News Review hosted the Creative Kids Camp’s (CKC) six doughty Iliad teams. From young to old, the morning brought the Myrmidons (ants who were magically transformed by Zeus into devoted and obedient servants), then the Argonauts (legendary Greek heroes who sailed in the Argo to find the Golden Fleece) and the Griffins (part lion, part eagle). After lunch the Centaurs (part horse and part man) galloped in, followed by the Titans (giant immortals), culminating most fittingly in the Olympians – those who have reached the pinnacle of camp life.
Some of the older campers are also in the newspaper’s cadre of youthful carriers, distributing the newspaper around the city. Their contemporaries were rather impressed by this, wanting to know how old they’d have to be and what it pays.
Newspaper volunteers Becky Rackis, Erica Johns and Cathie Meetre had prepared several experiences for the campers in various formats, each adapted to the range of ages. Fortunately, the activities seemed on target, though perhaps with a wider range of outcomes than anticipated.
Early Printing
All groups got a short introduction to the newspaper, then the younger groups used stamp blocks to see how graphics were incorporated in the newspaper before digital printing. Of course, they all knew from nursery school how to make hand prints and it is fortunate that the News Review has a sink in its office, even if volunteer Johns had to devise a step so they could reach it.
Stories to Go
The three younger groups of campers worked with camp counselors and the volunteers to fill in the blanks on a pre-printed page about camp, set up like a tiny newspaper with the same but smaller masthead used on the front page of this issue. Older campers wrote their own digital stories, using the newspaper’s computers to fill out an online template. The oldest group showed considerable skill in choosing subjects, searching for suitable graphics and pasting them into their stories. The volunteers were impressed with their ingenuity.
Topics Varied
The stories were individual or small group efforts and each camper group turned out some very competent work in terms of their age range. Stories ranged from invading aliens and love of music through learning to ice skate and what to write when you can’t think of anything to write.
Other topics included catching crabs on the Chesapeake Bay, how to plan the perfect vacation and the influence of memes (no kidding). One young man wrote a touching story about his concern for his younger sister who was in the Youth Center, where the power had gone off for some period. He was afraid she would be scared in the dark.
A Lunchtime Story
The campers eat lunch on the lawn between the Community Center and the Greenbelt Library. During this time there was an incident that involved a fight at the Library (not your usual venue for a brawl) and that brought (according to the young eyewitnesses) five police cars to the scene – the boys were most precise about this. The groups after lunch were clearly using their stories to process what they had so unfortunately seen. Luckily, it’s not every newspaper camp session that includes a real crime to report.
Searching
All ages got the chance to search in the newspaper archive (as readers can, too, by going to the webpage and clicking on Archive). The older campers were impressed that the archive went back so far in time and that the newspaper also has paper copies as far back as the first one in 1937 – our office copy, which was handed round in a protective cover for the campers to see. The November 24, 1937 newspaper comprises a single mimeographed letter-sized sheet, printed on both sides of green paper.
Relevance
Campers were able to find photos of previous years’ camps – and some of the current participants were even pictured there in their younger incarnations – causing much merriment. Campers found Fourth of July celebrations, their schools, their sports teams and sometimes their own family or themselves. Everybody learned that the acronym CKC – Creative Kids Camp – would turn up some good shots of previous camps.
Typewriters Rule
As always, the News Review’s typewriters were the star of the show, and some of the campers could barely be pried off them to let others have a turn – the boys seemed particularly enamored of the mechanical complexity. Most campers got to have a try and at least learned how to insert paper and remove it, and what the term “carriage return” really means. Unfortunately, the typewriters are suffering from their age and only a few of them are really workable to type a story. An overhaul is being considered for the oldest and most compromised.
Everybody Learned Something
The volunteers, who didn’t really know going in what would work and what wouldn’t, learned a lot – but the overall feeling at the end of the day was one of delight. Each volunteer had stories to tell of amusing sound bites, funny stories, warm collaborations and thoughtful and capable young people who are a credit to their families and their community.
Long live CKC!
