Students attending one of Shelby County Community Education Specialty Camps had plenty of fun activities in which to choose from this summer, including show choir, art, drama, Lego’s, cooking, and much more.

The camps were offered at various schools throughout the county and were taught by certified Shelby County teachers and licensed Community Education Enrichment vendors.

Art camps were offered at Helena Elementary, Forest Oaks Elementary, Mt. Laurel Elementary, Montevallo Elementary, Oak Mountain Elementary, and Oak Mountain Intermediate.  The classes were taught by Shelby County art teachers, Alice Lobell, Alan Cecil, Carol Popwell, Kymberlee Lewis, Leigh Walker, and Mari Newton.  A total of 161 students attended these camps, perfecting their art, painting skills, and craft skills.

Mt Laurel music teacher, Haley Spates, offered two successful Show Choir Camps which were attended by more than 100 students.  Students learned new songs and choreography throughout the week before putting it all together for a Friday afternoon performance for their family and friends.   The first camp, held in June, featured the theme Teen Beach Movie, while the July camp’s theme was Music from the Decades.  

Students participating in the Curtain Call camp at Oak Mountain Intermediate also learned about musical theatre, along with vocal perfomance, dance, and public speaking.  The Curtain Call camp was taught by Susan Jolly Ashley Richardson. 

The Fantasy of Flight camp, taught by Shelli Abernathy at Helena Intermediate, encouraged students to explore the concepts of flight, its rules and applications.  Students created and tested different modes of flight, such as kites, hot air balloons, paper airplanes, remote controlled airplanes, and rockets.  Guest speakers included the Civil Air Patrol and the Alabaster Radio Control Club.

Another very popular camp was the Outdoor Adventures Camp taught by Sherry Wood.  Students took nature walks, learned about bird watching, planted flower gardens, and made birdhouses for their craft project.

At Oak Mountain Intermediate School, students who participated in the Cooking with Kids camp taught by Shannon Cleckler learned about kitchen safety and made kid-friendly recipes.  The students made homemade ice cream and bread, and kitchen crafts.

Students at the Lego’s Camp, held at Helena Intermediate School built various fun projects, such as a candy dispenser and a pinball machine. Other camps included a Stack Fast Speed Stack camp; Ready, Set, Present Basic Computer Skills Class; Cheerleader Camp; Gymnastics Camp; and Piano Camp.