By Ashley Sidebottom, staff writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University Technology Training Center (CUTTC) just completed its fourth successful year of providing a summer morning camp for children entering third through eighth grades, according to Carol Sullivan, director of CUTTC.
Children from six counties, Adair, Green, Hardin, LaRue, Marion and Taylor, attended Kids College, as well as some out-of-state visitors who were staying with their grandparents or other relatives for the summer.
Some of their work will be shown Aug. 27 and Aug. 29 on Campbellsville University’s TV-4, Comcast Cable Channel 10, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Jim Wooley, director of broadcast services at CU, and Ed McGuire, consultant for broadcasting, taught the TV Broadcasting class at TV-4 and gave future television broadcasters hands-on experience in everything from working with technical sound equipment to producing and directing their own television show.
The students had the opportunity to produce one of the weekly “What’s Cooking, Neighbor?” shows, which will air Aug. 27 and Aug. 29. Each student was provided with a copy of the “What’s Cooking, Neighbor?” show to take home with them.
The first session, held June 18-21, had 55 participants, and the second session, held July 16-19, had 61 participants.
Area school systems, public libraries and home-school coordinators were very cooperative in distributing Kids College information and fliers to children in May before summer break, said Teresa Elmore, one of the coordinators of Kids College.
Students were able to choose two classes during the 4-day camp. Class topics were selected to cater to the students’ interests, and this summer’s classes included Mad About Science, Rocket into Space, Tech Time, TV Broadcasting, Theatre: Acting it Out, WOW 101 and Let’s Play With Clay, a pottery class for those more artistically inclined.
Susie Crowder, a 1992 graduate of Campbellsville University who is a teacher at Campbellsville Elementary School and instructor of Tech Time, incorporated technology with creativity as students experimented with digital imaging using Adobe PhotoShop software.
Stephanie Walston, who graduated from CU in 2007 with a bachelor of science in art education, taught the pottery class Let’s Play With Clay and was pleased with the talents and creativity of her students.
Mad About Science was a popular class for those who love to invent and participate in hands-on experiments in an actual chemistry lab, Sullivan said. Holly Davis, a teacher from Nelson County, was the instructor.
Belinda Creech, a home school instructor, taught WOW 101, a new class for this year. WOW 101 included a mixture of crafts, games and experiments.
Tanya Massengale, who also home schools, turned mealtime into “fun time” as her You’re the Cook classes, totaling over 40 students, explored ways to make ordinary foods appetizing and then sampled their recipes.
Rocket into Space gave kids the opportunity to build and launch their own rockets and explore the aeronautics involved in rocket science and was taught by Daran Kennon, who serves as industrial education coordinator for the Technology Training Center.
In “Theatre: Acting it Out,” offered only in June, students received an introduction to stage direction, stage presence and improvisation. On the last day of class, parents were invited to watch their children as they performed on stage under the direction of Erica Moon, assistant to the director of theater at CU.
Each year has shown an increasing number of repeat students, Sullivan said, and CUTTC plans to continue expanding Kids College as it continues to grow in popularity.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,310 students who represent 100 Kentucky counties, 32 states and 28 foreign nations. CU has been listed in U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” 15 consecutive years and ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the South” for 2008. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his ninth year as president.