Reading Camp at Mission House Day 2

Reading Camp at Mission House – Day 2

The beep of the Church of the Resurrection bus announces the arrival of the students. First, oatmeal or bananas, then some races in the front yard, the shark song (baby shark, mama shark, daddy shark, grandpa shark, etc.), and we’re underway.Every student goes through 6 stations each day focusing on a different aspect of reading: comprehension, phonics and encoding/decoding, strategies, sight words, writing, and pleasure reading.The students come from elementary schools all over Lexington: Arlington, Dixie, Harrison, James Lane Allen, Maxwell, Meadowthorpe, Picadome, and Sandersville.Reading Camp is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, but it is a secular outreach program. The teachers, counselors, and support staff come from many different churches, as well as other members of the community, such as education graduate students, Americorps teachers, and students from Centre College, University of the South (Sewanee), and Transylvania University.The Diocese of Lexington is represented by volunteers from Christ Church Cathedral; St. Martha’s; St. Michael’s; St. Raphael’s; (all in Lexington), Church of the Resurrection, Jessamine County; Trinity, Danville; and St. Peter’s, Paris. We even have folks from faraway places: St. James’, Greenville, SC; and St. Paul’s, Cleveland Heights, OH.Word has it that, by the end of the swim hour yesterday, a few campers were leaping from the diving board at the Transy pool, coached and protected by our intrepid Counselors. Who knows what they’ll leaping from today.Campers also visited the London Ferrell Garden yesterday afternoon, helping prepare compost, shovel mulch into rows, plant beans, pick and prepare a salad, or draw a “community” art work to post in the garden. They will return to the garden on Wednesday, weather permitting.Following swimming this afternoon, we will have the honor of meeting George Ella Lyon, outstanding author who grew up in eastern Kentucky and now lives in Lexington. Each student will receive an autographed copy of The Pirate Kindergarten, an autobiographical story about a girl who had reading difficulties because of her double vision.