by Joseph Alonso
While the school year is over, and students and teachers alike enjoy their summer vacation, the Christopher Columbus High School campus does not stop working. Over the past several weeks following the completion of the school year, several summer camps have made their way onto the Columbus campus.
These different camps have allowed students from elementary to middle and high school to experience all that Columbus has to offer. The five major camps that occurred on the Columbus campus are the CCNN Live Summer Institute, the Miami Hoop School Camp, the Columbus Summer Soccer Camp, Film Camp and the Miami Multilingual Sports Camp.
At CCNN Live's Summer Institute, boys and girls can study journalism and video production techniques from professionals and fellow students. This camp met in the brand new CCNN Live studio and had all of the amazing resources and equipment needed to improve their skills in journalism, video production and story writing.
With several guest speakers including Columbus' Director of Admissions and Inter Miami CF's Stadium announcer Mike Marinelli and WSVN's Donovan Campbell, and talented moderators including Mr. Delgado, Ms. Insua, Ms. Rodriguez and Mr. Torres, this camp offered incredible opportunities for students who wanted to further their skills in broadcast news.
Mr. Delgado runs his camp as one of the best journalism camps and also provides CCNN Live with a farming system to have skilled students ready to contribute when they arrive at CCHS as freshmen.
"I think the camp brings in a more prepared student and also the social media coverage when our guest speakers come to speak is pretty cool," Delgado said.
While the CCNN camp was able to improve students' academic skills, the Miami Hoops School worked to work on students' basketball capabilities.
According to the Miami Hoop School website, “Miami Hoop School is the premiere elite basketball training academy and basketball camp in South Florida.”
This camp is still ongoing and continues to help students further their skills in basketball in a wide variety of settings with some of the most qualified coaches in all of Miami. The camp director, Coach Andrew Moran, for example, is the head basketball coach at Columbus and also trains NBA players. Miami Hoop School is set in the Columbus basketball gym which gives students the resources to be at the highest level of playing they can be at and improve at the same time.
Occurring at the same time, the Columbus Soccer Camp offers students the opportunity to have fun and learn about the beautiful game of soccer. This camp was run by qualified coaches and players who provided students with both physical and educational activities all in relation to soccer and field trips too. As a result, this camp is a perfect chance to have a fun week while being able to improve skills in soccer.
CCHS Head Soccer Coach, Coach Clark, is the director of the summer camp and believes that the camp provides campers with a lot of variety of experiences.
"Our camp is different in a few ways," Clark said. "I believe we have one of the best staff in Miami with a lot of soccer alumni and current soccer players working makes it a special experience. Also, Inter Miami CF is one of our sponsors. They allow us to tour the facilities and meet some current players...This makes out camp truly stand out."
While these three camps all had a similar goal of improving their skills in certain fields, the Miami Multilingual Sports Camp was the most unique. The purpose of the camp is to empower children with the skills to become physically fit, learn teamwork, learn Spanish, build a sense of social and emotional balance, and prioritize their health with the help of camp directors Mr. Mendoza, Mrs. Bell-Mendoza and Mrs. Khan Roberts.
Columbus Films also hosted a Film Camp for those pre-high school age interested in diving into the world of film. From script writing to editing, campers learned an array of skills specific to the industry, led by Columbus Film teacher, Mr. Diaz.
The impact these camps have on students is second to none.
"We have had middle school students who maybe didn't want to attend CCHS but by the end of the camp, they want to be an Explorer," Clark said. " Throughout the CCHS soccer season, you'll see campers cheering on current players. That in itself is irreplaceable."
To teachers who aspire to run their own camp, Delgado has a simple message, "Just do it and learn as you go."
Overall, the Columbus campus does not rest. There is always something that aims to help the South Florida community in athletics and education. For years, this has been a staple of Columbus’ summer and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
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