Communication Camp has been a tradition at Tower for the past thirteen years. Each year, a team of teachers get together and select 60 students to participate in camp. To make the selection of students the teachers look for leaders within peer groups.
Unfortunately, not every student will get a chance to go to camp. The students that are chosen to go are only allowed to go once. “Some kids need it more than others,” Mr. Julien said, one of the teachers that facilitated camp this year.
The teachers that select the campers set a certain expectation that they will build unity and acceptance with each other. This year, the staff set a goal to find ways to bring the lessons of camp back to Tower.
The students were broken up into five groups of twelve with two staff facilitators. Along with getting to know each other, each group was given the task to come up with one way to bring camp back to school in an effort to bring Tower’s student body closer together.
“The main message of my group was to make kids aware that they aren’t alone,” Mr. Vernengo, another facilitator of camp said. He went on to say, “camp is one of the best things a teen can go through.”
Even though not every student can go, two other facilitators, Mr. Silwanowicz and Profesora Rokicki, are in the process of creating an after school Communication Camp that is available to all students, ones that have attended camp and those who have missed the opportunity to go. This after school program will try to break down barriers, help students understand tolerance and talk about adolescent issues. It will also allow previous campers a chance to reconnect with their groups.
“My goal is to give every student the opportunity to open up about their lives to each other,” Silwanowicz said. The after school camp will be led by students who have gone to camp and volunteered staff. It will give the students who have not had the privilege to go to open up and get the help they are in need of.
“Mr. Silwanowicz has worked really hard on putting this together. It will be successful because the campers and staff really want this. We just need the staff and students to make it happen. We want the students to know they can trust the people there and want students to get the help they need. We’ve never had anything at Tower like this; it came from the students,” Rokicki added.
The students that went to camp are also in support of the program. “I want people to see that we can all be friends at Tower and that people realize that no matter what group you’re from, we all have problems. Sometimes venting is a good thing,” Tyler Ritchie ’15 said.
Many of the staff and students that are involved with the after school session are expecting to make a huge impact on Tower. “I would like to see the school have less cliques and for the student body to become one,” Jessica Dehate ’14 said.
The group is planning to meet twice a week, Monday and Thursday. The first meeting will be on Monday November 19, 2012 in the career center. This initial meeting is for students who have already attended camp.
After Thanksgiving break, a list of official meeting dates will be announced. If you are interested in taking part in the after school Communication Camp or have any questions see Mr. Silwanaowicz in room 409 or Profesora Rokicki in room 243.
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