Camp Crew Grows While Keeping Learning at the Heart of Summer - Erlanger-Elsmere

Camp Crew at Howell Elementary has officially wrapped up another summer—and by all accounts, this was the program’s best year yet.

Now entering the third year of the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, Site Coordinator Maya Carroll set out with big goals for the summer: reach more students, expand instructional support, and create even more opportunities for hands-on learning and memorable experiences. Thanks to thoughtful planning, dedicated staff, engaged families, and excited students, Camp Crew not only met those goals—it exceeded them.

The work began long before summer camp opened its doors. This spring, Maya partnered with Howell’s intervention teacher to review student MAP assessment data and identify students who could benefit most from continued learning opportunities during the summer months. While Camp Crew remained open to all students, outreach efforts were intentionally focused on those performing at or below spring benchmark levels, helping ensure that students with the greatest academic needs had access to a high-quality summer learning experience.

That intentional approach made a big impact. This year, Camp Crew welcomed nearly 20 more students than the previous summer, allowing the program to add two additional certified teachers and expand instructional groups. With every grade level supported by a certified classroom teacher, students received targeted instruction designed around their individual needs. During the first week of camp, teachers administered brief pre-assessments to identify priority skills and standards, helping make instruction throughout the four-week program both purposeful and personalized.

But at Camp Crew, summer learning is about much more than academics. Maya and her team were intentional about creating a program students looked forward to each day—one filled with movement, discovery, creativity, and connection. Students spent time outdoors nearly every day, digging into gardening activities, tackling STEM challenges, and building teamwork through cooperative games on the playground.

One unexpected highlight of the summer? Kickball.

For many students, learning how to play the classic playground game was a brand-new experience—and it quickly became a camp favorite. It was a simple reminder that summer programs create space not only for academic growth, but also for friendship, confidence, and the joy of trying something new.

This summer’s Kentucky Wildlife theme brought learning to life in exciting ways. After exploring local animals, habitats, and ecosystems during camp, students extended their learning beyond the classroom with field trips to Big Bone Lick State Park and the Newport Aquarium. These experiences gave students the chance to see real-world connections to what they had been learning and helped make the summer’s lessons even more meaningful.

While staff are eager to see how students perform when fall assessment data becomes available, the signs of success were already clear throughout the summer. Students arrived each day excited and ready to participate. Attendance remained exceptionally strong. Classrooms, gardens, playgrounds, and field trips were filled with curiosity, laughter, and learning.

By combining targeted academic support with hands-on experiences students will remember, Howell Elementary’s Camp Crew continues to show what high-quality summer learning can look like: engaging, intentional, joyful, and rooted in the needs of students.