The Alexander City Outlook

Crossing new horizons

About 25 Alexander City children had the opportunity to participate in a summer camp that fused dance and education over the past week.

Nathaniel H. Stephens Elementary reading teachers, Kenyatta Gordon and Mary Johns, held the camp titled “New Horizon Learning Camp.” The camp was started by Gordon and is now in its second year.

“Arts and education work together,” Gordon said. “So, if we put reading and math in (with dance), we will give children something fun to do, as well as education.”

Each day the children, who came for half days on Monday through Friday, practiced math and reading before ending with a 20-minute dance session. During the dance class they learned steps to dances like “The Electric Slide” and the “Cha Cha.”

During the reading portion of the class, the children, ranging in age from 5 to 14, read “Click Clack Moo.” Johns, who oversaw the reading portion of the class, said that the children also read short passages and were taught how to go back into texts to find answers to questions.

“I’m not that good at reading,” 10-year-old Jon Blake said. “(So) I love that we got to read passages and answer questions.”

Blake said he also enjoyed practicing his favorite subject, math.

Gordon, who oversaw the math portion of the class, divided the children by age level and gave them grade specific worksheets with one-on-one attention. The worksheets covered everything from addition, for the youngest students, to algebra for the oldest students.

But out of everything Blake did at the camp, he said dancing and making new friends were the best parts.

“I like it because I get to dance,” Blake said. “I made seven brand new friends here in this camp.”