Each year, staff members from Outdoor Odyssey and Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW) visit Greater Latrobe Senior High School. This year, sophomore and junior students attended presentations from both summer camps during their history period in the CSC. Both of these camps are recommended to high school students for their involvement in the community and standing out on college applications.
Outdoor Odyssey is a two week long camp during the summer that allows over 100 students from 35 school districts to build leadership skills as well as the opportunity to mentor a child for one full year. In early June, the first week of camp begins with Leadership Academy. This week is full of training and adventure, as well as team-building experiences. This training course teaches mentors how to work with children and make the biggest impact possible on that child’s life. These mentors complete the rock climbing complex, leadership reaction course, Sahalie adventure challenge center including rock climbing and rope courses, the low and high ropes courses, and canoeing. Each obstacle brings teams closer together as they help each other out and guide each other through the tough courses.
Students who are selected to be a mentor will return after the first week and spend the second week of camp with two children from their community. Mentors and their children will partake in activities together such as rock climbing and crawling through caves. After Outdoor Odyssey ends, mentors are expected to keep in touch with the child they are mentoring and spend time with them at least once a month for a year. There are several awards granted to those who stand out among their teams. These benefits include: college and employment recommendations, 150 community service hours, senior project credit, support for scholarship awards, junior and senior counselor positions, college internships, full- time staff positions, AmeriCorps opportunities, and Pennsylvania Student Service Awards.
Another camp that stands out on college applications and prepares students for the future is PFEW. This week long summer camp is for students who have completed their sophomore or junior year and those who are interested in gaining valuable knowledge as well as participating in challenging experiences. PFEW teaches students what it takes to be successful in the global marketplace. Students are grouped into teams of approximately 18 and design their own business for the equivalent of three years. Each team will design a product their business will manufacture, commercials, newspaper ads, website for their business, and much more. Company advisors guide students through significant issues that businesses face each day. PFEW takes place on Lycoming College and Pennsylvania College of Technology’s campuses. Students have the opportunity to work around their busy summer schedules by choosing one of the four weekly sessions in July or August.
“I enjoyed how you lived on the campus and we had free time to spend with friends on campus. I met new friends that I still stay in touch with,” says Chloe Tsikalas, junior. PFEW teaches students how to work together as a team which will aid every student in the real world.
Outdoor Odyssey and Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week are just two of the many summer camp programs offered to high school students each year. These camps teach sophomore and junior students many important aspects in life such as team-building skills, mentoring, partaking in challenging experiences, and gaining valuable life lessons.
