by Elizabeth Carlton

Lincoln Charter School will open its doors this summer to children outside of the normal student body for the school’s summer camp.

The school’s camp offers more than 30 different programs full of field trips, learning experiences and physical activities. Students from kindergarten to high school will be led by volunteers, including Lincoln Charter School’s own teachers and coaches.

“We have a couple of different camps this year than we did last year,” Tiffany Joffe, program director, said. “We offer a traditional summer day camp which is all day every day for eight weeks of the summer, and then we also do enrichment programs which are specialty camps that are done by our coaches.”

Every camper will have the opportunity to choose from a list of camps centered on sports, academics or the arts. Some even help prepare young students for the year ahead. This year, the school is starting a sixth grade “boot camp” that helps elementary students transition into middle school by immersing participants in a junior high setting and teaching them organizational skills that will help make their first steps into a new environment less daunting.

“It gives them a chance to make new friends and get acclimated to the school,” Joffe said.

All of the programs involve a blend of activities and weekly field trips, most of which are included in the cost of the camp. From educational adventures such as Discovery Place, Reed’s Gold Mine and Asheboro Zoo to the thrill rides of Carowinds and Sliding Rock, kids will be hard pressed to find a dull moment.

“The kids will say that they love being on the go all summer,” summer day camp director Kathy Young said. “They also enjoy the friendships they make. We swim, ride, walk, play and have fun together all summer long.”

The camp’s counselors consist of teachers, coaches, students, and high school alumni whose goal is to make the campers experience safe and memorable.

“You know the teachers are there because they want to be there,” said Cathi Lazear, art teacher and “Art Around the World” program leader. “It’s a good group of leaders in a friendly atmosphere.”

The programs and their costs can be customized to meet the family’s busy summer schedule.

“Some camps are a week long, some a few days,” Young said. “And parents do not have to pay for the days or weeks of camp they do not attend. I don’t know of another camp that offers that flexibility.”

All of the day camps take place Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will run from June 4 to Aug. 3 (excluding the week of July 4). Applications must be submitted by May 25. Parents can find applications and brochures on the Lincoln Charter website, lincolncharter.org/summer-camps. All applications should be mailed to or dropped off at Lincoln Charter School, 7834 Galway Lane in Denver.