By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
There were no tearful goodbyes between parents and children. No toothbrushes and pajamas packed.
But Bowling Green City School and Bowling Green Parks and Recreation officials are trying their best to ease the let down of fifth grade camp lost due to COVID-19.
On Monday, in their tie-dyed T-shirts labeled “Fantastic Fifth,” Crim fifth graders had a day of outside fun with some learning sprinkled in.
“We wanted to make up for the fact that the week-long camp was canceled,” said Crim fifth grade teacher Emily Bechstein.
The students were very disappointed last fall when their week at camp came and went without them there, Bechstein said. So school and city officials teamed up to have a one-day camp for each elementary.
“This helps alleviate that,” Bechstein said of the students’ disappointment.
As lunch time neared this morning, students were working on a team-building exercise with BG Parks and Rec Program Coordinator Ivan Kovacevic.
On the other side of the schoolyard, Naturalist Cinda Stutzman was teaching students about wildlife and humans coexisting. Though the students were running around and screaming, they were also learning the sobering fact that the more deer there are, the less resources there are to aid in their survival.
The students were learning about pond life, group problem solving, plus competing in relay races.
Bechstein, who has attended fifth grade camp three times, said the students learn about ecosystems, Ohio living history, archery and team building – among many other lessons at Heartland.
The one-day camp isn’t the same as the week-long camp – but it did get the kids outdoors.
“They are always excited to have a day outside,” Bechstein said.
Earlier this month, a parent of three boys spoke at the Board of Education meeting, asking if this year’s fifth graders could possibly go to the camp next fall as sixth graders.
“It’s something the students really look forward to,” the mother said. “It’s a learning experience they can’t get in the classroom.”
Superintendent Francis Scruci agreed the annual fifth grade camp is an amazing experience for students. However, the likelihood of sixth graders going next year is slim since the camp does not align with sixth grade curriculum, he said.
And sending next year’s fifth graders in the fall may also be at risk because of limitations set by the camp, according to Scruci.
The Heartland camp is limiting the number of overnight campers to 80, or offering day camp to 160 students at a time. The day camp is not an option because of the long drive time from Bowling Green. If the limits remain for overnight campers, the Bowling Green district will need to reserve multiple weeks in order to allow all fifth graders to attend, Scruci said.
