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EXCEL Camp Helps Village Students Succeed in SchoolThe program offers rural students an intensive four-week summer school experience.Related Content
Although the new school year is weeks away for most Alaskan kids, the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam is already looming over many students, especially those who have taken it but failed to pass.
Oftentimes, tutoring sessions may be needed but are not available in many rural communities. To help bridge that gap, one group is bringing students to Anchorage and immersing them into a world of learning. Think of it as summer school on steroids. “The goal of EXCEL Camp is to help students who are struggling, pass the HSGQE exit exam. To help them prepare for that testing and graduate from high school and get a diploma,” says EXCEL Camp director Carol Wilson. The EXCEL Camp gives rural students an intensive four-week summer school experience. While they are housed on the Alaska Pacific University campus, the students attend classes and tutoring sessions during the week, and participate in an outdoor leadership program on weekends. “So many of our rural kids need that urban familiarization and urban exposure,” says Wilson. “It gives them the hands-on, real-life connection so they can take what they learned here back to their villages. It makes learning relevant,” she says. Students wanted to come back to camp year after year, even after they passed the HSGQE, so officials decided to take EXCEL one step further—adding four hands-on "strands" to get students ready for life after high school. This year, along with exam tutoring, students are learning construction, culinary arts, multimedia and—for the first time—training to be emergency trauma technicians. “I’m glad that I am learning all this stuff,” says Kalskag student Martin Wise. “It's pretty fun. It's a pretty good program.” The Aniak Dragon Slayers were brought in this year to help teach the ETT course. The student members of the Aniak Volunteer Fire Department help to teach their fellow students the basics of trauma response and CPR so the students in EXCEL can take their new skills back to their communities. “One of my former students who I taught CPR to contacted me,” recalls ETT Instructor Dave LeMaster. “They had pulled an 8-year-old kid out of a frozen lake, and did CPR on him for 45 minutes. They saved him.” Aside from giving the students life-saving skills they can use immediately, EXCEL is giving them building blocks for the future. “In our village, we don’t have that many health aides, and this is a great opportunity to learn a lot of that stuff to help the people in my village,” says Wise. For the past few years, funding for EXCEL has come from grants, but this year those grants were not available. So this year, the six school districts of these 55 kids are paying $4,000 per student. Tuition covers room, board, and all of the teaching materials. The EXCEL students graduate Friday, Aug. 5, and will then head back to their communities to get ready for the regular school year where they will put their new skills to the test. |
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jessicca said on Monday, Mar 19 at 12:52 PM
This camp has helped me learn as well as i helped them learn too. As you could probably see already parents teach us as they can learn from us too.
84945454attender said on Monday, Oct 3 at 7:34 PM
Why go to EXCEL camp? because when you go to excel camp you will learn many things that you might not know yet. then again you'll be amazed at the things that you already know. it is a great opportunity to go to this camp. it is also good for those who have taken the HSGQE but did not pass, so that they can learn the things that they might need to know so that they can pass. when taking the test you can tink of what you had learned from that camp and use it. also what you have done and learned at that camp you could also use that more into your future. please read this it is good to know that you can pass and be done with school until you want to go to collage or get a jog with your diploma. also so that they can see that you've passed the test and you are ready for a job that you want, instead of having a job that you hate. GO to this camp so that you can have a future that came from your past. you might want to become a doctor or anything and that is why you should go there to be tht
74733984anonumes said on Monday, Oct 3 at 7:21 PM
people should go to excel camp because it is a great adventure, you get to meet new friends, and you also learn how to take the hsgqe, it is a great thing to learn while you have fun. you even get to go out sometimes to have some fun and also they wanna let u be creative and let you meet people that you don't even know, it was a great experience for me. i was in the largest group and we kinda had barely anyone (not that much) go home. people from rural areas like the kuskokwim should be encouraged to go so that they can learn how to pass the test and to have a fun time. BE ENCOURAGED
74733524akrock said on Monday, Aug 22 at 7:46 AM
If you send a child to high school and all they do is train them to take the HSGQE exit exam are they really learning anything?
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