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Camp Volunteer Has A Blast

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By CHRISTINE KEGEL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 17, 2008

I simply wanted to fulfill my service hours for graduation. But as a volunteer for the Hillsborough Summer Scholar's Academy, I got so much more.

My job was easy: assist the teachers with passing out materials, take kids to the bathroom and supervise the students' behavior during lunch.

However, when I saw seventh- and eighth-grade students' minds enlightened by experts and college professors in their respective fields of math, physics, chemistry, forensics, art and photography, I realized this camp was very special.

The camp was held at the University of Tampa, where students had access to college-level teaching and equipment.

My first week volunteering I helped out with the photography class. We took the kids around UT's beautiful Plant Hall to take creative pictures of themselves with the old statues and furnishings. The students then manipulated their pictures using Photoshop in the graphic design lab. This lab was outfitted with up-to-date Macintosh computers, multiple specialized printers and other sophisticated equipment I'd never seen before and didn't know how to use.

Teachers helped the students produce amazing works of art. My second week volunteering I assisted with the forensics class. Taught by a University of Tampa molecular biologist professor and an ex-cop turned forensics teacher, the kids learned how to use DNA evidence and bones from a crime scene to convict a suspect.

I learned along with them. I helped the students use the pipettes to transfer DNA. When I passed out bones, I watched the process they employed to discover clues..

But the classes weren't the only amazing part of camp. Let me tell you about the buffet lunch, which was everyone's favorite part of the day. My first lunch at camp I walked into a frenzied scene of students grabbing food as if they were preparing for hibernation.

I caught sight of one of my fellow volunteers raiding the dessert bar and quickly inquired where to get my food for lunch. She looked at me with wide eyes and hands full of cookies, "I don't know," she said, "food is everywhere. Take as much as you want!"

We laughed and as I looked around I saw she was right. Everywhere I looked I saw kids taking pizza, soup, salads, chicken tenders, pasta, fruit, yogurt, sodas, cake, brownies, cookies. They even had a self-serve ice cream machine. And to think I was volunteering just for the service hours.

This experience has shown me volunteering doesn't have to be a mundane task. I've certainly learned a lot and had a tremendous amount of fun.

Christine Kegel is a rising senior in the International Baccalaureate Program at King High School and an art student.

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