Area high school students may not have to roam the prairie, but they will able to be a Buffalo during the month of July.
Milligan College is offering slots for digital media, nursing, musical theater and basketball during their annual “Be a Buff” summer camps, according to Phyllis Fox, director of summer camps and church relations for the college.
The camps are scheduled to run from July 17-22 and available for teenagers between the ages of 14-18 years old. The camp is $500 per student, but the experience is something different compared to what other camps have to offer, according to Fox.
“The students are residential during the camp,” she said. “They’ve be working with current Milligan students who will work as counselors. They’ll be provided mentorship, food, housing and various opportunities during the event that gives them the chance to be like a ‘Buff.”
Registration was moved to June 30, but Fox added that deadlines can be considered a ‘suggestion’, adding that if slots are still available the day before the camp, they can arrange for students to join in on the summer activities.
But if students are looking to join up, there are only a few slots open for the four available options, Fox said. Students will have the chance to join one camp and the nursing program has received a bulk of interest.
“We only have two spots available for nursing,” Fox said. “The nursing program has been a popular addition.”
During the experience, students will have a chance to work together with the Milligan nursing faculty, developing skills by registered nurses. Along with the work, stdents will earn their CPR certification and learn important factors of what will be asked of them during a future nursing career.
Digital media has also picked up traction, Fox said.
“We have seven to eight spots still available for the digital media track,” she said. “Students will have the chance to work with our highly-trained faculty and work with videography, graphic design and other important skills. While in the camp, students will also develop their portfolios.”
The camp features a different twist this year for any student that enjoys the performing arts. Milligan will offer a musical theatre class that allows to campers to learn from Milligan’s music and theatre professionals on how to combine singing, acting and dancing into a live performance in one week.
“We still have seven to ten spots available for that camp,” Fox said.
At the end of the camp, students will perform in front of a crowd on Friday, July 22, at 6 p.m. in the McGlothin-Street Theatre, located on campus in the Gregory Center.
The other camp students can choose is working in basketball, where teenagers will be under the instruction of Milligan men’s basketball coach Bill Robinson. The experience offers campers a chance to work on individual and team skills, while delving into film study along with drills and scrimmages against one another.
Being right in the backyard of Carter County is important for Milligan and area students, Fox said, with some students that participate in the camps having the chance to meet up with former classmates.
“This is a great opportunity for the students locally,” she added. “A lot of our students are from the region so there could be students that are either friends with someone at Milligan or maybe even someone they looked up to while they were in middle school.”
The camps provide learning for teenagers, while giving the school a chance to give back to the community, according to the director.
“This is a great event for Milligan to work together with the community,” she said. “We’re a Christ-filled campus and we want campers to have the experience to give back to their churches and community. We’ve had such a great relationship with the area churches. This is a great opportunity for students but it’s also a great opportunity for the students at Milligan and our faculty.”
For more information on how to “Be a Buff”, visit milligan.edu/camps or contact Rita Booher, associate director of summer programs and campus visits at rebooher@milligan.edu or call 800-262-8337.