Mount Carmel’s summer baseball camp is one of the many reasons as to why I decided to attend this school.
While I might not play on the baseball team today, that camp grabbed my attention and gave me a sneak peek as to what being a part of the Caravan feels like.
Beyond baseball, many other athletic programs and clubs have summer camps of their own that are designed to give younger kids and incoming freshmen that same feeling I had.
“I think it’s super important to have kids come on campus before they become students,” said Director of Enrollment Mr. Jeff Stur. “It lets them see what Mount Carmel is all about, and especially get used to the culture we have here. It gives them a chance to buy in.”
While Shadow Days and Open Houses allow students to see certain aspects of MC, summer camps allow them to stay active and maybe even meet other kids who will eventually be in their graduating class.
“These camps are a great way to lay the foundation for when these kids get here,” said Mr. Stur. “It’s really important for them to meet the teachers and coaches that work here, but also the other guys they might end up going to school with.”
Summer camps also give people the chance to see first hand how athletic programs are run at MC.
“Athletics is our front porch,” said current Athletic Director and former Director of Student Recruitment Phil Segroves. “We have a lot of studious kids that come here, but many of them fall in love with this school because of the athletic programs we have here. Summer camps are a great gateway for that.”
Whether one is in fifth grade or going to be a freshman in the fall, playing with a varsity athlete at a summer camp can be an unforgettable experience for some.
“Sometimes it’s not even about playing the sport,” said Mr. Segroves. “When these kids go to these camps and train with current varsity players, they’re going to remember that a few months later when they attend a football or basketball game.”
While MC’s athletic success is a huge reason as to why kids might choose to become a student or attend one of these camps, there are also many other options for those who might not be interested in playing a sport.
“We want to be able to provide as many opportunities as possible for these kids,” said Mr. Stur. “Whether it’s the culinary, rocketry, or an athletic camp, there’s a lot of opportunities for them when they get down to our campus.”
Not only do Mr. Segroves and Mr. Stur believe summer camps are beneficial, current students do as well.
“I never shadowed at MC,” said junior Michael Schwarz. “My first experience of the school was through the golf camp, which led me to eventually play on the team that went down state this year.”
Summer camps continue to impact current students. New additions to the schedule this year hint at changes that could be good for certain programs in the future.
“This summer we’re going to have our first chess camp,” said junior Declan Deering who was a member of the team that went down state this year. “We’re building for the future, which is something we need after placing sixth in our division and going to state. We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores on the team, but getting more talented kids would help the program out in the long run.”
Chess is one of many programs that is looking to build off success they’ve had in the past year, but some programs have had camps that have kept kids interested for a long time.
“Pretty much every kid on the lacrosse team this year went to the summer camp before they came to MC or when they were a freshman,” said junior and lacrosse player Ryan Clark. “Now that I’m on varsity the camp is super helpful because I’m able to meet younger guys who will eventually be on the team with me.”
Overall, summer camps are extremely helpful for all who are involved. Whether it’s an incoming freshman still getting used to MC’s culture or a current coach looking to grow his program, the camps are very beneficial.
Playing a sport, learning new writing skills in the journalism camp, or shooting off a rocket at the rocketry camp are all cool ways for younger kids to become acclimated to MC.
For many current students, it’s the exact reason why they ended up here.
