Spice Up Your Summer at Camp Carnegie

Not only did Sarah D’Orazio’s daughter relish her experience at Camp Carnegie last summer, Mom got a savory home-cooked meal out of the deal.

How’s that for a succulent experience.

Eleven-year-old Julia tasted life in two camps last summer at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning – creative writing and cooking. On her first day of camp, Julia took a field trip and learned a new recipe. She was so excited she just had to prepare the dish that night for her family.

“We stopped at the grocery on the way home,” Sarah said. “She cooked dinner and did all the chopping herself. We didn’t have to lift a finger. And it was good. A light, summery, healthy pasta dish.

“It was nice to see her so enthusiastic.”

Sarah, a microbiologist at UK, was so impressed, she is enrolling Julia in Camp Carnegie again this summer. Julia will get to choose from six camps offered in July – TV Production, Kentucky Imaginarium, Comic Camp, Food Writing, Urban Agriculture and Jewelry Making.

The teachers are experts in their fields with relevant contacts in the community. The lineup this year is:

TV Production: Lynn White, a middle school teacher.

Kentucky Imaginarium: Bo List, a producer and actor with Balagula Theatre.

Comics: Stephen Moore, an artist and digital studio assistant at Lexington Public Library.

Food Writing: Kari Patrick, a teacher and writer.

Urban Agriculture: Ryan Koch, executive director of Seedleaf.

Jewelry Making: Sonja Brooks, artist and director of Sisohpromatem Art Foundation.

All the camps feature field trips and a final project – two selling points for kids.

“Our campers get unique experiences that are fun and worthwhile,” said Program Director Laura Whitaker. “We try to show them how broad the job spectrum can be. We show what options are out there – some they never would have thought of.”

Camps are half-day, week-long classes for rising sixth through eighth-graders – an important consideration, according to Sarah D’Orazio.

“The camps are intended for kids in middle school, and I was really attracted to that,” she said. “I also like that the subjects are interesting and different.

“I had never heard of the camps until I went to the Summer Camp Fair (sponsored by Lexington Family Magazine). These camps are a great program, and they’re incredibly affordable.”

Altogether, a tasty treat for area middle-schoolers.