When we decided we were going to go digital with our Creative Arts at Keene Summer Camp, we really weren’t sure how it would look. So many things about C.A.K.E. that campers and families have come to love were suddenly uncertain. Would we be able to offer campers the same opportunity to connect with our amazing staff as well as with each other? Will we really be able to translate the program into a digital format and still offer a wide variety of creative arts classes that will be exciting and engaging for our campers?
After twenty years of running this program, (YES – believe it or not, this year marks 20 years of C.A.K.E.!) we know that kids come to C.A.K.E to:
- Connect with a wonderful staff of passionate and dedicated arts educators
- Connect with peers who share similar interests
- Develop their artistic and social skills
After several long days and nights of planning and countless Zooms with the C.A.K.E. leadership team, we can confidently say YES. Virtual C.A.K.E. can provide those three important things and so much more.
So… how is this going to work exactly?
The AMAZING C.A.K.E. staff has been working around the clock to create some really cool classes for our campers to choose from this summer. We are keeping the basic structure of C.A.K.E. as close to what we’ve all become accustomed to as we possibly can because we know it works REALLY well and provides campers with lots of creative outlets and opportunities for socialization. Here’s how it’s going to work.
Virtual C.A.K.E. will run for 4 weeks – July 6-31. You can sign up for any class – a minimum of one class and a maximum of 4 classes per week. And you can opt to participate in each class for 1,2,3 or all 4 weeks of camp. Classes will meet every day at the same time.
- Period 1 – 9:30 – 10:20 am
- Period 2 – 10:30 – 11:20 am
- Period 3 – 1:30 – 2:20 pm
- Period 4 – 2:30 – 3:20 pm
Classes will run for 50 minutes. Each class costs $50 for the week ($10.00 per class per day.) In addition to the regularly scheduled class times, all campers are invited to join us for a Community Meeting every Monday from 9:00-9:20, and for a Noontime Show every Friday during camp, free of charge. Campers are welcome and encouraged to participate in the Noontime Show if they’d like to share something they’ve learned or created.
You’ll find the full class schedule and the class descriptions here.
As in past years, each registered camper will need to fill out and return their class schedule by indicating their top 2 choices for each period. The schedule is subject to change based on enrollment. There will need to be a minimum of five campers registered for a class to occur.
There are some new classes we’re really excited about and a few we’ve offered in the past that are missing this year. Those that were cut from the curriculum just wouldn’t have worked in a virtual environment.
The Culinary Arts, Make Up and Visual Arts classes will require a purchase of supplies from a local store. Supply lists will be provided weekly and we will certainly make every effort to keep the costs down.
We’re really excited to announce that we will have a ZOOM One ACT Play and a ZOOM Musical! These productions were created specifically to be performed virtually and they’re going to be SO much fun. Keep in mind that in order to be in either of these performances campers must commit to all 4 weeks of classes. The cool thing is that no matter where your summer plans take you, you can still participate in Virtual C.A.K.E. classes as long as you have connectivity.
A World of Possibilities
There is an exciting bright spot to Virtual C.A.K.E. Because it is online, you can invite friends and family from all over the country! Or all over the world for that matter! We have two new teachers who will be teaching the Improvisation Class from Los Angeles and our very own Emily Dixon will be teaching from her home in Maine. There are some exciting opportunities here and we are determined to make lemonade out of lemons.
We hope you’ll consider joining us this summer for Virtual C.A.K.E. We know it’s different… but we are really excited to offer a truly enriching curriculum of creative arts classes, and more importantly, an opportunity to CONNECT with each other while we are unable to be together in person. This is so important… not only for our families but for us as well! We miss you all and cannot WAIT to see you in the Virtual Classroom.
For more information or to register for Virtual C.A.K.E., give us a call at (603) 357-2100 or send us an email at info@moco.org. As with all MoCo Arts classes and camps, tuition assistance is available. Be sure to keep an eye on our C.A.K.E. page here or follow us on Facebook here for the most up-to-date information.
