SCOTT DEPOT, W.Va. — Summer camps are in full swing at the Tri County YMCA in Putnam County. The 52-acre Camp High Tor opened for the season on Monday.
“We average about 220 kids a week,” said Cathy Stark, executive director of the Tri County YMCA located in Scott Depot.
About 380 students, from kindergarten through high school, will participate throughout the summer, Stark said. Kids can sign up anywhere from one week to the entire summer.
The young children, grades K-5, will experience the Adventure Camp which includes activities to help build their confidence and independence. The kids will also play sports, games, swim, hike and more.
The Leaders and Training Camp is designed for those in grades 6-8.
Counselors in Training Camp is offered to students who have completed ninth grade through age 17 who want to enjoy camp’s new leadership development program.
“Those are actually kids that we put with the counselors and they actually help with the children and learn how to be counselors, so hopefully one day we can employ them at our camp,” Stark said.
No electronics will be allowed on the camp site, Stark said.
“We don’t like them to bring any video games or have cell phones out or anything like that,” she said. “We actually just show them what summer fun can be. Being in the outdoors we’ll play kickball, we go swimming, we go hiking.
The facility opens at 7 a.m. and closes 6 p.m. Kids will be served a lunch and snacks each day.
“It really encourages kids to get engaged with other kids and not be doing everything electronically, so that’s our big thing. We want to get the kids outside to play,” Stark said.