Butler Academy Scholars Flourish in Summer Reading Camp

“From continuing to connect our school with community partners, to deepening the existing relationships between BA teachers, our scholars and their families, this year’s Summer Reading Camp underscored Butler Academy’s fierce commitment to growth,” said Dr. Jerome Reyes, Butler Academy President. “We are deeply appreciative of everyone who helped make this year’s program a tremendous success.”

 “In creating plans for Butler Academy’s 2023 Summer Reading Camp, we built on lessons learned in 2022 and focused fresh effort on studying our data,” explained Dean of Students Caitlin Tochiki.  

“Our Summer Reading Camp team, which included director and fifth grade teacher Stella Rounsefell and others, examined every possible detail – from state and national achievement scores, to social and emotional competencies and Individual Education Plans – and designed phonics, comprehension and fluency lessons to meet scholars’ individual needs,” Tochiki said. “Stella and the whole team knocked it out of the park.”

This year, for the first time, Butler Academy also benefited from a competitive grant awarded by the South Carolina Department of Education to enrich its annual Summer Reading Camp. The grant provided financial support that enabled Butler Academy to include community partners in the program. As a result, education students from Coker University and staff from EdVenture Children’s Museum became part of the team.

“Learning takes a village, and we are so grateful for our village,” said Rounsefell. 

To celebrate the hard work of scholars and their families, when the camp concluded, Rounsefell invited families to take a walk “on the wild side” with their children on a field trip to Kalmia Gardens. 

"It was important to all of us that we made time to celebrate our families, too," Rounsefell added. 

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PHOTO: Working with EdVenture staff during Summer Reading Camp 2023, Butler Academy scholars painted “Kindness Stones” representing visual affirmations of empathy, an important skill that allows readers to put themselves in the shoes of characters in literature.