The 2024 GRACE: Gold Summer Camp season concluded at the end of July with a total of 86 students participating in camp sessions! The camp was created in 2019 with the goal of offering children a faith-filled option for the summer months that also provided quality educational experiences to campers and families. This goal is accomplished each year through the hard work of the amazing team of GRACE teachers who dedicate their time to developing and leading successful camp sessions.
This year, GRACE: Gold was held at Holy Family Catholic School with the support of St. Agnes Parish. Camp sessions were open to children in Grades Preschool through 8 with the most popular camps occurring at the Kindergarten, Grades 1-2, and Grades 3-5 age levels. A number of new-to-GRACE students attended camp this year as well with the goal to make new friends and meet GRACE teachers before the school year even started!
New classes are offered each year to ensure camp offerings appeal to each child’s unique interests and to focus on age appropriate themes and skills that students will be able to take back to the classroom. In addition, it is GRACE: Gold’s aim to keep numbers at 15-20 students per camp class, depending on the age level of the class. This helps provide smaller class sizes and also maintains lower teacher-to-student ratios, ensuring the best camp experience for students and teachers.
The camp teachers are the rock stars of the program, diligently planning for and engaging students in fun and meaningful sessions. The “Book Cooks” class, taught by Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School teacher, Jessica Johnson, was popular with students in particular. Cooking and baking classes are always a hit with students at any grade level! Other standout classes were “Pickleball Champs,” taught by Father Allouez Catholic School teacher Malynn Tarczewski, “Alphabet Fun,” taught by Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School teacher Kassandra Baeten, and “Tech Trek,” taught by GRACE Tech Team member, Samantha Skifton. In addition, Wisconsin Dairy Promotions came in each week on Fridays to provide a healthy dairy treat and to teach students about the dairy and farming industry in our state.
Next year, the goal is to host full-day camp sessions again for families. This means campers will have class options to choose from that run from 8 AM-3 PM each day. Camp Director, Laura Blicharz, also stated the goal is to return to a four-week camp schedule instead of the three weeks that occurred this year. With a full-day camp schedule, Before and After School Care will also be an option again for parents and families. GRACE plans to have an even higher enrollment number next year, so keep an eye out for information on GRACE: Gold camp registration in the Spring!
Holy Family Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. Holy Family provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.
The best way to learn more about HFS is to visit! Schedule a tour here.
