Community members, families flock to campus for summer camps.
Berkshire Community College (BCC) isn't just the most affordable college option in the Berkshires. It's also a haven for summer programs designed for the community at large, especially families.
Summer camps held on BCC's main campus include Barrington Stage Company's Kids Act! and TeensAct! camps; Berkshire Family YMCA Summer camp; United Soccer Group Summer Camp; Flying Cloud Institute's Young Women in Science camp; and the Berkshire collaborative STEAM Team camp.
KidsAct!, a Barrington Stage Company (BSC) theatre program for students ages 7 – 11, focuses on building acting and communication skills through fun theatre games. TeensAct!, designed for ages 12 – 16, focuses on building performance skills through ensemble-based work, improvisation and individualized coaching. Students in both age groups create an original musical and enjoy master classes with professional theatre and performing artists.
The 2024 summer season is the first time Barrington Stage Company has held its camps at BCC. Alzie Mercado, technical director at the College, says the camp is a rousing success.
"While to some it might seem like a space to simply play and have fun, a lot of work goes into each session, from creating a script from scratch collaboratively and acting in front of an audience, to creating characters and dialogue that express their everyday joys, fears and concerns," Mercado said. "These students end up developing skills and forming close bonds through an outlet that truly allows them to express themselves in a safe space. The BSC summer camps do great work in meeting students where they are and bringing our community together in the creative form we call theatre."
Meanwhile, BCC's Paterson Field House is home to Berkshire Family YMCA's Camp Summer day camp. For nine weeks each summer, about 90 YMCA campers ages 7-12 play outdoor activities, swim in the pool, do arts and crafts and go on field trips.
BCC is thrilled to host Berkshire County youth and has developed a great relationship with the Berkshire Family YMCA in the process. It's great to see the kids brighten the south side of campus every summer.
United Soccer Group (USG), a longstanding rental partner at BCC, hosts many youth soccer practices and games in the spring and fall. But this year, for the first time, USG held a summer soccer camp on BCC's Gene Dellea Community Turf Field.
"This new offering attracted 105 campers and had the turf field teeming with activity for two weeks," Shreve said. "USG continues to be a community leader in soccer instruction and loves the opportunity to play on BCC's top-notch turf field."
Flying Cloud Institute's Young Women in Science summer sessions are week-long explorations in a college laboratory setting where youth engage in hands-on science and engineering investigations alongside female peers. Together, girls engage in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) topics with guidance from practicing, female STEM professionals. At this year's camp at BCC, campers presented their work in building boat houses, displaying how sound works, creating origami and making hand sanitizer from scratch.
The STEAM Team (Science, Technology, Environmental, Art, and Math) summer camp, created and led collaboratively by Flying Deer Nature Center, Berkshire Art Center and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, brings together leaders in art, dance, nature and science education across Berkshire County to host a summer program for Pittsfield youth. The summer 2024 program, held at BCC, included one-week sessions for rising third graders and fourth graders with the themes of birds and insects. STEAM Team camp is free for Pittsfield public school children.
For more information about summer camps held at BCC, email paterson@berkshirecc.edu.