Story by By Beth Donze Photo courtesy of St. Mary's Dominican High School
This summer, St. Mary’s Dominican High School will offer two girls-only day camps and six “specialized” camps at its state-of-the-art New Orleans campus at 7701 Walmsley Ave.
The day camps, which will operate concurrently from June 1-19, are divided into two age divisions:
DominiCamp, for girls entering grades 5-9, plunges campers into six, hour-long activities each day (three before lunch and three after lunch). Campers can choose from a wide array of special-interest areas, such as jewelry-making, drama, cooking, sports, indoor games, art appreciation, arts and crafts, dance, French culture, creative writing and sewing.
New offerings this year include “Domini-Karaoke Party” and “Dominican, M.D.,” the latter an immersion into the organs and systems of the human body, complete with related arts and crafts activities. Those who opt for “Domini-tectives” will learn basic techniques used by crime-scene investigators.
“The campers can plan their own days from a variety of activities,” explained camp director Meg Womble, chair of Dominican’s English Department.
“Dominican’s summer camps offer varied opportunities of exploration, creativity, fun and discovery. Our campers have an enriched, personalized experience – from art, dance and music, to science and sports.”
The cost for DominiCamp is $225 for one week; $440 for two weeks; and $625 for all three weeks.
Jumpin’ for Joy is the camp designed for girls entering grades 2-5. A weekly theme will be explored in seven daily activity blocks: “Joyful Noise,” arts and crafts, cheerleading, indoor games, outdoor games, “Bibleosity” (inspired by Vacation Bible School) and “Words, Words, Words,” a fun approach to language arts featuring word puzzles and memory games.
Each camp day also will feature a big group activity in the middle of the day to build camaraderie.
“It could be a limbo contest; it could be doing an improv skit; it could be Wildlife and Fisheries bringing in a baby alligator,” Womble said.
The cost for Jumpin’ for Joy camp is $175 for one week; $275 for two weeks; and $385 for all three weeks.
The camp day for both camps runs from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Before-camp care is available at no charge, beginning at 7:15 a.m. After-camp care will be offered through 6 p.m. at a drop-in rate of $10 per day.
The camps are staffed by Dominican teachers, alumnae and students.
Dominican also will conduct “specialized” camps for girls entering grades 5-9 in band, drama, studio art, basketball, volleyball and soccer. Each costs $125.
The schedule is:
Band: June 1-5, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Drama: June 8-12, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Studio Art: June 15-19, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
The three sports camps will provide sports-specific instruction and skill development under the supervision of Dominican’s award-winning coaching staff:
Basketball: June 1-5, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Volleyball: June 1-5, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Soccer: June 8-12, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Campers who combine DominiCamp with a specialized camp pay only the full DominiCamp rate and are not charged extra for the specialized camp. Daily lunch is included in the tuition of all full-time campers.
There is a one-time registration fee of $40 ($60 after May 1) per camper.