By Fr Daresh Rathwa for BISMumbai

The Don Bosco English Medium School, Narukot, had organized an English Summer Camp for students studying in Kindergarten to the Class 6 from 23 April to 20 May 2023. Around 228 children participated in the camp.

The main objective of the camp was to teach the students to read, write and speak the English language. There were volunteers and teachers from the nearby villages as well as from other parts of India, mainly Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, sharing their time and language skills to enable the students to participate in the camp better.

The Camp officially began with the inauguration ceremony during which the Rector, Fr Stanny Ferreira, declared the camp open.  So that the teachers understand the learning level of the children present, a test was conducted. Based on the results of this test, the students were divided into three levels and seven groups according to their scores. Based on their levels, the teachers taught the students the specific topics, and when the students showed progress in the language, they were promoted to the higher levels.

The teachers gave their best in making the classes interesting, by teaching them concepts through music, action songs, videos, or by taking them for nature walks, thus giving them a firsthand experience of what the students were learning. Apart from the classes, they also learned a lot of games, dances, skits and action songs. Every Saturday, an event or a competition was conducted for the students to enhance their competitive skills.

A campfire was conducted during the final days of the camp, where the captains of the 7 groups read out a message for the entire assembly and lit the campfire accompanied by Fr Wilfred D’Souza. The campfire which was a thrilling experience with songs, drama, and dance, ended with the distribution of prizes to all the children.

The Camp ended with a special programme conducted by the students for their parents during which they displayed what they had learnt during the camp. The parents were happy to see their children grow and have a fruitful experience at the Camp. The students indeed have taken home with them a treasure-trove of knowledge and skills. It was a summer well-spent.