Saying Goodbye to Summer at SOMS

Friday was the final day of the Community Summer Program, and Rich Cohen – who has been directing the camp for 23 years – couldn't help but remark that this summer has been the hottest: Ever.  

And then the rain fell. First at lunch when dozens of children began to leave after their morning classes and sports camps, and later in the afternoon as hundreds of children passed through the halls of South Orange Middle School a final time.

 "The rain didn't make for smooth goodbyes," observed Treasure Cohen, Rich's wife of 41 years, who has long worked the summer camp, in recent years providing the friendly face who helps parents and children find each other at the end of the day. 

With more than 100 different classes, the Community Summer Program offers something that appealed to every child, from bookworms and kids who like to dissect earth worms and eat sushi, to athletes, artists and Harry Potter wizards.
 
There were performances throughout the day on Friday, with the theater camp presenting " and recitals by music students on a variety of instruments.
 
"This was awesome," said Wallace Petruziello, 9, who studied keyboard and guitar. "I love music because it fills up the room with rock. I got to play three concerts in two days."
 
Nearly 900 children and teenagers were enrolled in the camp, which is presented by the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School.  High school students studied animation, creating clay characters, writing stories, designing sets, filming their projects, and editing the animated films.
 
Middle school students learned how to own and operate their own businesses, role played famous adventures, and created restaurants in advertising and design.
 
The youngest campers created masks, mosaic trays, and learned about books and bugs. This past week, young prospectors searched for gold, gems, rock and fossils in a science workshop.

 "I'm sad it's over," said Claire, 7. "I like all my classes and my teachers.  I have a lot of friends here."
 
Sports camps took place in the morning, children training on fields in South Orange and Maplewood in a variety of sports, including soccer, baseball and lacrosse. There were also week-long programs in fencing, gymnastics and track and field.
 
The camp was co-coordinated by Cohen and Cecelia Cancellaro. Cohen is a retired Columbia High School teacher who now works at Liberty Science Center as a science educator. Cancellaro is co-president of the PTA Presidents Council and a writer and editor.
 
"I'm extremely pleased with the amount of children we are able to serve, with such varied interests," Cancellaro said. "And the quality, expertise and creativity of our teachers amazes me, as does the maturity, care and professionalism of our Yellow-shirt counselors."

Many of the counselors have been attending the camp since they were little. David Carliner, a CHS sophomore, has participated since he was in first grade.

"I compare the way they react to me to how I looked up to the Yellow-shirt counselors," said Celia Joyce, who remembers taking book arts as a child, a class she helped teach this summer.

 Just as the skies cleared, a parade of children filed by. Many were carrying their work over the past two weeks -- mosaic trays, masks, paintings, doll houses, sculpture, and home-made soap. Getting it home in one piece? No sweat!