Great Valley Writing Camp is returning to Escalon for the summer of 2024.

“This annual two-week program immerses students in the writing process while teaching them new writing strategies and skills,” said local Camp Coordinator Sally Hale.

Maintaining a one-to-four ratio of students to adult mentors, students are encouraged to interact with peers to create, share, and publish their work. The camp is open to students who will be entering Transitional Kindergarten through seventh grade and will be held weekday mornings in July. Dates are Monday, July 15 through Friday, July 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

This year, the camp will be hosted on the Van Allen Elementary School campus and the theme will be the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics.

Participating teachers are enrolled in a CSU Stanislaus class and are reading and discussing Jennifer Jacobson’s No More “I’m Done” or No More “How Long Does it Have to Be” while using the concepts in those two books to plan a two-week experience for students.

“There will be an Open House featuring the student projects on July 26 from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Van Allen Elementary,” Hale explained.

Light refreshments are provided at the Open House as well.

“During camp you can follow us on our Facebook page. All student projects will also be published on our website anthology,” said Hale.

While much of the staff is already in place, Hale said there is one position open on the high school technology team. These students work with a high school journalism teacher to learn and practice photography and website design, documenting the children’s camp experience by building the camp online anthology.

Contact Hale directly at shale@escalonusd.org if you know a student who might be interested in interviewing for the opening available on the tech team.

Those interested in signing their children up for the immersive writing camp experience can find the camp registration information and link on their Facebook page, Great Valley Writing Camps.