Incoming kindergartener Coy takes a snack break with a Capri Sun and cheese stick during an afternoon session of kindergarten camp at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
The youngest scholars in town had their first taste of school on Monday at Vale Elementary School’s kindergarten camp. Held annually before the start of the school year, the camp splits three incoming kindergarten classes into morning and afternoon sessions, allowing students to familiarize themselves with their classroom, peers, and teachers in a low-stress setting before the big day.
In an afternoon session with teachers Whitney Barnes and Denise Whittenburg, students were painters, architects, and dancers for a day – and ended the afternoon with an alphabet dance that sent them wagging, yawning, and zig-zagging around their desks. Their first day of school is Friday, Aug. 19.
Kids gather on the floor in front of teacher Whitney Barnes, where spots are marked by brightly colored circles, during an afternoon session of kindergarten camp at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Incoming kindergartener Madison has her photo taken in the courtyard during an afternoon session of kindergarten camp at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Teacher Denise Whittenburg helps student Isaiah to a handful of orange paint during an afternoon session of kindergarten camp at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Kids roar with laughter as teacher Whitney Barnes reads aloud from picture book “The Pigeon Has to Go to School” during an afternoon session of kindergarten camp at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Students at Vale Elementary School’s kindergarten camp showed off their art skills with coloring sheets and flowerpot-shaped name tags to be hung in the hallways. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)With the help of their peers, students Emma and Madison pledge to build a snake that stretches across the classroom using plastic math cubes during a free play session at kindergarten camp at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Kindergartener Isaiah and other students clean up stacking blocks and other math-related toys as an afternoon session of kindergarten camp draws to a close at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)A banner on the wall of Whitney Barnes and Denise Whittenburg’s classroom counts down the days until the official start of the school year at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Denise Whittenburg helps Emma make a hand-shaped masterpiece during an afternoon session of kindergarten camp at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Students end the day of kindergarten camp with a high-energy dance session to “Act Out The Alphabet” by Jack Hartmann at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Students line up by the door after an afternoon of kindergarten camp to wait for their parental pick-ups from Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. Before leaving, Whitney Barnes handed out bubbles as a gift to each of the students. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)Coy leaps into his father’s arms after kindergarten camp lets out at Vale Elementary School on Aug. 16. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
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