For two weeks this summer, the Carl M. Luck Memorial Library in San Juan Bautista transformed itself from a depository of bounded material into a summer day-camp, where school-aged children brought to life the unlimited world of possibilities contained on its shelves.
Offered to San Benito County youth ranging from ages 8 to 12 years old, this year’s Discovery Camp was the brainchild of Suzanne Kerns, a retired educator and the library’s auxiliary president. Kerns, who moved to San Juan Bautista nearly a decade ago, worked since last August refining a one-week program the library hosted in 2014.
Kerns said her goal in formulating this year’s camp was to create a program that addressed “the diverse abilities and interests” of the county’s elementary and middle school students.
Her biggest hurdle in the process was funding, as the auxiliary’s coffers would only cover fifty percent of the program’s expenditures. Turning to community support, Kerns wrote a grant to the Community Foundation. It was approved, financing the remainder of the operating expenses, including scholarships for economic hardship that waived the $20 per camp registration fee.
In hopes of generating interest before summer began, Kerns informed local schools, news outlets, and community organizations of the upcoming program. Students took registrations forms home, while websites, such as BenitoLink, posted camp details online.
With funding secured and the ad campaign complete, Kerns focused on the camp’s content and curriculum, which she noted weren’t tied to either California state or school district standards.
Despite 30 years experience as a English language arts teacher at the middle school level, she decided to build the camp around the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills.
Even the the name Kerns chose for the camp reflected her priority in developing this skill set for camp goers. “I wanted the emphasis to be on inquiring, experimenting, and discovering,” she wrote in an email.
With the groundwork laid, Kerns contacted Heather Leeder for assistance in shaping the camp’s structure.
A former education specialist for the Aromas-San Juan Unified School District, Leeder was involved in the previous summer’s program, teaching alongside her father, Russ McGlenn. In fact, McGlenn’s educational company, Adventure Safaris: Outfitters for Life, provided services for both the content and instruction of last year’s camp.
Drawing from her interest in indigenous cultures, Leeder suggested to Kerns that the two-week program begin with unit on Ohlone culture. A generalized term, Ohlone describes the California Indian tribes who inhabited the area between the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, including San Benito County. Explaining why she chose the Ohlone to study, Leeder stated in an email, that campers could really benefit from learning “about a culture in their midst that has been here long before the city of San Juan existed.”
Kerns agreed, but insisted that science have its own week. A compromised was reached and Discovery Camp was born.
Leeder envisioned a week of Ohlone arts and crafts, storytelling, and games, but soon realized her expertise in this area was lacking. In need of support, she contacted San Juan Bautista resident, Kanyon Sayers-Roods. The two met at the mission town’s 2013 annual California Indian Market and Peace Celebration, when Leeder purchased a painting from Sayers-Roods.
A member of the Indian Canyon Mutsun Band of Costanoan Indians of California, Sayers-Roods has spent her entire life immersed in indigenous culture, and today she wears many hats that convey that experience.
Her work as an artist often includes Native American motifs. She’s frequently visits college campuses to speak on indigenous issues. She recently published a Mutsun language coloring book (the topic of an upcoming BenitoLink story). And for a week this summer, she teamed up with Leeder to teach the first half of Discovery Camp.
Ohlone Native Culture week kicked off on Monday, June 22. For five days, children arrived at the Carl M. Luck Memorial Library at 9 a.m., spending the next three hours learning about Ohlone culture. After checking in, students assembled in the library where Leeder and Sayers-Roods led the group of nearly 30 in a lesson, revisiting past content or introducing something new.
On one day, Leeder began the lesson by showing an image of an eagle on the projector screen. She asked students what qualities characterized the bird. Several hands went up. When called on, one child said, “Freedom.” “Responsibility and strength.,” said another. In a previous day’s lesson, students had learned about the importance of the bird of prey in Ohlone culture, and of its characteristics the Ohlone tried emulating.
The lesson segued from animals to Ohlone foods and hunting techniques. In her wheelhouse, Sayers-Roods reminded students that acorns were a staple of the Ohlone diet—a fact underscored when students grounded acorns earlier that week.
Sayers-Roods spoke of the atlatl, an indigenous hunting tool used by many Native American tribes. Leeder caught the students’ attention when she mentioned that before the day ended they would have the opportunity to use a modified atlatl in a hunting game. Sayers-Roods quickly pointed out that indigenous peoples were very resourceful and used every part of their kill. From a deer’s hide, clothing was made, while sinew became bowstring.
Leeder interjected and invited a student to join her up front. She introduced Matt, who described his hobby of producing purses from bicycle inner-tubes. Leeder told the class that taking discarded material and creating something new from it was called, upcycling. Earlier that morning students brought it of variety of objects they would use later to upcycle.
Before transitioning to the next activity, Leeder described a gourd rattle, an indigenous, musical instrument students were about to make. In predetermined groups led by paid, high school volunteers, day campers went to work, hollowing out the seeds from the gourd and setting them in the sun to dry, while they painted the empty gourd.
Reflecting on her week as a classroom teacher, Sayers-Rood gained a greater appreciation for educators, while experiencing the joy they feel when making connections with their students, even in the most unexpected ways. “It was really wonderful working with the kids, especially after they get to know you. They hear the most interesting things when you think they’re not paying attention,” said Sayers-Rodds in a recent interview.
Her efforts weren’t lost on her pupils. Giovanni Marchica, an incoming fifth-grader from Aromas Elementary School, said he most enjoyed learning about Ohlone stories that explain why certain animals, like the blue jay, look like they do. Retelling the story, Marchica described an overconfident bird whose attempts to imitate doctor bear’s magic fire-making ability ends with blue jay burning his feet. A stigma of his hubris, the bird’s blackened feet remind children today that they should never pretend to be what they are not.
Marchica returned for Discovery Camp’s Science week on June 29. In fact, nearly 50 percent of those who attended week one returned for week two, and both camps averaged about 30 students each, according to library’s auxiliary president, Kerns.
McGlenn’s company, Adventure Safaris: Outfitters for Life, provided the content, curriculum, and instruction during the camp’s second week. It’s “Inventors Workshop-Life Changing Events” was supported by an archeological dig, wood making, an obstacle course that centered on the laws of physics, and a cooperative learning activity involving Lego® Classroom Kits.
On the morning of Thursday, July 2, McGlenn, a former educator who teamed up once again with his daughter Heather Leeder for the camp’s final week, presented a PowerPoint® on the development of steam-powered locomotives and how changes in transportation resulted in either inventions or refinements in other industries, such as logging and mining.
He then mentioned the history of miscellaneous products, like WD-40 and the picture camera. Periodically, he asked students if what he described was an invention or a refinement. Throughout, McGlenn continually stressed that an invention was, “something that somebody makes to solve a problem.”
Next he showed black and white photos from his youth—images of a tent that McGlenn made from the nylon material of a World War Two era parachute and a wooden duck boat that he and his brother fabricated. Libraries, he said, contained a myriad of resources, “to help you learn and built it yourself.”
Following McGlenn’s presentation, students were dismissed to various groups. Some remained in the library to complete their Lego projects with Leeder, while others went outside to add the finishing touches to their wood making crafts.
A handful followed McGlenn outdoors to a table on which rusted tools, like a centuries old carpenter ax, and other objects sat. Earlier in the week, students had unearthed several of these in a simulated archeological dig at a nearby park. At the table, McGlenn engaged the children in a discussion about the history and functionality of each item.
Not far from McGlenn was a high school volunteer assisting camp participants in hammering nails to a wooden sword, one of four wood craft projects students had the option of building that week.
Back inside the library, Leeder watched as teams of students raced their battery operated, Lego drag racing cars against each other. Kids hooted and hollered as their creations crossed the finish line.
Angela Marchica, the mother of the Aromas 5th grader who attended both camps, said that unlike other camps she had enrolled her son into, he enjoyed Discovery Camp, and that her family is very much “looking forward to next year.”
Kerns is, too. Working closely with the San Juan Bautista Budget Committee, she secured matching funds from the city council for next summer’s program. In the fall, she will mail out letters of commitment to local businesses in hopes of additional funding.
Several people contributed to the camp’s success this year, according to Kerns. Her fellow auxiliary members arrived every day, providing snacks for the children. San Juan Bautista resident, Ken Halla with his tripod and microphone in tow, served as the camp’s resident videographer, capturing hours of footage. Keith Wright, owner of Lok-Wright Custom Made Furniture in San Juan, provided scrap lumber donated from local lumberyards. He then spent hours pre-cutting the pieces that students used for their projects.
Of her 10 days spent with elementary and middle schoolchildren, Kerns said: “There were some hurdles but the success of the camp exceeded my expectations…it was highly successful.” She added that, this was largely because the kids demonstrated “remarkable interest” throughout.
If interested in learning more about Discovery Camp or to make a contribution to next year’s program, please contact the SJB Library Auxiliary at P.O. Box 374 San Juan Bautista, CA 95045 or call the Carl Martin Luck Memorial Library, (831) 623-4687.
Library hours are:
Monday 1-5 p.m.
Tuesday 1-7 p.m.
Wednesday 1-5 p.m.
Thursday 1-7 p.m.
Friday 1-5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Email: library@san-juan-bautista.ca.us