Whether it is through an iPad summer camp for rising high-schoolers, a boot camp for incoming freshman to meet future classmates or holding in-school “jobs” to cultivate work-related values, Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Camden are offering students a variety of tools to help them as they pursue future educational and professional goals.
At Paul VI High School, Haddonfield, each student is equipped with their own iPad device, and teachers have the same device – known as a 1-to-1 program. Textbooks are loaded on these devices, and students can also use them to take notes while teachers leverage the technology to lead classes. Those students entering their senior year in the fall will be the 10th graduating class to participate in this program for all four years of high school there.
The school offers an iPad camp for incoming freshman, to help introduce them to the devices and get them set up for the school year.
“We wanted to provide students coming in as freshmen with the tools to be successful in high school with the device they were getting,” said Nick Markellos, the school’s academic technology director and the leader of the iPad camp. “This is not a camp about how to use an iPad, but rather an experience where students get to explore how to utilize the multi-function of the iPad in their studies.”
The camp includes introductions to the various educational applications available on the iPad, as well as mini lessons in English, math, science and social studies to help introduce students to learning and classroom engagement while using their new iPad. Those lessons include a mock science lab, an introduction to reading and highlighting tools and examples of how to use the devices to make creative presentations like podcasts.
“The students leave with the bravado of not only how to use the iPad in the classroom, but also what to expect from teachers with the iPad,” Markellos said.
For students who recently graduated eighth grade in one of Camden’s four Catholic Partnership Schools, the summer included a two-week scholar boot camp. The program introduces the youth to various aspects of the high school experience, including the academic and social components, as well as practical things like getting to class on time and finishing summer reading assignments.
“We feel it is essential to bring together our CPS students who have been attending classes across our four schools and who may have been involved in CPS extracurricular activities together to ensure they continue to support one another as they move on to high school together,” said Rudy Vidal, coordinator of outreach and engagement for Catholic Partnership Schools.
There is also a powerful social component to the experience, Vidal said.
“This two-week boot camp gives them a chance to mingle with other students who will be attending their high school. This is such a positive advantage, as high school in general is a challenging experience,” he said. “Why not give these students a chance to know another student that they can reach out to at orientation? It is important to try and make this transition process as successful as possible.”
Meanwhile, eighth-graders attending Assumption Regional Catholic School, Galloway, are assigned to different school “jobs” throughout the year – including positions related to office tasks, mail delivery, pre-school helpers, and maintenance – to help them learn about values and develop skills related to work.
“Our eighth-graders have the special charge of being leaders in the school,” said Katrina Finan, the school’s vice principal who also teaches math. “We look to them to set the example for the younger students in the building.”
Students complete these jobs on a daily and weekly basis, and Finan said they take great pride in their work.
“These ‘jobs’ help to teach the students about responsibility, commitment, hard work and community,” she said. “They help prepare our students for commitment to their families, communities and workforce.”
The program is just one way that Assumption – and other Catholic schools – prepare their students for the future through providing opportunities to develop leadership skills and put them to use through student council, school plays, Masses, sports, clubs and events.
“We take great pride in preparing our students for their present and their future,” Finan said. “The future may be the next grade, the next level of education, or a position of employment or stewardship.”
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