By: Andrea Cruz / Staff Writer
Children are running around the Wolfe University Center, invading bathrooms, Panther Square, and making the entire building smell of popcorn and pizza.

For the thirteenth year, the Biscayne Bay Campus Recreation Center is hosting the FIU Summer Academy for children 4 to 14 years old.

“The University has so much to offer, as far as a summer camp,” said camp counselor Elise Withers. “The facilities and space give the kids a lot more opportunities than if they were at a normal camp.”

Camp activities include kayaking, basketball and soccer, as well as drama and arts and crafts. But the camp emphasizes on instructional swimming, according to Christina Reddick, Aquatic Center coordinator.

“Learning to swim is a critical need in general,” Reddick said. “Even on this campus, there are college students who can’t swim.”

In fact , more than one out of four drowning victims is under 14 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

“Although drowning rates have slowly declined, fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years,” according to the CDC Web site.

All camp counselors and staff are CPR and first aid certified by the American Red Cross, according to Reddick.

Their certification must have been attained during the last three months before camp. All staff members also received risk management and conflict resolution training.

“One of the kids in our group didn’t know how to swim, and had never been out on a kayak before,” said Withers, a junior advertising major. “This week, he went out and for the first time rode by himself, and he was super excited about it.”

Camp swimming activities were disrupted during the pool renovation, which forced the Recreation Center to close the Aquatic Center for two years. The renovations made it difficult to run the summer academy for the past two summers, according to Reddick.

“The parents were expecting a swim program,” she said. “It was a challenge to have that reputation for being the local swim camp with a beautiful pool on the bay, and then the kids come and it is under construction.”

Different camp activities had to be implemented during that time, such as water slides and an increased number of field trips.

“I am very happy that our pool is open,” said Reddick. “We’ve definitely had positive feedback and have been able to teach swimming to our campers.”

This year’s summer academy runs from June 8 through July 17. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with pre- and post-care available for an additional weekly fee of $25. The camp cost is $225 per week, a total cost of $1,050 for the six-week session, including a field trip to Islands of Adventure in Orlando. Around 160 campers attend every week, according to Reddick.

In addition to the FIU Summer Academy, two new programs will be implemented this year at BBC: The FIU LEGO camp and the FIU EcoAcademy. Both will run from July 20 through July 31.

At the LEGO camp, children learn engineering and robotics through LEGO software, and also participate in engineering challenges and projects.

“The campers build a robot on a laptop using the engineering software, and then they go and build it with the LEGO equipment,” Reddick said.

The EcoAcademy is a pilot program that teaches middle and high school students about marine science, and will be continued based on its level of success. The program also incorporates swimming and kayaking, along with conservation and recycling projects.

“Hopefully it will be well received, and the students will appreciate the educational component,” said Reddick. “It’s always a challenge getting young people excited about learning during the summer.”

Proceeds from the BBC summer camps are used to maintain the recreation facilities, and ensure the availability of programs for students.

“People don’t realize that [Campus Recreation] runs completely on student dollars,” Reddick said.

Activities such as the Islands of Adventure trip are made possible by this additional revenue.

“The summer camp programs are one of the programs that bring us money to supplement what the students aren’t able to give us,” Reddick said.

The FIU summer camps serve as an opportunity for students to get to know the University better, according to Reddick.

“What our program does is that it brings 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds to FIU, and they feel they are already part of the University,” she said. “When the time comes to apply to college, they remember FIU. They are familiar with it and have that warm fuzzy feeling. It is not something out of reach, and they are willing to fill out that application.”

“Every school should offer something like this,” said Withers, who is a first-time counselor. “I know a lot of the staff members send their kids to this camp, and they will walk away knowing how to swim and play sports, and having made new friends.”

Registration for the LEGO camp and EcoAcademy is still open, but spaces are limited.

The Recreation Center would not disclose the amount of money generated from the camps, despite several attempts.

For more information, contact Reddick at (305) 919-4549.