18 Days Left Until Camp Sky 2016

The final countdown is on! Camp starts on April 1^st, with the arrival of the teachers and junior counselors. That gives me and the other two Camp Sky Coordinators just about 2.5 weeks to get everything ready for camp. We are putting in a lot of hours and accomplishing a ton, but there is still quite a bit to be done. We’re all feeling motivated and excited as Camp Sky gets closer though because we know camp will be really great again this year.

So far we have raised almost $5700 for Camp Sky, which means we only need to raise about $4300 more! Thanks to everyone who has donated. We really appreciate it, and you are going to make a lot of Malawian teachers and students so happy. If you haven’t donated yet, there is still time to make a tax-deductible donation on the  Peace Corps website.

Every little bit counts-- whether it is $20 or $200, your donation will help make camp possible this year, so that Malawian teachers and students can reach for the sky and achieve their dreams!

The Next Camp Sky-- 2016!

Last year I participated in Peace Corps Malawi's Camp Sky 2015 as a Teacher-Counselor. I taught Biology lessons, facilitated science labs, and helped out with fun evening activities like an egg drop and a talent show. It was a wonderful week, and I left feeling really optimistic and enthusiastic about Peace Corps and the future of Malawi.

Here is pic of me with my Co-Counselor Devyn and our team, the Bald Eagles

It was so much fun that I decided to apply as a Camp Coordinator for the next Camp Sky, and I got it! So since last summer I have been acting as the Teacher-Camper Coordinator for Camp Sky 2016. It's been a lot of work, and it's going to be even busier next month, but it is worth it!

The goal of this year's Camp Sky is to empower Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSSs), which are the poorest secondary schools in Malawi. They receive the least funding, have very few learning materials like lab supplies or books, and the teachers are often overworked and under-qualified. While these schools lack money and materials, they do have one important resource-- motivated, hardworking teachers and students. So this year at Camp Sky we are inviting 50 Form 3 students (equivalent to 11th grade) and 8 PCVs plus 8 Malawian teachers to spend a week at Kamuzu Academy in central Malawi so we can teach them the skills they need to improve their schools.

We will have sessions on student-friendly teaching and professional development for the teachers, and classes on leadership, critical and creative thinking, study skills and English proficiency for the students.

After camp, the attendees will become the trainers when they return to their schools. The teachers will lead workshops for the other teachers at their school when they return, according to a manual that we will provide them.  And the students will start study clubs to share what they have learned with the other students at their school.

It's going to be a great week, and we are really excited! I just sent out invitations for all the Teacher-Counselors, Junior Counselors and student campers this weekend. We are finalizing sessions and working on travel logistics at the moment.

There is one more thing we need though-- donations! Camp Sky is completely funded by donations. We are seeking contributions from local businesses here in Malawi, but last year the bulk of our funding came from the generous donations of friends and family members of PCVs. We are trying to raise $10,000. That money will go towards paying for the venue, food, transportation, and supplies like flip chart paper, chalk, markers, certificates and printing the manuals.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to help support Camp Sky, please visit this link: https://donate.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/camp-sky-2016/

And feel so free to share this link and this blog post with anyone else you think might want to contribute. All donations are welcome, big or small. Zikomo kwambiri!

Camp Sky Part Two

Besides academics, the students at Camp Sky did a number of other activities.

On Wednesday the US Deputy Ambassador Michael Gonzales came to speak with students. He told the students about his background coming from a poor family and how he worked hard to put himself through school and
get where he is today. He talked about the American dream and how they
should work for their own Malawian dream. This really seemed to resonate with the kids, and several of the students in my group mentioned his talk throughout the week.

Thursday afternoon we held an Egg Drop. The teams were given various
materials and instructed to build something that would protect an egg.
Then the eggs were dropped from various heights to see which device
was the most successful. It was a fun way to put their physics
knowledge into practice.

In the evenings there were different activities like a Poetry Night, a
Forensics Activity where they solved a pretend murder by comparing
hair samples, fingerprints and interviewing suspects, a Math Night
with various probability games, a screening of Romeo and Juliet (which
is part of their Form 4 syllabus) and a Variety Show. For the Variety Show the students sang and performed skits. Us PCVs got into the act too.  We did a skit about what it is like to ride a mini-bus, and we sang the US National Anthem.

Here is a student performing a song at the Variety Show:

After the evening activities we broke up into our small groups and had
Group Reflection, which was a time for the students to share about their experiences from the day, including their Highs and Lows, and reflect on the theme for the day. Then the kids went to bed and all the PCVs had a staff meeting before we went to bed.

On Friday the students did a volunteer activity where they planted
trees at the local hospital for a windbreak. Then we did a two-hour
session on goal-setting, and a wrap up for the week. Then it was time
for the Disco! The Disco was actually pretty funny. When you take the
most studious kids from each school and put them all together in one camp, you do not end up with a group of party animals. Two campers in my group asked me if they could leave early and go to their rooms to sleep.  A bunch of students were doing Physical Science homework in the corner during the disco. A lot of kids were just sitting at the tables. DJ Andrew had a tough gig trying to please the Malawian students and the PCVs. The PCVs were not too into the Malawian music (although there are a few I like), while the students were not
impressed with the American music. But there is one song that gets everyone dancing-- Malawi's "Chop my Money"!

The next morning it was time for the kids to head home. They hopped in a matola (a truck with an open bed) to be transported to the nearest bus depot. How do you get 72 students into a matola? Very carefully.

The food was great all week, especially the desserts. The staff really outdid themselves with this giant cake they made for us.

And that was Camp Sky. The days were long, but so rewarding. The kids
asked great questions, did their homework, were excited about the
labs, and were just a fun group all around. I had some great
conversations with the students about America, gender roles, science,
computers, and their goals for the future.

Thanks to everyone who donated to Camp Sky! You made this all
possible.  While PC allows PCVs to attend the camp and pays for our
travel expenses, the camp itself it completely funded by donations.
Your donations paid for the facilities, transport for the students,
classroom supplies and lab materials.

Check out the Camp Sky Blog for more photos and posts by the other
PCVs about their experiences during the week.

http://campskymw2015.blogspot.com

Camp Sky Part One

Malawian students + PCVs = Camp Sky!

Camp Sky was an amazing week! 72 students from all across Malawi came
to learn about math, english and science to prepare for their Malawi School Certificate Exam (MSCE).  There were also 8 Junior Counselors who had attended camp last year and were selected to come back and assist the new campers. Then add about 20 PCV Teachers/Counselors and you have the Camp Sky team.

This year the camp was held at Kamuzu Academy in the Kasungu District in the Central Region of Malawi. The school was closed for Easter Break so they let us use their wonderful facilities for Camp Sky. The campus had brick buildings, manicured lawns, a huge library, computer labs, science laboratories, a pool, a cafeteria and a football field. They even had a beautiful lake in the center of the campus.  It looked like a university in America.

I was a Teacher Counselor at the camp. I taught lessons during the day, and in the evenings I acted as a Camp Counselor for a group of 9 students, along with my PCV Co-Counselor Devyn and a Junior Counselor named Sinoss. Here is a photo of my group, the Bald Eagles.

I taught Biology from 7:30 to 12:00 each day with my PCV co-teachers Kade and Steph. We covered Genetics and Evolution. It was wonderful to be able to teach such small classes. We taught the students in groups of 18, so the teacher:student ratio was 1:6. We were able to provide individual student assistance and answer lots of questions. I also really enjoyed the co-teaching. It was fun to bounce ideas off each other and I received a lot of good ideas and feedback from them. Plus it was nice to have help with passing things out, erasing the chalkboard, and getting prepped for class. I wish I could teach with them all the time.

After lunch the students attended science and computer labs. I assisted in the Biology and Physical Science labs. For Biology the students were given a different ecosystem (dryland, forest or
lakeshore) and asked to come up with a bird that would be adapted for that environment based on the resources available in the habitat. Then they had to present it to the class.  Here is a group presenting their bird for the dryland habitat.

And one of their birds too:

In Physical Science lab the students did a titration.  They added NaOH to an aqueous solution of HCl with phenolphthalein indicator included. Here is one group after completing their titration.  It was only a very light pink-- a perfect titration!

More Camp Sky to come in part two...

Going to Camp

Every year the Malawi Education PCVs organize Camp Sky, a weeklong camp for the Form 4 (12th grade) students to give them an extra boost in English, Mathematics, Biology and Physical Science in preparation for the National exams. Unlike their normal classes, the students selected for this camp will be learning in classes of 20 students, and they will have materials to do lab practicals for the science classes. There are classes during the day, and then group activities like songs, skits and games in the evenings.

Two students from my school were chosen to attend the camp this year! They are both very excited to get to take part. Their selection was based on their JCE scores, their answers to the application questions and a letter of recommendation from their teacher.

The camp is taught by PCVs. I applied to be a teacher and... I was selected! I will be teaching Biology, specifically evolution and genetics. We will have a lab practical involving DNA and we will organize a Forensics activity as well.

The camp is primarily paid for through donations by friends and family of PCVs. We are still short on funds for the camp though. If you are interested in making a tax-deductible donation, feel so free!

Here is the link to read about the camp and to make a donation

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=15-614-001

Thanks!