News

July 15, 2015

Unique Summer Camp Experience At Brown School Emphasizes The Importance of Giving Back To Community

Senior campers at Brown School are spending their summer creating and implementing ways to give back to non-profit organizations. During each of the 10 weeks of camp, the students, who are ages nine through 14, will embark on a community service project.

During the first week of camp they decided they were interested in organizing and hosting a bake sale with all of the profits being donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This particular organization spoke to them because some of the students expressed they have family members who were diagnosed with breast cancer. They baked cookies, brownies and even prepared “ants on a log” to sell. They raised over $50 dollars for the foundation and prepared a special letter to accompany the funds. Amanda Keil, a teacher at Brown School who also heads up the summer camp program, is excited by their efforts. “At Brown School we want our students and summer campers to become good citizens of our community. We are proud of how they are working so hard to give back to others in need. It’s a win for our students as they are able to learn the importance of community service and a win for our region as these young people touch lives through giving,” said Keil.

Over the course of the summer, the students will be choosing a variety of charities that speak to their interests. Head of School Patti Vitale said, “The student campers are very excited about the difference they are making. They have the opportunity to work together as a team on meaningful projects.”

In general, the school emphasizes the importance of community service and giving back. Throughout the school year many dollars are donated to charities from student organized events and activities. Most recently, significant funds were raised for the Schenectady Jay Street fire victims. The school community also donates time and money to Veterans groups.  Non-profit awareness is built directly into the curriculum.

“It’s important for us to make a lasting impact. The founder of our school, ‘Nellie’ Brown, certainly demonstrated this through her creation of Brown School. This is a lesson we strive to teach our students, campers and staff through action,” said Vitale.