Summer Campers Dive Into Sports & STEAM

Nathaniel Joyner took a quick break from reading aloud to a group of middle schoolers to spin an imaginary basketball on his finger before passing it over to eight-year-old Damien — who dribbled the ​“ball” between his legs, and then picked up the book to resume reading with the group.

That was the scene at a sports and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics)-focused summer camp hosted by the Florida-based ALM (Alvin L. Murry) Sports organization on Dixwell Avenue in Newhallville.

Tamiko Jackson-McArthur, the former medical director for Connecticut’s ALM franchise and a former school board member, joined forces with children’s advocate and Dixwell management team member Nina Silva, who serves as the program’s director, to expand ALM’s summer camp services to New Haven youth for a second year in a row.

The camp for 5 – 14 year olds is run out of First Calvary Baptist Church at 609 Dixwell Ave. It began July 1 and runs until Aug. 23. The program has rolling admission and runs Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The camp’s 10-hour daily services cost $160 per week for families. 

In the fall, the program will offer before- and after-school care. Silva and Jackson-McArthur are looking to open around Sept 3. The program will also be open during all school breaks. ​“Every day NHPS is closed we will be here,” Jackson-McArthur said.

On Thursday, this reporter caught up with a group of about 40 students who had just come back from the playground and splash pad at Lincoln Bassett School.

Last year the camp was based out of Funz Trampoline Park in Hamden. Silva and Jackson-McArthur aimed to move into New Haven this year. They chose First Calvary, which has offered its space to the program for the summer camp and for the before- and after-school care to come this school year. 

Silva said the change in location from the trampoline park has helped to provide a less overly stimulating space for the campers. She noted that this year while at First Calvary, she’s had to make fewer calls home to parents about student behavior.

Campers under eight years old brought chairs outside to the church’s back parking lot to join Joyner in reading ​“The Legend of Gravity: A Tall Basketball Tale” by Charly Palmer. He called up middle schoolers Damien and Aiden to read alongside him. 

As they read about a new basketball player named Gravity on the Hillside Projects basketball team, the Eagles, Damien paused at a word. 

“You got it, sound it out,” Jackson-McArthur called out from behind the group. 

While acting out basketball moves like spinning a ball on his finger, Joyner talked with the students about the scientific force of gravity. 

“He once jumped so high that his teammates went out for ice cream before he came back down,” Joyner read aloud to the group.

Across from the parking lot on Hazel Street, neighbors watched and listened along to the students reading. 

Joyner and the students reenacted spinning a ball on each others’ heads and dribbling. He randomly picked students from the crowd to show the group their best moves.

Joyner read only the first 15 minutes of the story and promised to continue during his next visit. At the end of the reading he asked students at random to recall parts of the book. 

During the week, the campers also make use of Amistad High School’s sports field and the Learning Corridor on the Farmington Canal trail. In late July the students went on a field trip to the movie theater and this week will visit Quassy Amusement. 

This year’s camp received grant funds allowing for it to provide its youth with daily hot lunches. On Thursday at around noon, the students enjoyed spaghetti and meat balls with a side of orange slices. The students ate their lunch after a morning playing in a nearby splash pad. 

Five-year-old Liannah sat at a table of other five-year-olds to eat her spaghetti. She shared that she enjoys walks to the splash pad and going on field trips by riding a bus. Despite it being Thursday, she couldn’t help but think about a trip to the trampoline park on Friday.

Around 1 p.m, another group of young students worked with health educator Ruth Gibson during her weekly lesson on nutritional health.

During their health lesson students learned to read the ingredients on cereal boxes, pancake mix, and crackers. They learned to look for whole grains over refined grains.

The students next did a two-minute work out doing several exercises for 20 seconds each. 

The camp has about eight counselors that rotate between the day’s morning and afternoon shifts. It also gets support from Youth@Work students. All staff at the site are trained in CPR and first aid.

Silva added that out of the camp’s estimated 55 total students, several youth enrolled have disabilities, providing the full group with a chance to interact with the students their age. 

The camps sports component is led by Metropolitan Business Academy senior Amare Jackson, 17, who plays football for Hillhouse. He said many of the students in the camp have a passion for football and running. He typically organizes relay races for the campers in the park or field on a daily basis.

Every day after working at the ALM camp, Jackson then goes to practice for a University of New Haven (UNH) football camp until 9 p.m.

Jackson-McArthur noted that the camp is working to collect tennis rackets to introduce tennis to the campers in the future. 

Jackson said his role as lead of sports allows him to offer the youth a chance to learn different skill sets and ​“maybe start them on a new journey of sports.”

Another camp leader Chris Scott has helped Silva and Jackson-McArthur to run the program since its start last year. Scott noted that the new space at First Calvary has been better for the campers because it was difficult to calm the students down when at the trampoline park. 

“It just makes it so we can really dive into STEM and focus on helping them build up their foundational skills like the ABC’s,” he said. 

Last year was Scott’s first year working with youth and he recalled thinking ​“I didn’t know I was good with kids.” 

He aims for all campers to learn more independence, leadership skills, and be prepared to return back to school. ​“The kids are the future so you have to make sure they have good morals instilled in them,” he said. 

At the end of August the program will host a friends and family day celebration on Aug. 24 to celebrate the conclusion of the summer session at First Calvary around 1 p.m.