Kevin Holohan, co-principle investigator of the W.K. Kellogg/Battle Creek Public Schools/GVSU College of Education and Community Innovation, said that while the camp is now in its third year being offered to BCCHS students, this year’s experience was the first to be offered as originally intended in previous years. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the camp was held virtually in its first year and inside Battle Creek Central’s school building in the second year. This year, however, students had the opportunity to travel to GVSU for an immersive overnight experience that Holohan said was “intended not only to introduce students to the field of education but also to get them familiar with college life.”
Students participated in hands-on experiences — even getting to take a ride on one of the school’s water-based research vessels — and attended workshops focused on college applications, project-based learning, and culturally relevant and responsive teaching.
Program activities included explorations of high-impact, community-based projects and learning more about the college admissions process in preparation for their senior year. Participants practiced writing a college entrance essay.
Last week, students, families, and staff members from BCPS, GVSU, and the WK Kellogg Foundation came together at a luncheon to celebrate the completion of the camp and hear more about the student experiences. GVSU senior Kylie Ohrt, who studies elementary and special education and served as one of the ExCEL Camp counselors for the week, kicked things off by sharing that as someone who was born and raised in Battle Creek, it was inspiring for her to witness the bright future that lies ahead for the community.
“I believe in the change and I think it’s going to take a community of people who love this city - people who love this city enough to ask hard, maybe uncomfortable questions, people who don’t take no for an answer, but will advocate, educate, have empathy, and share the stories of our city that have not been documented,” she shared. “During this experience, I met 30 young, brilliant individuals who have that potential; thirty individuals who have what it takes to take hold of whatever community they are in and whatever field they are in and change it for the better.
“Because of these scholars,” Ohrt added, “I have an unshakeable hope for our future. This has been a week I’ll never forget.”
Next, 2021 ExCEL Camp participant and 2022 BCCHS graduate Lalro Mawii shared her own story of self-discovery and how the camp helped her along the way. “It was only after camp that I started to unravel myself,” Mawii said. “The reflections I took from the camp became my guide posts as I entered my senior year in high school.” She added that her key takeaway from the camp experience was that “we are all leaders in our own skin and in our own ways.”
To conclude the event, BCCHS rising senior and 2022 ExCEL Camp participant Marshall Murdick shared more about this year’s experience and the lasting impact it will have. “I have so many different interests, but this camp really helped me come to the conclusion that I really care about people in general,” Murdick shared, adding “I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity, and to know that GVSU is working with our community to make it a better place, and to give these kids better opportunities for their lives.”
