2018 May PASO Magazine

in North County
by Heather Young
There are only two months left in the school
year, and it’s never too early to start figuring
out what the children will do over summer
break, especially since many camps fill
up early. Below is a sampling of summer
camps happening in the North County
this summer.
Boys & Girls Club Day Camp
The Boys and Girls Club has a summer-long
day camp from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Wednesday,
June 20 through Friday, Aug. 10 in Atascadero
and Paso Robles. It’s for incoming kindergartners
through eighth graders. The Paso Robles
summer camp will be held at 600 26th St. The
Atascadero camp will be held at Atascadero United
Methodist Church, 11605 El Camino Real.
The cost is $525 for the entire summer. For an
application, go to bgcslocounty.org/application.
Paso Robles Pioneer Day Camp
The Paso Robles YMCA hosts a summer day
camp from Monday, June 18 through Friday, Aug.
10 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for children entering
kindergarten through sixth grade at Centennial
Park, 600 Nickerson Drive in Paso Robles. The
cost is $165 per week. The campers will learn
and practice social responsible, leadership skills
An integral part of our human
development must include education
in the arts. Educational research
that examines the learning
processes throughout the ages, even
those beginning with Plato, has
emphasized the importance of the
arts as part of our development and
scholarship. Humanities are described
as academic disciplines that
study human culture. Humanities
researchers detail the arts as one of
the defining characteristics of the
human species and conclude that
every culture has a distinct artistic
aspect. Our cognitive ability to
create art separate from the body
is thought to have originated in
Africa, but the practice may have
begun at different times both genetically
and culturally across the
globe (Morriss-Kay, 2010). Today
the humanities are more frequently
contrasted with natural, physical,
and social sciences as well as professional
training. However, we must
consider fine arts as a critical component
of our academic experience.
The visual arts are present in
music, dance, language and rituals
that mark many different aspects
of our lives such as birth, marriage,
and develop positive character.
For more information or to register, call 805-
239-3047 or go to sloymca.org.
Camp Natoma
Camp Natoma is an overnight camp north of
Paso Robles. This camp is for children leaving
first grade through ninth grade. Sessions will be
held June 22 to 24 (family camp), June 24 to 30
July 8 to 14, July 15 to 21, July 22 to 28, July 29
to Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 to 11. The cost is $650 per
week. At Camp Natoma, campers gain self-confidence,
become positive team-players, expand
their imagination, and develop a relationship
with the natural world. All sessions include sleeping
under the stars and outdoor activities such
as swimming, hiking, arts and crafts, archery,
music, nature exploration, team-building and
more. For more information or to register, call
805-709-2569 or go to CampNatoma.org.
Bob Cantu’s Basketball Camp
There will be three sessions of Bob Cantu’s
Basketball Camp this summer; one at Paso
Robles High School June 18 to 21 and two at
Mission Prep High School in San Luis Obispo
June 25 to 28 and July 9 to 12. The camps are
for children 4 to 12 years of age and are held 9
The Importance of
death, religion, and politics. Animal
courtship, competitions, as well
as modern day communications,
all include aspects of vocalization,
ritualized movement and visual displays.
Anyone who has watched
turkeys or peacocks during spring
can validate art in animal courtship.
I was recently enjoying a jazz concert
at D’Anbinos in Paso Robles
featuring a local Paso Robles High
School graduate and observed many
of the patrons expressing emotions
through dance, tapping of feet, clapping
of hands, shaking of bodies
and bobbing of heads. Is this a form
of art as well as the expression of
emotion? Many opinions exist on
how we define art, but without academic
consensus (Layton, 1991).
We tend to identify art in a formal
sense related to what we find aesthetically
pleasing. Can we claim
that what is considered positive and
evokes emotion resonates as an art
form rather than something that is
solely pragmatic? Do we know if
ancient art was created for art’s sake
or did it represent a survival need?
Does my love of jazz and disinterest
in heavy metal indicate that only
one of these forms of music is a valid
expression of art, or simply what I
find pleasing?
May of 2017 nearly 3,200 North
County students, faculty and staff
gathered to enjoy “Peter and the
Wolf: Telling Stories Through
Music” a Countywide Arts Collaboration
bringing together the
San Luis Obispo County Office of
Education, Ballet Theatre San Luis
Obispo, radio talk show host Dave
Congalton, and the OperaSLO
a.m. to noon. The cost is $150 per week. For
more information or to register, call 805-461-
4919, email bobcantu@cantucamps.com or go
to CantuCamps.com/campinfo.
British Soccer Camp
Soccer camp for children 3 to 15 years of age
will be held at Dinosaur Caves Park June 9 to
13; Barney Schwartz Park in Paso Robles July
23 to 27; Evers Field Park in Templeton Aug. 6
to 10. Half days are 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., which
cost$138 per week; full days from 9:15 a.m.
to 4:15 p.m., which costs $192 per week. For
more information or to register, go to challenger.
configio.com.
Paso Robles City summer camps
The City of Paso Robles has multiple options
for kids to get busy this summer. Some of those
activities include Central Cal Diving/Springboard
Diving, Good Dogs Kid’s Kamp, Lego
Engineering, Magic Camp and Science Camp.
To register for any camp offered by the city, go
to prcity.com or call 805-237-3988.
College for Kids at Cuesta
Students entering fifth through ninth grades
for the 2018-19 school year can take advantage
of two sessions of College for Kids at Cuesta
College’s campus in San Luis Obispo. Session
1 is June 18 to July 5 Monday through Thursday.
Session 2 is July 9 to 25. For more information,
cuesta.edu or call 805-546-3132.
by Jim Brescia
Grand Orchestra conducted by Artistic
Director Brian Asher Alhadeff
in a new ballet version of Sergie
Prokofiev’s classical tale for narrator
and orchestra. This year Vina Robles
has again agreed to graciously
host this year’s production of “Peter
Pan,” another Countywide Arts
Collaborative sponsored by the
Paso Robles Education Alliance,
the San Luis Obispo County Office
of Education, Professor David Burt,
and Virginia Severa. “Live theatre
is a team sport and the performing
arts are relevant and necessary for
children to experience frequently,”
says Maestro Alhadeff.
We must maintain or expand
levels of fine arts education in our
schools, including in schools with
high percentages of poor and minority
students. In the face of economic
stress, schools and districts
may be tempted to reduce their
investment in anything that appears
to be “extra” or unnecessary.
However, the arts play a significant
role in supporting student learning
beyond the boundaries of the fine
arts classroom. In line with maintaining
or expanding arts education,
we must work together to see that
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52 PASO Magazine, May 2018