Lynchburg athletic and theatre summer camps available at Randolph College

Looking for enriching activities for your children this summer? Do you want your children to have lots of fun and learn a lot in these programs? Randolph College has several options, including athletic camps and a theatre program over the next few months.


Athletic Camps

Randolph’s coaches are running several camps to help children and youth to develop their skills. Camps are available for tennis, basketball (including one co-ed camp and one for girls only), horseback riding, and volleyball. Find the details, including registration information, here.

“Our goal for the week is to give each camper plenty of individual instruction in all areas of the game,” said Allison Nichols, head women’s basketball coach who leads the girls basketball summer camp. “Each day will be filled with fundamental work, competitions, games, prizes, and plenty of fun.”

Theatre Camp

WildCat Theatre Conservatory is returning to Randolph for the second year. This all-day theatre camp for K-12 students teaches a variety of acting skills ranging from musical theatre to improvisation, but it also helps build creativity and life lessons.

“I saw some kids who came into the program really shy. They opened up and were more confident by the end of the program,” said Ashley Peisher ’15, a Randolph student who helped run WildCat Theatre Conservatory and will work there again this summer. “It really gave the students an opportunity to grow and to help others grow. It was really cool to seem them work together.”

“It provided an arena for them to expand on their creativity,” said Sonja Cirilo ’15, another Randolph student helping with the conservatory for the second year.

Professional actors and theatre educators teach WildCat Theatre Conservatory classes on improvisation, musical theatre, acting, movement, and other skills. One of Peisher’s fondest memories was seeing high school students who improved their talent for improvisation. “They were doing some really genuine scenes that you would have thought were scripted,” she said.

The theatre camp is expanding to offer two different two-week sessions. One runs from July 15 to July 27 and the second will be July 29 to August 11. Get more information here, connect with the Theatre Conservatory on Facebook, or download the registration form here.

Apply for summer program in archeology and art conservation

What if you could spend your summer restoring ancient art and architecture in Italy—while enjoying the country’s beautiful scenery and fantastic cuisine?

That is the opportunity available through the Archaeological Conservation Institute (ACI), a unique month-long program offered by Randolph College’s classics department. For the past two summers, Randolph students interested in archaeology, art history, and classics have had hands-on experience with projects such as resetting ancient Roman mosaics.

This year’s program, from May 14 to June 12, will include the opportunity to excavate Sant’Imbenia, an ancient Phoenician port village on the Italian island of Sardinia. Applications are due Feb. 1, and you can download an application here.

Claire Sumner ’15 is excited to attend ACI for the second year in a row. “I think that if students have any interest in conservation or archaeology it is a great introduction to both fields. Plus, you get to explore Italy. What could be better?”

Randolph launched ACI in partnership with the Centro di Conservazione Archeologica (Center for Archaeological Conservation) and the renowned conservationist Roberto Nardi in 2011. Sumner, an art history and museum studies major from Bainbridge Island, Washington, decided to participate in ACI last summer after hearing a speech by Nardi.

Sumner said last year’s program included lectures as well as “lab work” that included excavation and restoration efforts. “From the lab work, I learned some of the more simple techniques for the conservation and restoration of art works,” Sumner said. “From the lectures, I learned Dottore Nardi’s philosophy on conservation and what a new generation of conservators could do to improve the field.”

The experience caused Sumner to consider making a career out of conservation and art restoration. She decided to apply to ACI again so she can talk more with Nardi and his staff about what how to reach that goal.

Susan Stevens, a classics professor at Randolph, said the program will allow students to gain experience with a wide variety of conservation principles, ranging from broadly applicable practices, such as video documentation, to techniques for specific restoration projects. “With the top-notch team of Italian conservators, archaeologists, trainees and their lab and field projects, ACI students participate in a fascinating profession,” she said.