Kate Wutz, Communications Manager (208) 720-0681 kwutz@communityschool.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 21, 2013 SUN VALLEY, IDAHO — Though most schools are eerily silent during the summer months, Community School’s campus is a flurry of activity, hosting everything from Zenergy kids camps to St. Thomas Playhouse and workshops for the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. David Holmes, Head of School, said education is no longer tied to the old agrarian model of closing down in the summer to cultivate and harvest crops. “In today’s world, we are both lifelong and year-long learners,” he said. “Community School takes this to heart by utilizing the summer months and under-utilized spaces on campus to provide a dynamic, fully enrolled summer program. Walk our campus in the summer, and you will find a hothouse of activity.” The summer program includes a three-week Summer School of academic courses, camps of all kinds, workshops, and local organizations utilizing facilities for special programs. In addition, the school’s residential facility at Warm Springs provides living space for two local organizations, Higher Ground and the Sun Valley Symphony. More than 1,000 students, adult students and instructors will be on campus throughout summer. “It’s exhilarating for us to join Community School with local organizations on campus,” Holmes said. “It is a uniting of the Wood River Valley community around education, personal development, and a common appreciation for this amazing place where we live.” The summer kick-started with Company B Summer Performing Arts Day Camp and the St. Thomas Playhouse Summer Theater Project. Combined, the two filled four buildings rehearsing for Aladdin, Jr. and West Side Story. They were joined by the Community School Young Explorers’ Camp, an Elementary School Reading and Writing Camp, Zenergy Kid’s Camp and the Sun Valley Driving School. Even the Ketchum Co-ed Soccer League brings 120 adults to the Sagewillow Fields in Elkhorn for three matches a week.
“We’ve become a community focal point,” Holmes said. “Every single one of our buildings is full. It’s amazing.” Later this summer, Community School will become a base for advanced music workshops offered to students through the Sun Valley Symphony. Two hundred students and 65 staff members will take over the Trail Creek Campus and part of the Residence Hall August 3-10. “It’s all music, all day,” said Mike Wade, Community School Summer Programs director. “It’s the very least we could do,” Holmes added. “The Sun Valley Summer Symphony is such an asset to the valley, and we’re honored to host them again this year. We have such a unique campus that it exactly fit their needs, and we’re thrilled to be their partner.” ###