Head’s Up!

ACADEMICS/ENRICHMENT

ADVENTure Camp at Advent Episcopal School

Over the years, Camp Mac continued to add activities and programs – and even discontinued a few – to keep up with the times. Nowadays, camp is much like those early days, but there are differences, too.

For example, while skiing, horseback riding, campouts and tetherball continue to be favorites, today’s campers participate in rappelling, pickleball, rock climbing, team roping and mountain biking, too. They also can plunge down a 160-foot-long waterslide and splash around in a water park with inflatables.

But for all the changes, the Camp Mac traditions and philosophy have remained the same as in 1948: Learn Stuff, Do Things, Have Fun, according to the camp’s website. And the number of alumni taking their children and even grandchildren to camp serves as strong testimony to the good memories made and life lessons learned at Camp Mac.

Current owner and Director Allen McBride represents the third generation of the McBride family to run the camp, so when he says he’s been at Camp Mac all his life, he means it.

“And every day has been different while still feeling the same,” he said. “When my grandfather founded the camp, there were not nearly as many campers nor nearly as many things to do. My father and I used to kid about those first campers having nothing more than two sticks and a rock.

“Now, 75 years later, the program has grown, the facility has grown, and the number of campers has grown, but the smiles and the laughter and the life-changing opportunities and experiences are still the same.”

Advent Episcopal School offers a variety of programs to engage, enrich and entertain students of all ages during summer break. PreK-4th grade students experience an engaging day camp format; 5th-10th grade students become Counselors-in-Training as they learn leadership skills while supporting the counselors and teachers of ADVENTure Camp.

Telephone: (205) 252-2535

Address: 2019 6th Ave. N., Birmingham

Email: summer@adventepiscopalschool.org

Website: adventurecampbham.org

Dates: June 5 - Aug 4 (excluding June 19 and the week of July 4)

Ages: Grades Pre-K through 10, rising

Alabama School of Fine Arts

Alabama School of Fine Arts Summer Programs

Make your summer count with a variety of camps at ASFA, including creative writing, video game design, Android app programming, drawing and printmaking. ASFA also offers 3-week intensives in pre-algebra or Algebra 1 for those looking to get ahead in math or simply brush up on their math skills. Camps are taught by ASFA’s expert faculty members.

Telephone: (205) 252-9241

Address: 1800 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd., Birmingham

Email: jlittle@asfaschool.org

Website: asfaschool.org

Dates: June 5-23

Ages: Grades 5-8

Summer at Altamont

Summer is the perfect time to try something new, dive deeper into special interests, finetune academic skills or earn course credit in a relaxed environment.

Address: The Altamont School, 4801 Altamont Rd., Birmingham

Email: summer@altamontschool.org

To register as an alum, go to campmac. com, click on About Camp Mac then Alumni on the drop-down menu. Continued

Website: altamontschool.org/academics/ altamont-summer-programs

Dates: May 30-July 14