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P.S. Arts IOCA Camp!

By Sylvia Chavez, Program Manager

As a new member of the P.S. ARTS community, I recently had the privilege of attending my first Inside Out Community Arts (IOCA) camping and rehearsal retreat at Camp Bloomfield, an experience I shared with dozens of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student artists from the LA South Bay. This was the first time our three TakePART school sites—Dana Middle School in Wiseburn, Prairie Vista Middle School in Hawthorne, and Will Rogers Middle School in Lawndale—were able to participate in the IOCA camping retreat, and they were thrilled to join. We packed approximately 75 middle school students and about 16 student mentors (many of whom graduated from those very same schools) onto three yellow school buses and sent them on their way to live, play, and create theater together during three magical days in the Malibu mountains. Thus, I found myself on a cold Thursday night, boldly driving a van full of musical instruments and several boxes of rotisserie chicken up PCH for my very first night at IOCA Camp!

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The IOCA Mentors rock! They are a group of dedicated and talented student alumni, and they were an integral part of running camp and keeping all of our activities fun and safe. Mentors arrived on Thursday night and had the camp all to themselves to prepare for the big weekend. After a full dinner and quick orientation, we headed to the ropes course where each of us bravely strapped on a harness and learned to trust each other to catch our fall (for the record, I did not fall! Hooray!).

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Friday afternoon the IOCA students arrived with armfuls of luggage and heads full of ideas for the plays they would spend the next 48 hours creating. The rest of the weekend was packed full with a student talent show, sunrise hike, theater games, DJ dance, swimming, star hike, and A LOT of rehearsal with their play groups!

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On Saturday, we held a dress rehearsal of the six plays-in-progress, and the students performed for each other against a natural wooded backdrop.

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On the final day of camp, we packed the busses full with students, staff, luggage, sleeping bags, costumes, and props and departed the lovely Camp Bloomfield. However, we had one afternoon stop planned before returning to our homes and families — the beach! It was a perfect 74 degrees at Leo Carillo State Beach in Malibu, and promptly upon arriving, several students took off their socks and dug their feet in the sand. Others sat pensively on their beach blankets or hung out in groups making friendship bracelets with new friends. Some of us even braved the ocean waves (many thanks to Artist Leader Cleo for rocking her awesome wet-suit and lifeguarding for us!).

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My favorite magic moment of camp came during our closing circle. At the end of our beach day, each of the six play groups circled up on the sand to reflect on their experiences at camp. Students talked about their favorite activities, what they had learned about themselves, and what they looked forward to in the coming weeks as the program would draw to a close. As I looked around the beach, I was struck by the beauty of the changing colors in the early evening sky. Suddenly, a great cheer erupted from several of the circles at the same time. It took me a moment to figure out what had happened— the sun had just touched down on the horizon. The students had been watching the setting sun during their discussions, and without any planning or communicating, they all let out a great cheer as it disappeared below the water. Over my right shoulder I heard one student say, “Oh my gosh, I have never seen that before,” another said, “Neither have I,” followed by, “That is so cool!” It occurred to me that many of our students had never had an opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasure of watching a sunset or sunrise. The joy and wonder on their faces in that moment is something that I will carry with me always.

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