Camp Caldwell students dive into reading

Summer Reading Camp for Select 2nd and 3rd Grade Students

LENOIR, NC (June 13, 2023) — Classroom instruction continues through June at Hudson Elementary as nearly 90 elementary students from across the district participate in Camp Caldwell, a reading initiative enacted by the NC General Assembly to offer summer reading camps to select second and third grade students.

“At Camp Caldwell, our teachers provide small group instruction focused on the big five pillars of reading – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary,” said Adrienne Dula, Elementary Education Director. “Additionally, students participate in STEM activities each day designed to reinforce inquiry-based learning and writing skills.”

Students (left) Aubrey Parker and Landon Greer explore STEM learning on the Code on the Go Bus at Camp Caldwell.

Camp Caldwell is held from June 12-29. The schedule for the first two weeks of camp is Monday through Friday, 8 am to 2:30 pm, and in the final week, students will attend Monday through Thursday. Each day students are prepared a nutritious breakfast and lunch, and transportation is provided as needed, all at no cost to parents.

The goal of the North Carolina Read to Achieve Program is to ensure that every student reads at or above grade level by the end of the third grade and continues to progress in reading proficiency. Third graders will be retested on the state standardized reading test in their final week of camp.


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