Ranger day fun and adventures at CCISD reading camp

By MALACHI MUNCY
Cove Leader-Press

On Wednesday morning at Williams-Ledger Elementary School, Copperas Cove Independent School District and the 62nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion teamed up to host a field day for students enrolled in the Ranger Reading Camp. 
Campers tasted Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MRE), learned to tie knots, and used land navigation skills to find treasure.
“The camp is designed to fight the slide in skills that some students experience during summer months,” said Heather Peacock, Military Transition Consultant of the Military Child Education Coalition. “We’ve focused enrollment on military dependent students. A quarter of the district’s students are military dependents and about a third of campers are. Some of them may change schools 6 to 9 times in their education.”
According to the district, around 143 students participated in the 12-day camp. Prior to the Ranger Day, students experienced literacy tie-ins to the activities and self-selected a free book for each day of camp.
“I’ve been getting chapter books everyday,” Said Semaj Menzie, 6th grader at S C Lee Junior High.” My favorite part about today was eating MREs.” 
The camp was open to students who completed a grade at Fairview-Jewell Elementary or Hettie Halstead Elementary.  
The camp was funded from a 5-year, $750,000 DoDEA II grant that the district received. Funds from the grant will be administered over the next 5 years with goals to increase the level of social support for military dependent students at grant campuses and improve their academic achievement.
“This is the first camp like this we’ve done, but through the Adopt-a-School going back to 2009 we’ve done volunteer activities throughout the year,” said Cpt. Armando Diaz, Commander Headquarters Company, 62nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion. “In the past, volunteers have helped students find their lockers at the beginning of the year and helped new students adjust when they move. Many of our service-members have students here in the Copperas Cove School District. We are supporting our community but also our families.”
The camp ends today with a day of ‘Summer Safety, Water Safety and Fishing Adventure.’