By Amy Croft, Reporter

When teens think of summer camps, they usually think little kids camp, but that’s not the case. There are so many camps around Illinois that are for teenagers in high school.

Some Kaneland students go to camps that have to do with what sport they are in to improve during the summer.

“I think summer camps are effective if they’re playing a sport because it can help them improve,” sophomore Katie Hill said.

At Kaneland, there are basketball, baseball and football camps in the summer, so the students play well during the season.

“Summer camps keep kids active because you’re doing a sport and running around,” sophomore Riley Marco said.

Even though most students go to camps for sports, other camps help with academic skills.

Supercamp is a summer camp that helps high school students with leadership, social and thinking skills. It doesn’t stop there. Supercamp has 65,000 students that attend each wyear from 85 countries. Out of all these students, 73 percent increase in grade scores and 77 percent of the students go straight to a four year college after high school.

“I do believe that summer camps keep the brain stimulated which can increase learning,” health teacher Kristyn Crawford said. “Different camps will affect an individual differently so picking the right summer camp for the individual is important.”

Summer camps have many purposes, mostly to have fun and be social, but students don’t realize how it helps keep the brain active during summer.

“Camps are effective because it’s in summer and they’re not laying around and being lazy. They are staying healthy and active,” freshman Jake Marczuk said.

Most are youth camps like Silver Birch Ranch, but not all of them. Silver Birch Ranch is a youth christian camp that meets during June and is a full week. It is located up in Wisconsin and many of the teenagers say it’s an awesome experience.

“Depending on what the individual needs will determine the camp for them. Summer is a time for students who are struggling in a subject to get help. It is also a time for athletes to work with their teams,” said Crawford.

Sometimes it may be hard to choose the right camp, but it’s not so hard to find one.

“Choosing the right camp depends on the individual, but I would recommend starting the search with the school and community,” Crawford said.

Most kids that go to summer camps improve in many different ways, especially social skills.

Making friends isn’t so hard when surrounded by positive people at a summer camp.

“I want to learn how to make friends,” Joe Cassara, a junior at Wentzville’s Host High School said.

At the time, he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, when he was 8 years old. During his high school years, he began getting frustrated because he didn’t know how to make real friends. As a result he came up with an idea of a friendship boot camp. This boot camp is now a summer camp for autisitc teens or teens with Aspergers. They can now be themselves and make new friends.

“I would recommend summer camps to high school students. It keeps them involved in school activities and gives them opportunities that they may not have if they are not involved,” Crawford said.