Schools

Camp !magine Graduates 86 Students

Camp !magine, the six-week summer program founded in 2009 for special needs children, capped off a successful summer graduating 86 students July 31 at The Lake House in Veterans Park.

Students and family members enjoyed lunch, graduation and a ride on Euclid Beach memorabilia collector Joe Tomaro’s Rocket Ship Car – a street-legal vehicle crafted from one of the 1935 Euclid Beach Rocket ride cars.

The rocket ship car was not selected haphazardly: Camp !magine director and Avon Lake High School teacher Gjergh Haxiu said they were “blasting the ‘dis’ from disability.”

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This year, a staff of 57 were on hand to guide the students through camp.

Camp !magine is an all-encompassing program that empowers students to participate in the community through project based learning, building lasting friendships and fostering success in their academic and IEP goals.

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The program was inspired by Handi-Camp which was founded in 1987 by Frank and Nadge Herceg, and Lee Smelko, parents of children with multi-handicap needs, 

This six-week program includes activities based on target goals and objectives derived from the current IEP, but also include daily living activities, crafts, games, community service projects, hikes, swimming and even a day at the baseball game, according to the Avon Lake School District. 


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