Julie Billiart ICE Award for Beyond Camp program

1. 1 9 t h I C E AWA R D S :
I N N OVAT I O N S I N
C AT H O L I C
E D U C AT I O N
Award Category: An innovative project in total community involvement
Location: Lyndhurst, Ohio
Diocese: Cleveland
Principal: Jodi Johnston
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his past summer Julie Billiart School in Lyndhurst,
OH, launched Beyond Camp, a four-week summer
camp providing social skills training and combating
summer learning loss for students with special learning
needs. Summer learning loss is a significant problem for
students with learning disabilities who rely on school to
teach social skills alongside academics.
The goals for Beyond Camp
were to develop social skills that are
most challenging for this population;
generalize those skills to various
parts of the community to help with
career readiness; provide creative
expression through exercise, cooking, art, acting, and
more; provide academic boost to combat learning loss;
and deepen students’ Catholic identity. In its inaugu-
ral year the camp served 30 students with learning
differences.
A significant element of the camp was community
experiences. Many children with autism have few com-
munity experiences due to having meltdowns, difficulty
with overwhelming sensory input, difficulty understand-
ing what is expected of them, or being unable to interpret
social cues. Beyond Camp addressed each of these issues
through direct teaching, social stories, visual cues, pre-
taught methods for expressing frustration or commu-
nication, and guided exposure to the community during
field trips.
The camp field trips provided children with “typi-
cal” social activities they do not otherwise have access to
because of their social difficulties. The field trips provided
exciting and engaging adventures that contributed to the
students’ confidence and self-perception. Successful field
trips included trips to the community pool, a trampoline
park, the zoo, hiking at a land reserve, a baseball game,
interacting with animals at a farm, and a water park.
This was a meaningful growth experience for our
campers and it was also a unique opportunity for the
community to grow in exposure and acceptance of a new
population of individuals with social deficits.
Many children with autism have few community
experiences due to having meltdowns, difficulty with
overwhelming sensory input, difficulty understand-
ing what is expected of them, and similar factors.
Students: 123
Grades: K-8
Website: juliebilliartschool.org
Julie Billiart School
Beyond Camp
24 | March 2016
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