We have found that due to COVID and remote learning, among other reasons, students seem to struggle with productive relationships with one another. We felt that students could benefit from a bonding experience without social media. We also know that students spend a lot of time on their phones. This can affect many aspects of mental health which teenagers struggle with. In addition, we have noticed that when we take students outside, they are energized and excited to a point where it is hard to teach a lesson.
After one of these field trips, I came back and quote said: “These kids need to go into nature, run until they can no longer run, and hopefully then we can teach a lesson outside.” During one of those field trips, they could not focus on the guest speaker at a location, etc.
This is when Tomcats Unplugged was born.
Becky Handa from Athens County Children’s Services and Echo Joy from COMCorps were the main people that partnered up with the Trimble Local School District science department to make this possible.
The past two years were free to our students because of private donations, including donations from school board members and one donation from the superintendent. This year, we received a grant from the Joe Burrow Foundation through Ohio University, so the finances for next year’s camp are secured.
Tomcats Unplugged could not happen without the support of the community. After asking the students what they enjoyed most about camp, they said hiking, campfires at night and hanging out with friends.
We had the following activities this year: team building, anti-vaping, coping sessions, stream discovery, campfires, cards and board games, and enjoyed having family-style meals with each other. The camp took place at Camp Oty’Okwa in the Hocking Hills in April.
The main idea is to take a break from technology and actually spend time with each other.
Heike Perko is a seventh and eighth grade science teacher in the Trimble Local Schools District.
