Nearly 40 years of fun: Camp Summit takes Lee’s Summit kids to fun heights in summer
Activities like bowling, skating, field trips and daily swimming are among the reasons families return year after year to Camp Summit, a summer recreational program that’s been offered by Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation for nearly 40 years.
The camp, which operates out of Harris Park Community Center, included around 650 children from ages 5 to 11 during summer 2023.
“The Camp Summit program is well-known and respected. The marketing budget is zero dollars, and camp hits its enrollment number every summer,” said Melissa Pfannenstiel, Parks and Recreation marketing and communications strategist.
Camp Summit counselors include high-school juniors and seniors, college students and other adults, with all staff members trained in leadership, safety procedures, activities and supervision skills.
“The goal is for the staff to not view themselves as ‘counselor’ but rather as a ‘youth development professional’ who cares about the campers and wants to ensure they have a positive experience,” Pfannenstiel said.
Camp fees include a season pass to Summit Waves, located next to the camp’s headquarters, and campers swim each morning for an hour. During these sessions, Camp Summit has exclusive use of the swimming facility, with camp staff members either actively swimming with the students or monitoring the children from the edge of the pools.
In 2024, the program will run from May 28 through Aug. 9 from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Cost for Camp Summit is $145 each week, and families only pay for the weeks their children are enrolled during the summer months.
In addition to providing an action-packed children’s program, Pfannenstiel said Camp Summit is designed to help students improve and grow in areas such as self-identity, self-esteem and leadership.
During the school year, Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation also offers school break camps, which are available on a number of the days when Lee’s Summit R-7 School District students are not in school.
For families seeking short-term half-day camps, A to Z Artistry provides artistic enrichment sessions at the Gamber Center as part of Parks and Recreation’s youth enrichment offerings. The art camps are offered throughout the year, with around 24 available during the summer.
The A to Z Artistry camps include sessions offered from two to five days each week with classes from either 9 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The theme-based camps focus on topics such as Jurassic art, princess art, outer space, blooms and bugs, printmaking, Christmas in July, artsy animals, polymer clay sculptures, Harry Potter art, Anime and ocean art.
New this year is a five-day junk journaling camp, which will include watercolor, chalks, writing, stamping and stickers. Campers can also choose a three-day “Choose Your Own Art-Venture” session, with options such as birdhouses, painting on linen and other projects from previous camps.
A three-day pre-teen pop art camp will include more advanced art-making methods inspired by pop legends such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
The A to Z Artistry camps are divided into two age groups, with sessions offered for children from 5 to 9 and from 10 to 14 years old. Cost varies depending on how many half-day classes are included in each weekly camp and range from $85 to $170.
For more information about Camp Summit, go here. The A to Z Artistry camp sessions and enrollment information are available here.
