Budget Threatens to Cut Camp Schmidt

by Emily Johnson

University of Maryland Journalism Student

Camp Schmidt has been a popular destination for third-graders at from Rosa Parks Elementary School, but budget cuts may lead to the closing of the popular facility for students in Prince George’s County schools.

Camp Schmidt was established 39 years ago to teach children in the school district about environmentalism. It is primarily used for fifth-graders for one overnight trip per year that runs continuously from September to June. Trips are still scheduled for the rest of 2011.

Other programs also utilize it such as the student government in high schools, according to Donna Hathaway Beck, the vice chair of the Board of Education.

Camp Schmidt is one of the programs that could be slashed due to a for county schools. The closing of Camp Schmidt could save the Prince George’s County $1 million, mostly from the staff’s salaries.

Prince George’s County owns the facility and it’s not disclosed what would happen to the site if Camp Schmidt were closed.

The potential closing has sparked an outcry from a range of people. Alumni, parents, and students are all taking action to keep Camp Schmidt open.

Mike Creveling graduated from Oxon Hill High School before the camp was opened but attended the camp many times with students. He wrote in a letter to the Board of Education, “Isn’t creating lasting academic memories our mission in education?”

A Facebook group called “Save Camp Schmidt” was created to unite advocates for the outdoor education center’s survival. The site has 549 members and continues to grow by the day.

Beck noted the surprising amount of alumni that are speaking out against the closing of Camp Schmidt. “Kids in their late twenties still remember Camp Schmidt … if a program touches every fifth-grader and remains with them even as alumni, you’re getting the bang for your buck,” she said.

Joan Spinner, a special education teacher at Ridgecrest Elementary School, agrees. She supervised the trip two separate years and said, “Camp Schmidt is not just a two-day classroom event. It is an adventure into a world so few of the kids in the Title One schools get as kids.”

Camp Schmidt has already dealt with a number of cuts according to employee Cathy Leavitt Foutz, who teaches stream ecology at Camp Schmidt but has to take on a number of other jobs, such as setting up campfires and preparing the zip line.

Foutz and Beck also bring up one of the main concerns of parents and teachers – that most students in Prince George’s County live in urban areas and don’t have access to nature.

“Kids get to see that they don’t live in a complete concrete county,” said Beck.

Superintendent William Hite could not be reached to comment on this issue.