Sheriff's Office hosts Camp Journey, teaches students about leadership

A group of rising sixth graders took a week out of their summer to participate in Camp Journey, a new summer camp that teaches students about law enforcement. The June 19-23 camp, hosted at Oak Mountain Intermediate School and by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, was developed as a partnership between the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, COMPACT 2020 and the Shelby County Board of Education.

During the week, students participated in activities, heard from guest speakers and had the chance to ask law enforcement officers a variety of questions. Guest speakers covered topics including patriotism, consequences, perseverance and good character.

“We specifically targeted the age group that is about to transition from being a kid in elementary school to an adolescent in middle school,” said Sergeant Nathan Kendrick, who serves as the SRO unit supervisor for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, in a release from Shelby County Schools.  “We know they are about to encounter some challenging things so we wanted to teach them how to have the confidence and the leadership skills to deal with whatever they face. We want these 50 kids that participated in this camp to be the leaders in their schools who can step up and help make a difference.”

On the last day of Camp Journey, students participated in a "Breakout Room" during which they used clues and teamwork to open multiple locks on boxes. Angel Armistead, 11, said working as a team made the puzzle possible to complete.

"If you didn't have a team, you wouldn't be able to do it," she said. Having a team meant there were multiple viewpoints and ideas on how the puzzle worked. Working together helped them work out the solution.

Once they opened the box, some students were dismayed to find that it was empty. Camp Director Deputy James Sellers, however, said this was an example of a different type of reward.

"The rewards aren't always external," Sellers said. "Your reward is that you solved a hard problem."

This lesson on intrinsic versus extrinsic rewards echoed thoughts from Jeremiah Castille, who spoke at Camp Journey earlier that day.

Reflecting on his week at camp, participating student Conner Richardson, age 12, said the camp was about "learning things about what cops do and meeting new people and having fun."

Harry Slovensky, age 11, said he enjoyed learning about the equipment officers use and learning what he should do if he is ever in a bad situation.

Students also learned about communication skills, and Natalie Fixler, age 11, said she learned how to effectively communicate.

"I learned different types of communication and how they work," she said, adding that they discussed how eye contact is an important part of communication.

Richardson said they learned the different ways you can express yourself, by being assertive, aggressive or passive. 

"You want to be assertive because you're expressing yourself but not in a shy way or an aggressive way," Richardson said. 

Slovensky said he learned it is better to be loud than to be quiet, something he said he hopes to do more by speaking up and being confident.

Deputy James Sellers, director of Camp Journey, said he hopes students leave the camp with a better understanding of character and good behavior, and that students leave not afraid of law enforcement officers. Getting to talk with sixth graders is perfect timing, Sellers said, because it gets them familiar with law enforcement officers before it is "uncool."

"Unfortunately when they start hitting seventh grade, it's not as cool to talk to us," Sellers said, adding that the camp allows for them to establish relationships with the students. "... It's important for us to interact with the kids because sometimes in law enforcement, you get jaded. It's good to talk with the good people in the world."

The week wrapped up with a graduation ceremony for the students. Capt. Michael DeHart spoke to the students who went through Camp Journey, commending them on their good work and telling them they would receive a Sheriff's Challenge Coin to recognize their efforts. In addition to an image of the sheriff's office logo and the patches work by sheriff's office employees, there were four words on the coin — respect, professionalism, integrity and leadership. DeHart encouraged students to exemplify those qualities even after leaving camp.

"I want to encourage you, that you're all leaders," DeHart said.

While Camp Journey was only held at Oak Mountain Intermediate this year, Sellers said they hope to expand the program to other parts of the county in future summers.