Missoula Children’s Theatre added to enrichment
Special to the Register by Fr. Kenneth Borowiak
LINCOLN (SNR) – St. Michael School in Lincoln is now taking registrations for “Camp Archangel” and Missoula Children’s Theatre Camp.
In the summer of 2019, St. Michael School launched its inaugural Camp Archangel, a camp which is a summer enrichment program marked by academic endeavors and fun.
The idea of summer enrichment programming at St. Michael stemmed from a desire to highlight St. Michael School in its rapidly growing neighborhood in southeast Lincoln, and to respond to a need in the parish and community for a summer experience for grade school students. Summer camps offer a structured opportunity for children to grow academically, humanly and religiously. Camp Archangel allows children to become independent and self-confident, learn new skills, while socializing and making new friends.
Camp Archangel is also set up to meet the needs of parents who are looking for an alternative to a day-care setting. 
Some of the courses offered this summer at Camp Archangel are “Slime, Splatter and Splash!,” “Animal Art Adventure,” “CSI-Real Life,” and “Olympics Week.”
A new addition to Camp Archangel’s summer programming for 2020 is Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT). The primary goal of MCT is the development of life skills in children through participation in performing arts. The Missoula Children’s Theatre, the nation’s largest touring children’s theatre, has been touring extensively for nearly 50 years from Montana to Japan.
A tour team from MCT arrives in a given town in their “little red truck” loaded with a theatrical set, lights, costumes, props and make-up, everything it takes to put on a play, except the cast. The team holds an open audition and casts 50-60 local students to perform in a production. The show is rehearsed throughout the week and two public performances are presented at the end of the week. Missoula Children’s Theatre is open for children ages 5-13. Two performances will be held at St. Michael Church and School Saturday, July 11, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
“My children both said they loved their (Camp Archangel) classes and they want to enroll in classes again this summer,” said parent Catherine Boucher. “We are thrilled to be able to send them to a camp at a Catholic school and that they get to start their day with Mass—that’s pretty tough to beat,” she added.
Mass is celebrated each day at St. Michael Parish at 8:15 a.m. Camp classes follow, beginning at 9 a.m. Child care is available before 8:15 if needed. Morning classes are held from 9 a.m. to noon and afternoon classes meet from 1 to 4 p.m. Supervised lunch is available. Each class lasts five half-days, either morning or afternoon.
Camp classes are taught by certified teachers from Lincoln Diocesan Catholic schools.
“Camp Archangel is not a vacation Bible school,” said Emily Sellhorn, St. Michael fifth-grade teacher and camp coordinator. “Parents should think of it as enrichment. It is open to all children so students are encouraged to invite their neighbor friends who may not be Catholic.”
More than 250 attended the 2019 Camp Archangel.
“Early registration for those who attended Camp last year began a few weeks ago and classes are filling quickly,” Sellhorn said. “So parents should begin making plans for summer and get their children registered,” she added.
Registration for these summer opportunities is available on the school’s website: www.stmichaelmarauders.org.
