Summer 2021 at Walters State Community College will include noncredit classes and in-person Kids College day camp

Administrators at Walters State Community College made two recent announcements signalling a return of on-campus activities for the summer. The college is offering a number of noncredit courses, focused mainly on workforce development skills, as well as a course on parenting and divorce. Additionally, Walters State announced that the annual Kids College day camp program will return to in-person activity after being held virtually in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

An announcement released by Walters State Community College provides dates and details about the noncredit courses being offered in June by the Workforce Training Division. Online options include a parenting and divorce class that meets state requirements for parenting classes for parents filing for divorce. Other online classes offer instruction in Microsoft Excel and ServSafe Sanitation, which follows National Restaurant Association guidelines for safety and sanitation in the food service industry. In-person courses in OSHA standards and forklift operation are being offered at the Greeneville Workforce Training Building and the Walters State Newport Center.

In a separate news release, Walters State Community College celebrated the return of in-person activities for the Kids College program. Kids College is a day camp for children in third through eighth grades which offers classes in archery and pottery, as well as web design, rocket science, and animation, among others. Last year, due to COVID-19, Kids College was held virtually, and organizers are happy to bring the activities back to campus this summer. 

Dr. Nicole Cardwell-Hampton is the coordinator of youth programs at Walters State. She explains, "We are so excited to welcome our Kids College students back to campus. The camp was a success last year as a virtual camp, but we weren't able to offer some of our most popular classes like pottery and archery. Being on campus also gives young people in our area a chance to spend time on a college campus and meet college faculty."

In addition to the course offered, students can also gain exposure to a variety of careers through a virtual reality program. Participants can experience what it is like to work in the automotive, construction, manufacturing, and housekeeping fields. According to the news release, social distancing will be enforced by maintaining three feet of space between participants and most classes will be held outside under canopy tents.