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Third through eighth graders in Botetourt County are being educationally entertained for the week of June 22.  Central Academy Middle School is hosting the Botetourt Summer Gifted Program, a series of creative and educational classes for gifted students.  Just a few of the classes offered include Making Art with Everyday Objects, I Know Who Did It, and Lights! Camera! Action!  Students got to pick their classes based on their interests and everyone seemed to enjoy their choices.

In Making Art with Everyday Objects, taught by Meagan Stump of Hilltop Studios, the students use natural, found and recycled objects to create their own art.  The day I attended they were working on painting paper mache creations and river rocks.  Throughout the week the class will be doing numerous other projects with recycled materials-many of them found at Goodwill.

I Know Who Did It is a class that focuses on writing mystery stories.  Taught by Kristyne Bryant, the students are learning how to write their own mystery, including creating setting, brainstorming, establishing characters.  At the end of the week the stories will be published online for family and friends to see.  Many students chose to do most of their work on laptops, but some got creative by drawing their characters and how they imagined them.

Lights! Camera! Action! took place entirely on computers with students learning how to make movies.  Jenna Sprinkle and Lacey Loope, both recent graduates of James River High School, took the students to take photos outside, then helped set the photos to the students' favorite songs.  By the end of the week each student will have a 30 minute movie, or multiple short films.  The students seemed to have just as much fun picking out the music they did anything else, turning up the volume whenever they found something they liked.