Best Mississippi Family Camps Summer 2025 Directory

CAMP FACILITIES: The Music Building at The University of Mississippi provides state-of-the-art facilities including spacious studios; upright & grand piano practice rooms; MacIntosh computer technology lab; 450-seat concert auditorium featuring two 9-foot Steinways and organ. Students are assigned dormitory rooms on campus. Trained camp counselors reside in the dormitory with campers at all times and are responsible for accompanying the campers to and from any function on campus.

CAMP PROGRAM INFO: This Camp is designed to both encourage and challenge piano students from the 7th through 12th grades in a wide range of musical activities while leaving time for some fun recreational adventures. Students will be introduced to new concepts in piano playing, develop listening skills, hear quality musicians in concert and be challenged to take their musicianship to the next level. The activity schedule will vary from day to day to expose students to a wide variety of piano discovery.

Campers will be placed in groups according to age and ability and will receive private lessons, daily master classes, and classes incorporating keyboard literature, music theory, technique, sight-reading, music computer technology, keyboard mechanics, keyboard skills and ensemble playing. A voluntary student recital at the end of the week concludes the camp activities. Among the recreational activities are a double-decker bus tour of historic Oxford, movie and pizza night at the big screen; and an adventuresome scavenger hunt across campus.

CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS OR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: None.

FAMILY CAMP SESSION(S): Opening orientation session for campers, parents, counselors & faculty. Closing recital on Friday evening open to families & teachers.

CAMP SESSION DATES & FEES:
2019 Camp Dates: June 19-15 Eligibility: Students entering the 7th through 12th grades and who play at an intermediate level of skill or higher. Cost: $500 for resident campers; $450 for commuters Registration Deadline: May 15, 2019. For registration forms and more detailed information, please refer to the Piano Discoveries Camp web site at: Our Camp Website Link: www.outreach.olemiss.edu or look us up on Facebook!

CAMP PROGRAM INFO: Our Camp Website Link: thenextitgirl.org

CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS OR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Our Camp Website Link: thenextitgirl.org

FAMILY CAMP SESSION(S): Our Camp Website Link: thenextitgirl.org

YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMS: Our Camp Website Link: thenextitgirl.org

CAMP SESSION DATES & FEES:
Our Camp Website Link: thenextitgirl.org

SUMMER CAMP JOBS:
Tech Lead - curriculum instructors
Non-Tech Lead - tech lead assistant
Community Lead - brand ambassador
Logistics Lead - logistics, packing lead

www.thenextitgirl.org/volunteers

CAMP PROGRAM INFO: - Live Zooming and friendship-making time (prescheduled so your family can plan ahead!)
- Off-screen activities for independent play and learning (and naps! and yard time!)
- Hands-on activities with real art materials (art camp should be a little messy!)
- Small group sizes ensure that campers receive high quality instruction and individual attention from their teachers.
- Daily movement and mindfulness exercises integrated throughout the day to get the wiggles out

Camp tuition includes an Art Toolbox mailed to your home and a live exhibition every Friday that the whole family can attend, even those living far away.

Camp Staff:
Katerina Romanenko, Ph.D. Assistant Director of Youth and Family Programs

An experienced educator and visual culture historian, Dr. Romanenko specializes in Museum education, art history, American History, and object-based learning in formal and informal environments. She holds a PhD in Art History from the City University of New York and for more than 15 years teaches art history and works in Museum education. She also holds a BA in Education Sciences and has experience in research, development and implementation of educational programs for different age groups.

Alicia Mino, Art Educator, Manager of the School and Community Programs

An accomplished practicing artists and art educator, Alicia Mino received her Master’s in visual communication from the Metropolitan University of Chile, She spent fifteen years in Italy studying art history, oil painting, and sculpture. She presented in numerous art exhibitions and founded the Mates Art and Design Studio, where she taught drawing, oil/acrylic painting, and sculpture fundamentals for ten years. In 2008 Alicia moved to Philadelphia where she continues to exhibit her work and teaches art.

Lindsey Murphy, Art Educator and K-8 Program Coordinator

An art educator with over a decade of experience in the field of education, Lindsey Murphy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology; concentration in Archaeology from Millersville University, and an Elementary Teaching Certification from Millersville University. She worked as a general education classroom teacher in the Oxford Area School District in Chester County, PA for 8 years, and has worked in PAFA’s education department over the past 11 years creating and implementing numerous museum tours and art making experiences for children and families of all backgrounds, becoming the K-8 Program Coordinator in 2019..

Melissa Hendrixson, Art Educator

Melissa Hendrixson is an artist and art educator who has worked in Museum Education for over five years. She has her Bachelor's of Fine Arts and Studio Certificate from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and has gained experience through assisting the coordination and development of various museum programming including family programs, youth art classes, and summer camps. She now works for the School and Community Partnership Program as an art educator where she develops and implements museum tours, school lessons, and community outreach programs to support student learning, parental engagement and visual literacy initiatives.

CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS OR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: It is our sincere desire that no child be denied the opportunity to attend camp because of financial difficulties. Thanks to our generous donors, PAFA is able to offer a limited number of scholarships.

Please email artcamp[AT]pafa.org to receive a scholarship application

FAMILY CAMP SESSION(S): Friday Art Show

YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMS: PAFA offers a year round programs, online and in person for youth and families that engage parents and children with the museum collection and art-making. Our programs inculde art classes for middle school students, afterschool program for kids 6-11, and Sunday Family workshops. please visit Our Camp Website Link: www.pafa.org

OTHER CAMP INFO: Drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, comic books and graphic novels, collage and mixed media, and video arts.

CAMP SESSION DATES & FEES:
Dates
June 21 - August 13, 8 weeks

Ages: 6-14 (groups: 6-8; 9-11; 12-14)

Mon-Fri from 9am - 3pm each day (except July 5rd).

For camps description, cost and schedule go to the registration website. Our Camp Website Link: www.pafa.org

SUMMER CAMP JOBS:
Camp Assistants and Camp Instructors.
Please visit for current job announcements and apply via 
Our Camp Website Link: hr.pafa.org

CAMP FACILITIES: 6 wing dormitory, 2 gymnasiums, outdoor basketball court, sand Hall, school building, 1,000 foot pier, ski camp, dining hall, tennis courts, pool.

CAMP PROGRAM INFO: Activities offered: Water Skiing, Sailing, Fishing, Archery, Marine Biology, Arts and Hobbies, Sports and much more.

CAMP LEADERSHIP CIT/LIT PROGRAMS: Leadership program.

FAMILY CAMP SESSION(S): Camp offers a Father & Son camp May 29th & 30th. The cost is $250 for father & son and $100 for each additional son.

OTHER CAMP INFO: A FUN, ENJOYABLE & SAFE SUMMER! The mission of Camp Stanislaus is to provide campers and counselors a safe and enjoyable recreational and learning experience in the Catholic tradition and under the leadership of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.

CAMP SESSION DATES & FEES:
We offer four weeks of camp. Campers can come for 1,2,3 or 4 weeks. June 7th - 13th, June 14th - 20th, June 21st - 27th, and June 28th - July 4th.

Resident Camper: $795 per week

Day Camper: $400 per week

SUMMER CAMP JOBS:
Camp Stanislaus is always looking for eager young men and women to join our team.  Find out more information at:  Our Camp Website Link: campstanislaus.com.

CAMP FACILITIES: We have 17 rustic, open air cabins, bathhouses, outdoor pool, horse arena and stables, recreation/dining hall, 8 hotel type rooms for lodging, waterfront pavilion, rustic chapel in the woods, and beautiful waterfront for swimming, zip lining, and sports.

CAMP PROGRAM INFO: Camp of the Rising Son is committed to your child’s safety first. CRS is accredited through the American Camp Association, which requires us to go beyond state and local regulations and strive to implement best practices in all areas of our program. We take special care in screening our staff and training them to make your child’s physical, mental, and emotional safety top priority. Our facilities meet all codes and requirements and are inspected annually by the Mississippi State Department of Health as well as the Attala County Fire Department. CRS has a registered nurse on-site during the summer camps. All staff are CPR trained through the American Heart Association. Water activities are supervised by an American Red Cross-certified lifeguard at all times.

Camp of the Rising Son began in 1980 with 27 campers and a two-week program directed by Margie Newman. The camping program began on the main French Camp Academy campus using two dormitories and the dining hall. The name “Camp of the Rising Son” was based on our purpose of presenting Christ, our risen Lord, to campers. The Indian theme of using Native American names for our buildings and addressing staff as “Chief” was an idea borrowed from Camp Sandy Cove in Maryland, where “Chief” Margie worked in the 1960s. It was there that she fell in love with camping as the best possible setting for connecting with the heart of a child and living out the love of Christ in God’s creation!

By 1985, the program spanned four weeks with a registration of 100 per week. Seeing that more space was needed, the FCA Board of Directors moved to build a separate facility near Lake Anne, a half mile from center campus. So in 1987, the Hall Lodge was built overlooking Lake Anne and became headquarters for Camp of the Rising Son. In addition, 16 cabins, a large activities building known as the “Pow Wow,” a crafts and pottery cabin, two shower houses, and several small sheds for camp equipment were also built. In the early 1990s, CRS was serving more than 200 children a week and added a white-water rafting program for 13- to 15-year-olds. We were hiring a total of 65 summer staff each year. By the mid-1990s, it was a joy to have former campers beginning to returning as counselors!

The resident camping program, geared to ages 7-12, incorporated 15 to 18 activities, including canoeing, sailing, horseback riding, archery, crafts making, pottery, art, leather craft, basketry, swimming lessons, fishing, enjoying nature, learning camp skills, tackling the ropes course, and others. Each camper chose five activities per week in which he/she specialized, with the option to work for awards in each area. Our staff has always been trained to teach all the activities as professionally as possible. We often send activity specialists to receive certification in the various activities.

Bible lessons were taught by counselors with the desire that campers would come to know Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior and grow in that relationship. Each week ended with the Passion Play, presented by the staff in the outdoor chapel-in-the-woods. Another outstanding aspect of CRS has been that programs are designed to stimulate creativity in each camper. , the absence of TV, electronic games, iPods, and CD players and a focus on wholesome fun!

Chief Margie says, “Over the 20 years that I directed, it was my greatest joy to see children respond to the Gospel, inviting Jesus to be their own personal Savior! Knowing that God created this earth to bear testimony to His greatness, we delighted in focusing on His handiwork around us. Even our cabins were designed to assure that campers could hear crickets and frogs as the lay in bed at night! Many parents sent their children for the high quality of training in various activities, but, at the end of the week our greatest joy is knowing that their lives had been changed by knowing Jesus personally!!”

From the late 1990s through 2008, directors Rusty McKnight, Larry Littlejohn, and Step Morgan made a lasting impact on the staff and campers at CRS. A leadership training program for 15-year-olds was added, a new pool was built, the floating dock was put in the lake, and a ninth cabin was constructed in the Maiden Unit. Repairs and rebuilding happened after several large storms came through the French Camp area. Kayaking and Frisbee sports were added as activities.

Carrie Browning is CRS’s current director. She began as a camper, returned as a counselor and program director, and assumed the director’s position in fall 2008. Under her leadership, the program offerings for teens have expanded to include horse camp, astronomy camp, and an ultimate adventure rafting trip.

Chief Carrie says, “Over the years though there have been new additions and updates to our activities and facilities, the core values of Camp of the Rising Son remain the same. We are committed to providing a safe environment and Christ-centered setting for children and youth that intentionally focuses on experiencing creation, building relationships, encouraging creativity, learning new skills, and having lots of fun!”

CAMP LEADERSHIP CIT/LIT PROGRAMS: CIA (Camp Intern Adventure) stages D1 and D2 are an opportunity like none other offered at Camp of the Rising Son. As part of a select group you will have the opportunity to work with amazing chiefs and fellow participants to serve the staff and campers! There will be time for building relationships, recreation, and studying God’s Word to grow in your faith. You will leave camp with a better understanding with a better understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ and what it takes to make CRS special for our campers! For more information regarding our CIA program, please visit our website: Our Camp Website Link: www.campoftherisingson.com

CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS OR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Scholarship applications are due April 1st. The application can be found on our website.

FAMILY CAMP SESSION(S): At family camp, you can choose to participate in our many fun activities or choose to hang out and rest. This is your vacation, so everything is optional! Play opportunities include swimming, fishing, and boating on Lake Ann, rock wall, archery, horseback riding, Frisbee golf, crafts, and more! In the morning, adults will be challenged and connect duing worship and Bible study while camp staff teach and entertain the children. Afternoons will be play time for families to have a chance to experience camp together. Nights hold a campfire, parent date/kid fun night, and a fun family event night! Take the opportunity to unplug and play as a family, and we'll take care of the rest! Please visit our website for more information: Our Camp Website Link: www.campoftherisingson.com

YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMS: Camp of the Rising Son also hosts retreats, seminars, and programs when camp is not in session. Please refer to our website for more information about our programs.

CAMP SESSION DATES & FEES:
Please visit our website for camp sessions, dates, and fees: Our Camp Website Link: www.campoftherisingson.com

SUMMER CAMP JOBS:
It is a unique privilege and responsibility to serve hundreds of campers and their families each summer. Our aim is to employ enthusiastic young men and women who are committed to growing in their relationship to Christ and to proclaiming and living out the Gospel. We strive to create a safe environment, intentionally seek opportunities to develop relationships with our campers, and share Christ in every aspect of daily life.

Our summer staff is at the heart of our ministry and has a great potential to impact the campers. This is why we seek to hire the best staff possible each summer. CRS staff are role models to our campers, and because of this we have a set of guidelines and rules that staff must follow. We do this because what we as staff do in moderation, the campers will do in excess. We want to be wholesome, godly leaders for these campers.

For more information or to download an application, please refer to our website.