HARTSVILLE – Cadets marched into Lakeview Baptist Church gymnasium for the last time this summer on Friday for their graduation from the Annual Police Youth Academy Camp.
The four-week day camp taught another group of rising sixth-, seventh- and eighth grade girls about leadership, self-respect, discipline, manners and good citizenship.
“I learned if you don’t respect other people, they won’t respect you,” Meagan South said.
The camp is funded by a Byerly Foundation grant and is supported by Lakeview Baptist Church that donates its facilities and transportation as well as many other individuals. Over its 13-year history, the camp has graduated 430 cadets.
“The biggest issues we deal with are self esteem and self confidence,” Cpl. Almus Rose said. Rose has participated in the program since its inception.
This year’s crop of cadets included Kathryn Hensley, Caitlyn Hoffman, Indya Hough, Meagan South, Jena Engelbert, Ilexia Hough, Jordan Tedder and Tyanna Richardson. Instructors for the camp, besides Rose, were Cpl. Mica Griggs and Cpl. Kelley Woodham.
The PT, or physical training, portion of the camp normally gives the children a tough time, but, with this group of girls, the biggest hurdle was lunch.
“The goal is to get them to try new things,” Rose said.
The cadets were served MREs (meals ready to eat) and liver and onions on a few occasions.
“The only thing I hated was the liver,” Jena Engelbert said.
During the camp, cadets also participated in community service activities, team building exercises, nature hikes, canoeing and shadowing at local businesses.
“It’s all about building partnerships,” Hartsville Police Chief Tim Kemp said. “We let them see the different aspects of the police and the city and what they do.”
The girls got a fire safety lesson from the Hartsville Fire Department as well as a chance to try on the firefighters’ gear and to spray the fire hoses with assistance.
Some of the other trips included a visit to the prison farm, the Cotton Museum, Pearl Fryar’s gardens, Myrtle Beach, the State Museum, the Capitol, Sugarloaf Mountains and McLeod Farms.
“It was really fun,” Kathryn Hensley said.
Two cadets received awards during the graduation ceremony: the most improved cadet, Jena Engelbert, and the best all-around cadet, Jordan Tedder. Each cadet also received a certificate and a keepsake DVD of photos from the camp.
The next camp for boys will be held July 12 to Aug. 2.
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