The Franklin News-Post
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Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
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| Ferrum College to end summer program because of higher enrollment |
File Photo by Morris Stephenson:
The Franklin County High School Eagle Marching Band will make its 28th and final trip to band camp on the Ferrum College campus on Aug. 2. The camp will be moved to Sweet Briar College next year. |
Friday, July 25, 2008
By MORRIS STEPHENSON - Staff Writer
A band camp program that's had a $5 million impact on the Ferrum community during its 32 years on the Ferrum College campus is in its final summer.
Sunday, Aug. 10 will mark the last day of the Mid-Atlantic Band Camp at Ferrum.
More than 35,000 students have spent a week at the college since the program began.
Dwight Leonard of Richmond, where Mid-Atlantic is headquartered, said Ferrum College notified the company last November that it was ending its campus summer programs.
Chip Phillips, who heads Ferrum College's summer programs, notified the company via telephone of the decision, according to Leonard. A letter from the college followed in December.
Due to increased enrollment and new course offerings at Ferrum, the college had to reassess its summer programs, said Natalie Faunce, the college's public relations director.
"We have enjoyed having the band students here, and we want them here," Faunce said. "But with enrollment increases, the staff needs more time to prepare for our students. Last year, the band camp ended the same day students were returning to campus for the August term."
Between 1,000 and 1,500 band students stay in the dorms during camp, she said. That leaves no time for the staff to prepare for the returning students.
"Things can get hectic when that happens," Faunce said. "And the safety of all the students is our primary concern."
The college is also considering expanding the three-week August term, which currently starts the first week of August, Faunce said.
John Savage, founder of Mid-Atlantic and its programs, said the band camps will be moved to the Sweet Briar College campus, near Amherst, next summer.
The camp program began as the Mid-Atlantic Band Front Camp in 1977. In 1980, the company added a marching camp to its offerings. A third camp for middle school bands was the final addition and is now in its 24th season.
Mid-Atlantic rents Ferrum College facilities for each of the three camps for about four weeks during the summer, Leonard said.
"This year, we rented the facilities from July 13 through Aug. 10," he said. "Those enrolled at the camps stay in the dormitories, eat in the cafeteria and use adjoining fields and the gymnasium."
The Franklin County High School Marching Eagle Band has been the mainstay in the marching camp program. This year is the 28th consecutive summer the Eagles have fine-tuned their fall halftime presentations at Ferrum, according to FCHS Band Director Carlton Wilkes.
The Eagles marching band was the first and only band that attended the initial marching band camp, Wilkes said.
A number of area high schools have been coming to Ferrum on a regular basis for a long time, Wilkes said.
"I really couldn't tell you how many different bands have come to Ferrum, but it's been a bunch," he said.
"From its humble beginning as a front camp, the Mid-Atlantic Band Camp has come a long way. It's become a tradition for many schools. I know every student who's been a member of the Eagle marching band has spent at least one summer at camp on the Ferrum College campus," Wilkes said added.
Leonard said the company recently reviewed its records for the past 32 years.
"We've spent over $5 million (more than $150,000 annually) in the Ferrum area for rental of the facilities and staff costs, as well as what was spent in the community for gas, food, etc.," Leonard said.
"We realize things change. But we're going to miss Ferrum College and the community," he said. "We'll miss all the college folks we have worked with and especially the cafeteria staff."
"These people are important reasons why our program has been so successful over the years," Leonard added. |
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