Dowagiac students came to bask in the sun by the busload Monday for E. Root Fitch Camp’s opening day engaging in some favorite summer activities.

More than 130 second-, third- and fourth-graders from Dowagiac School District scattered across Fitch Camp for the day. Tuesday welcomed more than 100 fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade students for more activities, such as swimming, fishing, basketball and canoeing. The camp, offered exclusively to Dowagiac students in second through seventh grades, gives children positive activities throughout the months of June and July for $1 a day. The fee includes a hot lunch each day at noon and provides busing.

“It’s going fantastic,” Chris Cox, camp director, said. “We’ve got our routine, and they say the pledge each morning, then they break off for activities and about an hour of free time.”

Cox, a fifth-grade teacher at Kincheloe Elementary School, spends Mondays through Thursdays mingling with the kids. He works closely with the 22 staff members on site.

Regina Kennedy, who will study marketing at Western Michigan University in the fall, decided to become a counselor this summer for the first time.

“I’ve always wanted to have the chance to interact with the kids,” Kennedy said. “Some kids don’t have something fun to do, but, when they’re here, they get to have fun and I like to see them smile.”

Reggie Fritz, another counselor, decided to change his major to education at Kalamazoo Valley Community College because of his counseling experiences at Fitch Camp.

“This is my third year as a counselor,” Fritz said. “I’m always excited to see the new faces that come each year, but it’s fun to see familiar faces, too.”

Cox said that, while the majority of registration has already taken place, parents can still enroll their kids on a day-by-day or weekly basis.

“If kids who didn’t get the chance to sign up during school want to join, there are counselors at each stop that can help register the student, get emergency contact information and collect the fee,” Cox said.

In an effort to welcome new and familiar parents and students to the camp, an open house on July 11 and 12 will provide lunch and visits.

For more information, call Cox at (269) 424-5457.