By Caroline N. Johnston
Staff Writer
Web-posted July 2, 1996

As summer kicks into gear, many teens find themselves with nothing to do.

Sarah Lowell has found an alternative.

Every morning she gets up at 8 grabs whatever clean clothes she can find on her bedroom floor and goes to summer camp. But she's not a camper - she's a counselor in training.

Sarah, a 13-year-old Evans Middle School student, spends every weekday at the YWCA's Camp Wheeler, helping kids in kindergarten and first grade.

Eric Ellington and Melissa Davis, both 13, are also counselors in training at Camp Wheeler.

``We're really like counselors because we help the (adult) counselors out with the kids. We basically shadow them. The only thing is that we don't get paid,'' Melissa said.

All three were once campers at the YWCA.

Although they are volunteers at Camp Wheeler, it is not something they really volunteered to do.

``I go because my mom makes me,'' said Sarah. ``She works, so she wants me to be active and out of the house.''

``I got forced to go by my mom because she didn't want me staying home all day and doing nothing,'' Eric said.

Melissa said that her mom told her she could go as a camper or as a trainee - either way she was going.

Whatever the reasons for going to summer camp, they all agree that the kids look up to them.

``We like the kids here, and it's very fun supervising them because they look up to us,'' Sarah said. ``And that's what makes it fun and worthwhile.''

The young counselors and campers play games such as red rover, duck-duck-goose, red light-green light, hide and seek, capture the flag and other outdoor games.

``It keeps us busy,'' Sarah said.

Two other teen counselors at the YWCA are Jamie Harrison and David Spearman, both 15 and students at Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School. They teach at the gymnastics camp every day from 9 a.m. to 1 or 2:30 p.m.

``I've been doing gymnastics for 12 years, so I do this every summer because I love the sport so much. It's fun to teach kids because I was there once and I know how they feel. It takes a lot of hard work and practice,'' Jamie said.

Teaching children is not that hard, said David.

``When they're little, it usually works to make them think about something like if you want them to jump, tell them that they're jumping over hot lava or something,'' David said.

Both enjoy teaching children and say they do it to stay around gymnastics and keep their focus in life.

``I mainly do it for the experience in gymnastics and for the responsibility of having a job and getting up early,'' David said. ``And I know when I'm older this experience will help me.''