RIO HONDO — During winter break, most kids are probably binge-watching Netflix on the couch in a heated home.
They’re not taking classes and enduring the harshest winter temperatures the Valley has to offer.
But this week more than 200 Boy Scouts have headed out to Camp Perry to gain skills and earn merit badges.
It’s the 21st annual Winter Camp hosted at Camp Perry, which begins the day after Christmas and lasts for five days.
Scouts willing to give up a portion of their holiday break are spending this week taking one of the more than 30 classes offered including woodworking and public speaking.
The camp ends tomorrow.
Camp Perry is the oldest running campground in Texas and is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation that will bring new facilities set to be complete by next year.
According to camp director Oscar Garza, attendance has gone up 10 percent for the past three years. He believes the increase in interest creates a perfect setting for capital improvement.
“When you have a top-rate facility that is for eating and for classrooms, that is what is going to bring people here,” Garza said.
He attributes the bulk of attendance growth to the increase and variety of classes offered.
“We have more varied classes,” Garza said. “Winter camp is really designed to teach a lot of the Eagle Badge merit classes they can’t get during the year. The camp is boy led. We assist, we don’t direct. It’s a more effective way of doing it.”
Classes are spread across the 260-acre campgrounds and scouts are busy with a full day that includes taking five classes during a 12-hour period with lunch and dinner in between.
One scout, Justin Armstrong, 14, said while summer camp tends to be more laid back, winter is strictly about the work.
“Winter camp tends to be a lot more work and it’s more task oriented,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong is a youth leader of National Youth Leadership Training, a training that occurs once a year.
“I get a lot of various skills that I can apply in everyday life and a lot of leadership opportunities,” Armstrong said.
Like Armstrong, Reynaldo Guillen, 12, is also on his second year of winter camp.
While most kids are avoiding work during their winter break, Guillen said the experience is what can help him and others be prepared for what they would like to do in the future.
“You get to really do things you normally wouldn’t do,” Guillen said.
“You get to experience outdoor life. You get to experience friendship. You get to experience loyalty. You get to experience labor, which a lot of people think, ‘oh, I don’t want to work,’ but here it’s made fun.”
Classes offered
• Archery
• Home Repairs
• Citizenship in the
Community
• Fire Safety
• Personal Management
• Woodworking
• Emergency Preparedness
Winter Camp
by the numbers
• 250 Scouts attending
• 26-30 classes offered
• 5 classes per scout
• 21 years in operation
• Up to 7 opportunities to earn badges
