"Why do you get to see the stars here and I don't at my house?" Kendra Johnson* asked, tugging on her counselor's sleeve on the way back from campfire. "Does the mayor turn them off in the city? It's not fair. I think they're really pretty."

Stargazing is one of many activities that are a novelty for many students in Bryan Independent School District's (BISD) Discovery Program at Camp Allen. Students may also build a shelter from scratch, learn to navigate using a compass or the stars, go canoeing, collect and identify insects, feed a hawk, or focus on team-building at the camp's ropes challenge course. For some of the 5th graders of BISD who participate, their two-day stay will be their first exposure to nature and biology in real life settings.

The Camp Allen program is an experience that almost ended for Bryan students in 1996, when the Texas Water Commission grant that had underwritten the program phased out.

The program survived thanks to the determination of PTA groups and school officials, and the timely aid of the TEES Center for Community Support.

With the Center's assistance, the school district was awarded a three-year grant for $75,250 from the Houston Endowment, followed by a grant from the Texas Department of Parks and Recreation for $127,000. This funding, combined with financial commitments from the school district and PTA groups, was the fuel needed to keep the program going.

The value of the Discovery program is attested to by the reactions of students. At their 5th grade promotion ceremony from elementary school, about 90% of students cite the Camp Allen experience as the highlight of elementary school, according to former principal Diana Werner.

"It was absolutely amazing to watch the kids," agrees another former principal, Dr. Marcia DeAvila. "They were so far out of their element. The biggest eye opener for me was sleeping in the cabins. The kids were nervous about the dark and the noises. By the morning the girls in my cabin would all be sleeping in three beds. When you've lived your whole life in a city, you've never been away from artificial lights."

"This is just a fantastic program," DeAvila continues. "It takes what the kids learn in the classroom and makes it real. It's a tremendous experience."

For some students, such as Kendra, the Camp Allen experience not only takes the classroom into real life settings, but also "makes real" to them their career options. The impact of the program is obvious at the last group meeting of camp, as kids have a chance to share their favorite experience or realization.

"When I grow up," Kendra announces to the other students, "I'm going to be an astronomer."