Westridge Hosts 29th Annual Summer Opportunities Fair

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Mckenna D.

A banner advertising the Summer Opportunities Fair hangs proudly on Westridge’s outer wall

On February 1, Westridge held its 29th annual Summer Opportunities Fair, in which visitors learned about different camps and summer activities. Several other activities, like a cake walk and a bake sale, inspired festivity-seeking families to attend. Westridge opens the event to the public and the fair attracts approximately 2,500 people a year. The fair has earned the reputation as one of the most popular camp fairs in the area.

Alicae Green and Rebecca Wilson, the representatives of Summer Shakespeare Camp, have been coming for five years.

The raffle, one of the main events at the fair, offered a variety of items, including, but not limited to, Director of Lower School for the Day, Director of Middle School for the Day, sold out Billie Ellish concert tickets, Lakers vs. Grizzlies seats, and Disney Park tickets. 

Summer Opportunities Fair participants look through the raffle prizes

Westridge aims the fair at high schoolers as well as lower and middle schoolers. College summer programs from Harvey Mudd, Los Angeles College of Music, and UC Berkeley showcased their summer camps for any high schoolers curious about trying out their favorite colleges.

The fair displayed many types of camps, not just day camps. Volunteers set up booths to advertise international trips. On the trips, leaders immerse campers in the culture and language of the country or region the group visits. On some of the trips, the group helps the community by completing service projects.

This fair, Westridge honored Lou LaCasse for her 26 years of involvement in the Summer Opportunities Fair. LaCasse began as a parent volunteer in the 1990s. Once her children graduated from Westridge, she stayed on Westridge’s advancement department, managing exhibitor registration. She passed away in 2019, and Westridge collected donations in her memory on the website

Fair participants and camp booths fill the Hoffman Gym