Krista Walsh-Weitz makes learning fun—and unforgettable—for summer campers at Northeast Iowa Community College
Monday, June 30, 2025
Among the eager youth, you will find Krista Walsh-Weitz, NICC program developer, handling the logistics and interacting with the kids, ensuring each child has a positive experience.
The Calmar and Peosta campuses will soon be buzzing as area youth get ready to attend the annual Kids on Campus event in Peosta and NICC for Kids in Calmar—where kids have a blast making new friends while learning about safety, math, cooking, science, careers, sports, crafts, the outdoors and much more!
Among the eager youth, you will find Krista Walsh-Weitz, NICC program developer, handling the logistics and interacting with the kids, ensuring each child has a positive experience. She explains, “Often, we have a student arrive at the beginning of camp who looks really nervous and sometimes shy. When I check on them later in the day, I find out they have made new friends and are having fun. We also have a lot of students who come every year. It’s fun to get to know them over the years and see them grow.”
Krista loves the enthusiasm and energy the kids bring to the camps, stating. “Overall, what I love is getting to know the kids. Seeing their excitement for something they just learned or a friend they just made is incredible. I love to hear them talk about the projects they are doing in class and how much they love their instructors.” The classes at the camps are hands-on—often the kids get so wrapped up in their projects, they don't even realize they are learning!
Krista has been a pillar of community education at Northeast Iowa Community College for over 25 years, receiving the Unsung Champion honor at The Women of Achievement Ceremony last year in Dubuque. Despite her recognition, Krista humbly credits the work of many for making the kids camps so successful each year. She notes, “There are a variety of things that go into making it successful. We have excellent instructors who relate to the kids and make learning fun! We have a wonderful group of staff and volunteers who help with the camp and really care and connect to the students. The students have fun connecting with each other. There are several kids who have a ‘camp friend.’ They don’t normally see each other but connect every year at camp.”
In addition to working with the youth camps, Krista also develops and coordinates personal interest classes for adults. Krista believes lifelong learning is fundamental to both personal and professional growth. Personal interest classes boost our well-being and help encourage creativity at any age. Throughout her years at NICC, Krista has coordinated many of the non-credit classes provided by the College. Some of the most unusual personal enrichment classes she has offered are Paranormal Investigations, Pet CPR and First Aid, Astrophotography and Gnocchi 101. For youth summer camps, some unusual classes have been Dungeons and Dragons, Chess for Kids, Drones, Capoeira and Trendsetter (a fashion class).
If you would like to learn more about kids camps or personal interest classes, keep your eye out for more opportunities at www.nicc.edu/solutions. Additional summer camps are offered at our center locations as well.
If you have a skill or talent you would like to share, don’t be shy—let us know. We’d love to have you teach at NICC!