On stage of the gym in the Fred C. Wescott Community Center, Michelle Kozma, a counselor leads an impromptu sing-along of Carly Rae Jepson’s hit single, “Call Me Maybe,” with more than 100 elementary school children. In the crowd, other teens clap and fist bump, while the children bop their heads and sing.

The students at the Community Center Summer Camp have been practicing their talents for last Friday’s “Westbrook’s Got Talent” talent show, an event signifying the near-end of the eight-week summer program before school begins in two weeks.

The 125 campers enrolled in the program look forward to the show each year to show off their hidden talents to all their summer friends.

“Almost as popular as the annual Funtown field trip, the annual camp talent Show highlights the many dance, lip sync and a cappella versions of the most popular song on the radio at that time,” said Maria Dorn, director of community services. “In addition to having 500 versions of ‘The Cup Song’ or ‘Call Me Maybe,’ we see an amazing range of talent and an endless amount of fun.”

The city’s summer camp program has been an ongoing success year after year, at least measured by the sold-out registration and returning camp counselors.

“We have several goals each year for camp. We want to provide a safe place for the kids and create a culture of positive behaviors and work on different people skills,” said Anthony Dahms, camp director.

On Friday, a cloudy and rainy day, the 120 children, from kindergarten through grade 5, played “quiet ball” inside. It’s a ball-tossing game where the children must stay quiet and raise their hands to ask to be thrown the ball. Children are grouped together by grade, with the kindergartners and first-graders together.

“There’s a big gap between kindergartners and fifth-graders,” said Dahms. “We do come together for some activities, like field trips and the talent show, but for the most part we keep them in separate classrooms. “

For $125 a week per child, parents get an all-day babysitting service from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. that does more than plant the children in front of the TV.

Every day the campers, go swimming and play outdoors. They have access to the dance studio and an arts-and-crafts room. They spend time in the community reading room and get to take advantage of the more than 100 programs that are offered at the community center.

“We use the heck out of the building,” Dahms said. “Camp provides a lot of coverage for families. We have the free breakfast and lunch program through the school department, a field trip once a week and some learning time. It’s a lot of bang for your buck.”

And the kids enjoy it, too.

Italyah Manderson was all smiles on Friday before the talent show. She was getting ready to perform the popular “pony dance” to the song “Gangnam Style” by Psy, with her friends. The 5-year-old, who is about to enter kindergarten, was too busy eating an ice cream treat to talk much about camp, but she called it fun.

“I played bingo the best so we all got them,” she said as her and her friends ate their treats. “Camp is fun, we do a lot.”

Jasmynne Heath, 6, said her favorite activity was dancing.

The camp, which has been open for the past five years, is an extension of the community center’s after-school program, where parents can drop off their children first thing in the morning and the staff feeds them breakfast and gets them to school. After the school day is over, buses ship the students back to the center, where they get an after-school snack, help with their homework and have playtime activities with their friends.

For counselors like Abby Leblanc, 18, spending the summer working isn’t so bad because she gets to hang out with the campers.

“This is the greatest job ever. I have a blast,” said Leblanc, who has worked with the program for two years now. “I love the kids. They’re so funny and active. There’s always something going on.”

Kathy Ball works on Maggie Andrew’s, 7, hair, while her friends, including Ball’s daughter Haley Ball, 7, Julia Bassent, 7, and Jasmynne Heath, 6, spend some time in the art room, which has been transformed to a “hair and make-up room” for the summer camp talent show.

On stage of the gym in the Fred C. Wescott Community Center, Michelle Kozma, a counselor leads an impromptu sing-along of Carly Rae Jepson’s hit single, “Call Me Maybe,” with more than 100 elementary school children. In the crowd, other teens clap and fist bump, while the children bop their heads and sing.

The students at the Community Center Summer Camp have been practicing their talents for last Friday’s “Westbrook’s Got Talent” talent show, an event signifying the near-end of the eight-week summer program before school begins in two weeks.

The 125 campers enrolled in the program look forward to the show each year to show off their hidden talents to all their summer friends.

“Almost as popular as the annual Funtown field trip, the annual camp talent Show highlights the many dance, lip sync and a cappella versions of the most popular song on the radio at that time,” said Maria Dorn, director of community services. “In addition to having 500 versions of ‘The Cup Song’ or ‘Call Me Maybe,’ we see an amazing range of talent and an endless amount of fun.”

The city’s summer camp program has been an ongoing success year after year, at least measured by the sold-out registration and returning camp counselors.

“We have several goals each year for camp. We want to provide a safe place for the kids and create a culture of positive behaviors and work on different people skills,” said Anthony Dahms, camp director.

On Friday, a cloudy and rainy day, the 120 children, from kindergarten through grade 5, played “quiet ball” inside. It’s a ball-tossing game where the children must stay quiet and raise their hands to ask to be thrown the ball. Children are grouped together by grade, with the kindergartners and first-graders together.

“There’s a big gap between kindergartners and fifth-graders,” said Dahms. “We do come together for some activities, like field trips and the talent show, but for the most part we keep them in separate classrooms. “

For $125 a week per child, parents get an all-day babysitting service from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. that does more than plant the children in front of the TV.

Every day the campers, go swimming and play outdoors. They have access to the dance studio and an arts-and-crafts room. They spend time in the community reading room and get to take advantage of the more than 100 programs that are offered at the community center.

“We use the heck out of the building,” Dahms said. “Camp provides a lot of coverage for families. We have the free breakfast and lunch program through the school department, a field trip once a week and some learning time. It’s a lot of bang for your buck.”

And the kids enjoy it, too.

Italyah Manderson was all smiles on Friday before the talent show. She was getting ready to perform the popular “pony dance” to the song “Gangnam Style” by Psy, with her friends. The 5-year-old, who is about to enter kindergarten, was too busy eating an ice cream treat to talk much about camp, but she called it fun.

“I played bingo the best so we all got them,” she said as her and her friends ate their treats. “Camp is fun, we do a lot.”

Jasmynne Heath, 6, said her favorite activity was dancing.

The camp, which has been open for the past five years, is an extension of the community center’s after-school program, where parents can drop off their children first thing in the morning and the staff feeds them breakfast and gets them to school. After the school day is over, buses ship the students back to the center, where they get an after-school snack, help with their homework and have playtime activities with their friends.

For counselors like Abby Leblanc, 18, spending the summer working isn’t so bad because she gets to hang out with the campers.

“This is the greatest job ever. I have a blast,” said Leblanc, who has worked with the program for two years now. “I love the kids. They’re so funny and active. There’s always something going on.”

Kathy Ball works on Maggie Andrew’s, 7, hair, while her friends, including Ball’s daughter Haley Ball, 7, Julia Bassent, 7, and Jasmynne Heath, 6, spend some time in the art room, which has been transformed to a “hair and make-up room” for the summer camp talent show.