Corporal Paul Mauser (left) along with Trooper First Class Teko Angelicchio (right) were instructing Camp Cadet participants on the helicopter they fly, the instruments on board, and some of their responsibilities in being a State Trooper.
by KP Intern Kyle Predmore
There are many youth programs in Armstrong County, but one in particular going on this week is Camp Cadet.
Camp Cadet is a summer camp for boys and girls ages 12-15 and is staffed by Pennsylvania State Police troopers, local emergency responders, and many other volunteers.
This year, there are 39 kids participating in the Armstrong Camp Cadet program which is a “smaller amount than usual,” according to State Police Trooper and Camp Director Andrew Andryka.
“Last year we had close to 70 kids come out for this,” Andryka said. “This year we’re pushing 40.”
The participants are addressed as “cadets” for the weekly program and adhere to training along the same ways as a State Police Academy.
“We are trying to give the Cadets here a better understanding of what we do on a daily basis,” Andryka said. “We also do a lot of fun activities with the children from going to the pool at the Belmont Sports Complex to taking them to a firing range. They shoot long guns and shotguns. There are a lot of different units from Pennsylvania State Police that come in and give presentations to give these kids a better understanding of what the State Police do.”
On Wednesday, Corporal Paul Mauser and Trooper First Class Teko Angelicchio from the Pennsylvania State Police Aviation Patrol was at Camp Cadet. The two instructors showed different features of the State Police helicopter and went into a depth about what they do in their line of work stressing the importance of it.
“It’s nice seeing the kids take a huge interest and also being able to teach them something new,” Angelicchio said.
The program is a week-long event starting on Sunday afternoon and the Cadets will graduate Friday evening. It is held at the Lenape Technical School in Ford City where the kids and counselors will stay for the week.
“We start the day by getting them up at 6 AM every morning. We take them on a morning run,.” Andryka said. “After the morning run, we do breakfast, and then we go into our daily activities. So camp basically runs from 6 in the morning until 10 P.M. at night.”
Camp Cadet is an annual event for kids in Armstrong County and is provided at no cost to the parents.
“We do fundraisers throughout the year and we also receive donations from businesses and people throughout the community,” Andryka said. “It originated back in 1975 and we have done it every year since.”