Newtown Continuing Education’s SMART (Summer Music and Art) Camp’s first week ran from July 5 to 8 this year.

Cathy Ostar oversaw the first two weeks of SMART Camp as the program director. According to both Ostar and Newtown Continuing Education Director Jennifer Arnold, the first days of the programs were running smoothly.

This year the programs — which are for kindergarten to sixth grade students — are being hosted at Newtown High School.

In different rooms around the school, students take classes like Print Making, Clay Workshop, Mixing Musicians, Passport to Art, Printmaking, Yoga for Youngsters, Musical Theater Production and Performance Workshop, and Whimsical Watercolors and Acrylics.

In the Mixing Musicians class students were working on making instruments on July 6. Under the guidance of instructor Julia Shuman, the class also created music using the Garage Band program.

Down the hallway and inside one of the school’s art rooms, instructor Andrea Rios was overseeing students in the Print Making class. So far the students were learning to use two colors and had created prints using Styrofoam, paper, and ink.

“I like that it’s all different,” camper Rowan Franson said about print making.

And inside another art room, campers in the Passport to Art class were working with instructor Madison Albano on making mosaics, inspired by Byzantine mosaics.

Camper Ava Mazurosky shared that most of the class had chosen to create their mosaics with images and characters inspired by the Netflix show Stranger Things.

The first session of SMART Camp ran through July 15. More coverage from the second week of the first session will be in the July 22 print edition. The second session runs July 18 to July 29.

Education Editor Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.