‘Unplugged’: Broward teacher sees tech take over students, creates phone-free camp
If you asked Laura De Celis how often she thinks about high school students’ screen time, she’d say, “Every day. Every second.”
As a ninth grade geography teacher at American Heritage School in Plantation, she’s had a front-row seat to its disconcerting effects.
“They cannot think for themselves. They cannot communicate. They cannot write. Everything (they use) is AI. Food is ordered through text messages. ... Kids break up through phone texts,” she told the Pembroke Pines News.
“Everything is through a screen, and they’ve lost the real-world connection.”
Her solution? Unplugged Outdoor Co., a device-free summer camp where teens swap out their phones for a compass, snorkeling gear or spray paint.
The idea started last summer when De Celis, a 15-year Pembroke Pines resident and a mom of three, was brainstorming how to keep her teen kids and their friends entertained without losing them to their screens.
She took inspiration from her childhood in Puerto Rico — spent hiking, water rafting, swimming at the beach — and field trips to national parks she’d led for her students.
To capture the same sense of wonder within budget, she capitalized on South Florida’s rich wildlife and culture, organizing trips to state parks, landmarks and historical sites.
“(De Celis) drove us down to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (in Key Largo) ... we just played games and talked,” said Miguel Milano, 15, one of six students who joined De Celis’ snorkeling trip last June.
“That experience, not just without my phone, but also all the cool things we did, was awesome. ... I noticed myself being so much happier, I felt so much more in the moment, and I just felt better.”
This summer, Unplugged Outdoor Co. is expanding beyond one-off outings into a three-week, curriculum-guided experience De Celis is dubbing “The 2026 Expedition Series.”
The camp will offer two programs — June 22-July 10 and July 20-Aug. 7 — for 12 kids ages 12 to 16, maintaining a teacher-student ratio of 1:6 that “ensures safety and closer mentorship,” according to UOC’s website.
Enrollment is $2,250 and covers transportation, gear and admission fees for all activities. A $500 deposit is required to secure a spot and lunch is not provided.
Phones and devices are kept on-site in case of emergencies, but tucked away in a “vault” so that kids can immerse themselves without distraction.
“Summer is detrimental for that age group because they’re too old for (traditional) summer camps and too young to work or drive. They end up being by themselves all day,” De Celis said.
“... At that age, they don’t want to be with their parents all the time, right? They want to have fun with their friends, but at the same time, they need supervision because they’re still young.”
Daily schedules run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and are centered around an excursion, with trips following a weekly theme.
Week 1 — “Coastal & Cultural Pulse” features kayaking at Oleta River State Park, a private graffiti workshop in Wynwood, a visit to Homestead’s Fruit and Spice Park and a snorkeling trip to Peanut Island.
Week 2 — “Into the Wild: Systems & Grit” includes a bike trek through Shark Valley, slough slogging in Big Cypress National Preserve and a stop at decades-old fruit stand Robert Is Here.
Week 3 — “Water, Wildlife & Leadership” closes the camp with a tour of Little Havana, a visit to the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a trip through the mangrove tunnels of the Anne Kolb Nature Center and more snorkeling at Biscayne Bay.
Activities are geared not only to keeping campers entertained, but also teaching life skills that are often neglected for screentime.
“Communication, navigation, self-confidence, ordering food, saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ looking at somebody and saying, ‘Good afternoon,’” De Celis said.
“If you don’t have your phone, you’re going to listen to the music. You’re going to talk to other people. You’re going to practice all those skills that are so necessary.”
Building a summer camp from scratch has not been without its challenges, the high school teacher admits.
Creating curriculum and the logistics of organizing trips come naturally thanks to her background, but marketing and advertising her new brand has proven to be a learning curve.
Long-term, she’s hoping to grow Unplugged Outdoor Co. to provide camp experiences year-round and provide merit-based scholarships for families who can’t afford the device-free getaway.
What keeps her going — and firm in providing “screen-light” experiences for students — is the feedback she’s seen pour in.
“(My daughter) came home and told us about her day. Usually after school you hear, ‘Oh, today was the same as yesterday,’ ... (but this) was a cool experience where she was able to tell my husband everything she did and was really excited about it,” said Jaclyn Marino, who sent her 13-year-old daughter, Ava, on a manatee viewing trip last July with the teacher.
For De Celis, Unplugged Outdoor Co. is more than just providing summer fun — it’s “(making) sure that the kids in my community have opportunity.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 2:37 PM with the headline "‘Unplugged’: Broward teacher sees tech take over students, creates phone-free camp."
