March, 2013 - Campus Kids

Newsletter for the Campers, Families, Staff & Friends of Campus Kids-New Jersey
Business Business Business Office Office (fall/winter/spring): Summer Camp (on the campus of Blair Academy) :
Campus Kids-NJ 973-845-9260 Campus Kids-NJ 973-845-9260
P.O. Box 8 P.O. Box 369
Madison, NJ 07940 Blairstown, NJ 07825
email: CKNewJersey@campuskids.com
web site: www.campuskids.com * Facebook: Campus Kids New Jersey * Twitter: CampusKidsNJ * Tumbr: CampusKidsNJ
Tom Riddleberger, Director Stu Lisbe, Associate Director Jeremy Berse, Assistant Director Katie McNally, Assistant Director
Dear Campus Kids,
I’m writing this on a cold, windy day at the
beginning of March, a day filled with hope that the
upcoming start of spring will bring us warmer weather as
we move, step-by-step, closer to the start of camp.
It felt very much like camp on March 2nd and
3rd during our first orientation for our “staff
assistants”. 15 “staffies” and six adult leaders spent a
fun and busy weekend preparing for the very important
work that these youngest members of our staff carry
out. Now it’s even harder to have to wait until camp
starts.
With the winter thaw we also get an increase in
tour requests. I think it takes that hint of hot summer
days for some people to realize that they haven’t made
camp plans yet. So we’re having lots of fun on the
weekends showing people our beautiful campus and
answering all of their questions. The Blair campus is
amazing to see in any season, any weather.
March is also “Evening Program Month” at CK-
NJ. Jeremy and Ryan are going to plan an exciting
schedule of nighttime activities for this summer, keeping
some old favorites but also adding some brand new ones.
If you have ideas or requests, now is the time to share
them. Please send them to jeremy@campuskids.com .
Speaking of making suggestions, later this month
we’re going to send all of our enrolled campers their 2013
Camper Choice Survey, our annual questionnaire to find
out what this summer’s campers want to do the most.
Please send yours back right away so we can keep you in
mind as we set up the daily activity choices for your age
division. We love reading your responses. And we love
new ideas and suggestions.
I hope things are going well for you in school and
with all of your activities. Enjoy these last days of
winter. Study hard, dream about camp. Be happy, be
safe, be kind.
tom@campuskids.com
Fun Facts About
Camp Activities
♦ There are six activity periods every day: three in
the morning and three in the afternoon, AND a
7th one after dinner (“clubs”) on most nights.
♦ Want to get in shape? Our awesome fitness
center is available for campers entering 8th
grade and older. Campers of all ages can sign
up for jogging, or yoga and aerobics.
♦ Dance and gymnastics are other great ways to
get in shape, have fun and learn new skills. Girls
AND boys love these activities.
♦ Want to spin some clay? We have eleven ceramics
wheels in the studio. It’s harder than it
looks, but counselors will teach you how.
♦ Did you know that there’s a regulation 9-hole
golf course for experienced golfers? If you’re a
beginner, don’t worry because you can first sign
up for “golf skills” so we can get you ready to
go out on the course.
♦ Ready to rock out? Sign up for guitar or drums.
Absolutely no experience required.
♦ Have you heard of “washers”? No, it’s not
when we take showers. It’s actually a cool game
that you’re going to love. Sign up at camp!
♦ Can’t decide which you like better . . . rugby,
ultimate, soccer or touch football? No problem!
Sign up for Rob-Lou-Jen and you can have it all!
♦ Consider yourself a “balanced” person? Test it
out on our very popular slack line.
♦ Did you know that Katie’s three favorite words
are “double period softball”?
♦ Bring out your inner hippie by bringing a white
cotton t-shirt to camp and making the coolest
tie-dye ever.
♦ Of course, don’t forget that YOU get to choose
your activities every day!

MARCH Birthdays
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!
Campers:
3/2 Peri A.
3/2 Donia T.
3/3 Brianna W.
3/6 Sara W.
3/8 Amber F.
Helloooooo Campus Kids!
My name is Sami Israel and I am a Team B
staff assistant. This summer will be my 7 th
summer at camp but my first summer being part
of the staff! I am so excited for the summer I
can hardly wait! But before I get too excited let
me tell you a little about myself. My real name
is Sami NOT Samantha and I live in Suffern,
Notes from the CK
Office
Your “Parent Packet”?
That big white envelope from Campus
Kids has lots of important information
about camp. Please don’t miss the May
1 deadline for health forms and personal
information form. Additional copies are
always on the “forms library” of our
website.
Clothing List
Your camp clothing checklist has been
mailed to you and you can always get a
copy at our website’s Forms Library.
Take special note about bathing suits
and “court shoes” (for tennis and squash
particularly).
Camp Packing Tips
We’ve provided you with a comprehensive
packing list (see above), but here
are some helpful tips.
• Put your camper’s name on everything.
This includes non-clothing
items like water bottle, day pack,
3/8 Marc S.
3/9 Ti-Ti L.
3/9 Josh N.
3/10 Alex A.
3/12 Jessie E.
3/15 Jamie R.
3/16 Stephen C.
3/17 Sami I.
3/19 Sarah D.
3/21 Chris E.
3/22 Amanda B.
3/23 David C.
3/24 Alex D.
3/24 Jonah G.
3/26 Hannah C.
3/27 Zane L.
New York. I go to Suffern High School
(go Mounties) where I am involved in
many clubs including Charity of the
Month Club and the Suffern Film Club
(where we basically just watch and
discuss movies!). I’m also taking a
wheel throwing class this year, which is
super fun because it reminds me of ceramics at
camp! When I’m not in school some of my
tennis racquet, sun screen bottle, etc.
• Your water bottle is essential. It
doesn’t have to be gigantic; moderate
is fine (and easier to carry) because
we have filling stations around camp.
• It’s most helpful to pack in several
smaller bags/duffels rather than one
mega-bag. Don’t forget to put your
name on every bag.
• Toiletries should be in non-breakable
containers; no glass, please.
Weekend Adventures
If your camper is entering 7th grade or
older we mailed Weekend Adventure
info to you. We have THREE trips this
summer — the middle weekends of
Weeks 3-4, Weeks 5-6 and Weeks 7-8.
This is your chance NOT to come home
for the weekend and to have a fun time
with camp friends and staff. Detailed
information is here:
www.campuskids.com/
Campus_Kids_NJ_Weekend_Adventure.htm
Ultimate Frisbee Specialty
Also for Juniors, Seniors and Super Seniors,
we are offering our annual Ultimate
Specialty program this summer during
3/27 Noah W.
3/28 Zach G.
3/29 Casey V.
3/30 Noah G.
3/31 Ben C.
3/31 Amanda R.
Staff:
3/12 Katie M.
3/17 Mandy M.
3/19 Nicole F.
3/23 Abi B.
3/23 Mike P.
3/23 Mike P.
3/24 Royce W.
favorite hobbies are doing jigsaw puzzles,
painting, and dancing! While I’m at camp
you can find me helping out in the health
office, the arts building, and in the office!
I’m so excited for the summer and I can’t
wait to see you all!!
Stay Classy CK!
Sami Israel, Team B Staff Assistant
Weeks 5-6. Here’s a chance to learn
advanced skills and strategies that will
help you be a better player when you get
home. There is no extra charge for the
program. Ryan Belline is the leader,
along with guest coaches. Complete
information here:
www.campuskids.com/
Campus_Kids_Ultimate_Specialty.htm
Of course, we offer Ultimate to all
campers throughout the summer as part
of our regular camp program.
Squash & Tennis Specialty
Options
We are also pleased to offer these special
programs again:
Squash: Weeks 1-2 (June 24 to July 5) .
Tennis: Weeks 3-4 (July 9 to 19).
See the information elsewhere in this
“Sundial” and on the website:
www.campuskids.com/
Campus_Kids_NJ_Sport_Specialty.htm
Ryan Belline is also coordinating these
programs. They are offered at no extra
charge. And, of course, squash and tennis
are part of our regular camp program
throughout the summer and are offered
to all campers.

Many years ago, the “Sundial” editors began a tradition of introducing our new campers and welcoming back the returning
ones. That tradition lives on today. Welcome to the first installment of this year’s “The Kids of CK!”. These write-ups
come from the “welcome forms” you all fill out. If you’ve sent one and you don’t appear in this issue, DON’T WORRY! We’ll
get to you in later issues (at this time of year we publish every month). Also, if you haven’t sent your welcome form back to
us, IT’S NOT TOO LATE! Send it to us or write an email about yourself and what you’ve been up to and send it to sundial@campuskids.com
. We look forward to hearing from all of you and introducing you in “The Kids of CK!”
This is so exciting! We are about to
introduce the first camper in the first
installment of “The Kids of CK!” It’s
Shaun Goodman! He’s a 7th grader
from North Caldwell, NJ. This will be
his first summer at CK. Shaun loves
basketball! He plays basketball, he
watches basketball and he loves reading
about basketball. We’re pretty
sure he is the biggest NBA fan we
have at camp. (He pointed out to us
that while the World Series was on TV
he was watching the pre-season Suns
-Bucks game). His favorite team is
the Miami Heat. Shaun has been
supporting them since 2004! Shaun
says the best thing to happen to him
was going to the Olympics twice.
He’s traveled a lot. He’s been to 20
states and 6 countries. Shaun has
met several famous athletes and is
very excited about an upcoming NBA
game where he has courtside seats!
At camp this summer, he wants to
play lots of basketball and improve his
skills in the sport. Well, Shaun, how
does it feel to be the first camper in
“The Kids of CK”? See you at camp,
buddy!
Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto!
Noah Lipkind will
be returning to
camp for his second
summer! Noah is a 5th
grader from Westfield, NJ. Robotics
is one of his favorite hobbies.
Noah does a lot of activities
with Lego robotics, mainly
the NXT Mindstorm. In his free
time, Noah likes to play the
video game Minecraft. If
you’ve never heard of
Minecraft, you should
check it out. He also
likes to make stuff with fuse beads.
His favorite memory from camp last
summer was Water Color World
where we played lots of games that
got you wet… and colorful! Noah
wants to say hi to his
camp friends from last
summer and to the new
campers he says, “It is
really boss!” Thanks,
Noah! See you at camp!
Great news, everyone!
Amber Takesh is coming
back to CK-NJ for her 7th
summer! Amber is a 9th
grader from Montville, NJ.
She’s pretty busy with
school these days but she
does find the time to play soccer. She
also goes to CCD and participates in
activities at her church. When Amber
has free time, she likes to just hang
out with her friends. Amber is extremely
excited about two upcoming
Taylor Swift concerts that she will be
attending. There are several CK staff
members who helped organize the
Taylor Swift Fan Club that are very
jealous right now. Her favorite memory
from camp last summer was
CampStock, our summerending
carnival & concert
event. To her camp
friends, Amber says, “I
miss you all and can’t wait
to see you in the summer!”
To the first time campers,
she says, “You are going to
love it at CK and never want to
leave!” That’s awesome!
Thanks so much Amber.
See you soon!
Please give a warm CK-NJ welcome
to Thomas Martynowicz! Thomas,
AKA TJ, is a 5th grader from Florham
Park, NJ. This will be his first summer
at Campus Kids. TJ is an active guy.
He swims competitively for Scarlet
Elite year round. But that’s not all
–he also plays soccer and basketball.
TJ also enjoys participating in
the school plays. This year he was
Sir Harry in “Once Upon a Mattress.”
His other hobbies include
skiing, golf and tennis. He also
really enjoys ping pong. Recently,
TJ competed in his first swim meet
after taking 11 weeks off after
breaking his elbow in two places!
Ouch! We all hope you are feeling
better. At camp this summer, TJ is
looking forward to making new friends
and trying out lots of new activities.
You are going to have an amazing
summer, TJ! We can’t wait to meet
you at camp!
Eliana Glassman will be back at
Campus Kids-NJ this summer! Eliana
is a 9th grader from Martinsville, NJ.
This summer will be her fifth at our
camp. Eliana’s main hobby is dancing.
She is a member of the dance
team at her high school. She also
dances for a private dance studio. In
her free time, Eliana likes to hang out
with her friends. She also likes chatting
and keeping in touch with all her
friends from camp. She says the
worst thing to happen since last summer
was starting high school but we
hope that it’s getting better now.
Eliana sent a big hello to her camp
friends. To the new campers, she
writes: “You will love it and you will
make friends that will last forever!”
Thanks, Eliana! See you at camp!

Please say hello to Amanda Ruffino!
She is a first time camper from Summit,
NJ. Amanda is in the 2nd grade.
She has quite a few hobbies. First of
all, Amanda is into yoga. She also
takes dance
classes including
ballet, jazz
and tap. She
enjoys making
art and writing.
Amanda also
likes to read.
She also likes
being the little
sister in her family.
Amanda has
an awesome trip planned for her
birthday! She is going to France!
Send us a postcard! Amanda is going
to fit in great at CK-NJ. She is
kind, fair and nice to others. She is
also good at sharing her things with
others. This summer, Amanda is
most looking forward to trying out
fencing, archery, skateboarding and
rocketry! Those are pretty incredible
activities… you are going to have an
AWESOME SUMMER! See you
soon, Amanda!
We are so happy to introduce the one
and only Shayne Salmon! Shayne is
5th grader from Westfield, NJ. This
will be his first summer at CK-NJ.
Shayne loves to play sports. His favorites
are tennis, basketball (he got
his first basket at an official game this
season), soccer and football. He also
likes to go snowboarding. His other
hobbies include rock climbing and ice
skating. Shayne goes the “Y” program
at his school and is part of a
homework club. Shayne is a nice
guy and makes friends easily. He is
really looking forward to meeting all
of you! At camp this summer,
Shayne wants to play tennis, fly rockets
and run track. He also plans on
checking out football and soccer. It’s
going to be great, Shayne! You won’t
be disappointed!
Welcome back to Amanda Lichtenstein!
Mandi is a 5th grader from
Robbinsville, NJ. This upcoming
summer will be her second at Campus
Kids. Mandi is part of her
school’s Early Act Club. She also
goes to Hebrew School at Temple
Michah. Mandi plays soccer and
basketball. She also does swimming.
In her free time she likes to hang out
with friends, read, practice the piano
and play with her puppy, Wrigley!
She just got Wrigley and is planning
on getting another puppy soon!
Mandi is also excited about going
soon to see “Annie” on Broadway.
She’s also got a Taylor Swift concert
planned for this summer! Mandi says
she can’t pick just one favorite memory
from last summer because everything
was so great. She says the activities
were amazing and all of the
staff members are totally awesome!
To her camp friends, Mandi writes, “I
can’t wait to see everybody again!
See you this summer, Dancing
Staches!” To the new campers,
Mandi says that “this camp is the
best” and promises that “you will all
love it!” Thanks, Mandi! See you in
just a few months!
Hooray! Claira Gafkowski is coming
back to camp. Claira is a 7th grader
from New York City. This will be her
second summer at CK-NJ. Her favorite
thing to do is read. She is currently
in the middle of reading the
“Gone” series. Claira likes to write
and take photographs. She
also loves to
travel. She said
that the best
thing to happen
to her since last
summer was finally finishing
a wall of
magazine clippings in
her room. Claira’s favorite memory
from camp last summer was playing
Kiddie Pool Kickball! Claira can’t wait
to see her camp buddies and hopes
the rest of school year flies. To the
new campers she writes, “If you’re
worried about making new friends,
there is no reason to! Everyone at
Campus Kids is super kind & welcoming.”
Thanks Claira! See you at
camp!
And now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s
time for the announcement you’ve all
been waiting for… Josh Ingber will
be back at CK-NJ for his 4th summer!
Huzzah! Josh is an 8th grader from
Armonk, NY. He likes to skateboard,
break dance and do woodworking.
He likes to spend his free time hanging
out with friends. Josh’s favorite
memory from camp last summer was
the amazing times he had at Camp-
Stock and watching the talent shows!
To his camp friends, Josh writes, “I
have missed you and I can’t wait to
be with you this summer!” We are
pretty sure that they feel the same
way! For the new campers, he writes
this message: “Campus Kids is an
amazing place to meet friends and
have fun. It has made my summers
the best they could be!” Thanks for
the kind words. We can’t wait to see
you, Josh!
Please give a warm CK welcome to
Julia Kehr! Julia is a third grader
from Pine Brook, NJ. This will be her
first summer at CK-NJ! Julia is an
active member of the Brownies. She
also plays on the travel soccer and
softball teams. During the school
year, she takes voice lessons and
theater classes. When she has free
time, Julia likes to play with her dog
and swim in the warmer months. She
also likes to go on Oovoo to chat with
her friends and play on Club Penguin.
Julia is also a fantastic singer.
At camp this summer, Julia
wants to meet a lot of new
friends and have the best time
of her life. You won’t be
disappointed, Julia! Everyone
at camp is super
friendly and there are so
many fun activities! See you
soon!
Jessica Cefalo will also be returning
to camp this summer! This will be
her second summer at Campus Kids!
She is an 8th grader from Bridgewater,
NJ. Jess is a member of the
Girl Scouts. She participates in ski
club and a program called “Hop, Skip
and A Jump” which hosts activities for
children with special needs. Jess
loves to do yoga and plays the piano.
She also babysits when she has the
time. Jess was pretty excited about
making it onto high honor roll this
year! Congratulations! Her favorite
memory from camp last summer was
all the fun she had durcontinued
. . .

ing camp’s yoga activity and girls fitness.
To the camp friends she made
during her first summer, she writes, “It
was so much fun meeting you and I
can’t wait to see you next summer!” To
the new campers she says, “It was the
most fun I have ever had in the summer.
There are SOOOOO many activities!”
Thanks, Jess! We promise that
this summer will be even more amazing!
We’ve got another new camper to introduce!
Please say hello to Justin Romanow!
Justin is a 4th grader from
New York City. He is really excited for
his first summer at CK-NJ! Justin likes
to play baseball, hockey, golf and
tennis. He also enjoys reading
and building things. His other
hobbies include art and ceramics.
In his free time, he likes
to watch television and play
video games. The best thing
to happen to Justin recently
was getting into a dodgeball
tournament and he almost
won! Justin is confident and
friendly. At camp this summer, he
wants to play sports, make some art,
be in the shows and make new friends.
He is also excited about checking out
archery! You are going to have at awesome
time at CK! Can’t wait to meet
you, Justin!
It’s time to welcome back, the one, the
only Evie Secilmis! Evie is a 7th
grader from New York City. This will be
her third summer at Campus Kids!
During the school year, Evie is involved
with a lot of community service. She
likes to spend her free time hanging out
with friends. Recently, Evie went on an
overnight trip to Philadelphia with her
friends from school and they had an
amazing time. She had so much fun at
camp last summer and everything was
so fantastic that when we asked her
what her favorite memory was from last
summer, all she could say was
“everything!” To her camp friends, she
writes, “I miss you sooo much! I can’t
wait to see you!” To the new campers,
she writes, “Camp is so much fun! You
will meet people that will turn into
your best friends!” Thanks,
Evie! See you at camp!
There’s a new camper in
the house! Please welcome,
Jude Lipkin! Jude
is a 5th grader from New
York City. During the fall and
the winter, Jude is part of Kids Company
which is a theater organization.
He loves acting and singing. He also
loves baseball and swimming. In the
spring, Jude plays in the West Side
Little League. He also enjoys reading
and writing. Right now, Jude is excited
and hopeful because he recently got a
callback for PPAS, a performing arts
middle school in NYC. Jude is friendly
and a strong leader. He’s the person in
school and at activities that others will
go to when they need help. Jude is
really excited about his first sleep-away
camp experience and can’t wait to start
having fun with all of you! From the
sports to the shows, you’re going to
love camp, Jude! See you there!
Please welcome back Gabi Coronel!
Gabi is a 4th grader from Armonk, NY.
This will be her second summer at
camp. When she isn’t busy with school
work, Gabi enjoys hanging out and
clowning around with her friends. She
like watching TV and inventing stuff.
Gabi also likes playing video games.
She says the best thing to happen to
her since last summer was getting to
see “Titanic”. Gabi’s favorite
memory from camp last summer
was saying hello to the
people who all became her
new friends. She misses
you all so much! To the new
campers, Gabi writes, “Hi! You
all are going to enjoy Campus
Kids. The food is good and there’s lots
of activities.” It’s going to be another
great summer, Gabi! We are so glad
that you are coming back!
******
That’s it for this edition of “The Kids of
CK!” Don’t worry if you didn’t get into
this issue. As long as you send in your
welcome form we will make sure we
introduce you in a future edition!
As most of you already know, our bunk group theme for this summer is Myths & Legends. That means campers get to send in suggestions
for the bunk group names. You can send us your suggestions through a form on the website or by emailing us at sun-
The Gods (or Goddesses)
Dragon Slayers
Lightening Thieves
Riptide
The Olympians
The Pegasisters
Bronicorns
Blairy Godmothers
Goddess Girls
Bigfoot Boys
Loch Ness Ladies
Dancing Dragons
Blairwolves
Big Foot
Loch Ness Monsters
Zeus
Poseidon
Satyr
Mayan Calendar Survivors
Loch Ness MANsters
Paranormal Activities
Camp Half-blood (from
Percy Jackson)
Super Senior Centaurs
the loch ness campers
Knighting Aragons
The Big Feet
The Monster Con
Purple Pegasus
Loch ness Monsters
Flying Unicorns
Bearded leprechauns
Purple Horns On Unicorns
Uruboros
Champions of Asgard
Thor's Hammers
Thunder Gods
Lightning Thieves
Fenris' Wolfpack
Pixie Dust
Vampires
Werewolves
Zeus, God of thunder.
Lost Vikings
Dragons
Fire Blazing Fairies
Enchanted Witches
Merlin’s Myths
Fire Breathing Dragons
Cyclopses
Hippogriffs
Griffons
Manticor Magic
Darling Dragons
Asgardians
Sons of Big Foot

SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR JUNIORS, SENIORS & SUPER SENIORS!
Open those mailings we sent to you OR check it all out on our website.
Weekend Adventure #1: Camel Beach Water Park (July 12-15)
First we will head out to Fairview Lake Camp! We’ll camp out right near the lake, make
campfires, have cookouts, and go boating and swimming on the lake. On Saturday, we’ll
head out to Camel Beach Water Park! We’re going to fly through the funnels of the
Sandstorm, slide down the Vortex & Spin Cycle and race down Triple Venom. There are
also more relaxing rides like the Blue Nile Lazy River and Pharaoh’s Fortress.
Weekend Adventure #2: Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom (July 26-29)
So we’ll spend another weekend camping out under the stars at Fairview Lake
Camp but we’ll also be going to the Dorney Park & Wild Water Kingdom! We will
spending the whole day riding roller coasters (including the new one called the
Stinger) and water slides.
Weekend Adventure #3: Mountain Creek Water Park (August 9-12)
We arrive on Friday night at Fairview Lake Camp. We’ll do our usual Weekend
Adventure activities around the campfire and out on the lake. On Saturday,
we’re going over to Mountain Creek Water Park! We’ll ride the slides
and splash around. You’ll even get to test your surfing skill on the Flow
Rider! Ride with four of your friends down the awesome funnel ride, HIGH
ANXIETY! Jump into the Wave Pool! Race down H2-OH NO!
A fun way to concentrate on a single sport for two weeks while
also enjoying the fun, friends and many other activities at CK-NJ.
No extra cost, but pre-enrollment is encouraged. Call or send an email.

Poor Charlie Brown! He
seems always to be fending off his
“many detractors”. Growing up can
be tough, but it’s even harder when
you have trouble making friends or
are the butt of other people’s jokes.
Kids should be able to grow up in an atmosphere of active acceptance
(not just tolerance). Healthy families provide that.
Schools say that they want to, but often fall short.
Good camps are ideal places for this to take place. A
central part of the Campus Kids Philosophy, in fact, is that
“people should be treated with kindness and respect.” Our
goal is to create a community of active acceptance for every
member, the campers and the staff.
The first step toward achieving this goal is to talk
about it. That may seem obvious, but if you aren’t talking all
the time about the importance of being nice to people and extending
your friendship to them, then you aren’t going to get
very far. Everyone, from “the top down” needs to engage in
conversation about how we want to treat each other and what
we should do when things go wrong.
At camp that conversation begins in the staff applicant
interviews, continues into the pre-camp orientations for
staff, and is brought up every day during the summer. Usually
this happens in “bunk meetings” where campers and their counselors
talk about how things are going. Questions are answered,
feelings shared and problems solved. Because each
group has a bunk meeting every day (just before bedtime), the
habit of talking, sharing and solving is steadily developed.
Words turn into actions and the camp community internalizes
how people should treat each other.
Hello Hello Campus Campus Kids!!
Kids!!
My name is Sydney Sydney Sydney Gottesman
Gottesman Gottesman and this summer, I will be one of the
fifteen staff assistants! I'll be on Team B, so during camp, you'll see me
in places like the office, the arts building, and the health center. I was a
camper at Campus Kids for three years and I am so excited to spend
my fourth summer as a staffie!
Even though I love being at camp, I participate in other activities during
the year to distract myself from thinking about camp too much! I am a
sophomore at a special performing arts high school where every day I
get to learn about acting! Now we are learning how to do a proper Brit-
ish accent; maybe by the summer I'll blend in with the British counselors!
I just finished doing my school's production of “Cabaret” where for the
first time in my performance career, I didn't perform onstage! This time,
The second step is structuring the community, which
in this case means maintaining an active presence of adults
who are involved with the campers throughout the day.
“Involved” is the key. We want our staff to do everything
with their campers, not stand to the side and watch them.
This constant, involved presence doesn’t feel like “supervision”
to the campers, but rather like caring, fun friendship and support.
It’s unremarkable to them because it’s the norm. Yet
it’s also very remarkable because it’s something that many of
our campers tell us they don’t find very often in school and
other places.
Steps 1 and 2 go a long way toward creating the kind
of place where everyone is supported and “detractors” do not
thrive. But a third step is sometimes needed: reacting quickly
and firmly when people aren’t being nice to each other. If
we’ve been successful in establishing a kind and supportive
camp community, then this step usually doesn’t seem like a
huge deal. Strong relationships among campers and staff and
the daily habit of having honest conversations are powerful
tools and usually result in the “incident” being a learning moment
from which we move on. However, we must be very clear
about what is unacceptable and we must address problems as
they arise and expect behavior to change.
A community is defined by its values and camps have
the advantage of being able to define those values and control
most of the variables. We’re small enough to do this, and
we’re focused on meeting the needs of our campers. Our hope
is that camp is not simply a refuge from less friendly situations,
but a place where campers learn skills they can use everywhere.
We hope they are always kind to others and have
the strength to deal with others who might not be kind to
them.
As, for poor Charlie Brown, I
hope his parents have signed him up
for a very good camp this summer.
I was on the costume crew. I wasn't sure if I was
going to like costumes at first, but all my worries
melted away when I started! It was a much different
experience than being onstage, and I can't wait to
be on costume crew for the shows next year! This
is a really good example of how I try new things a lot more because I went
to camp. You don't have to be at camp to try new things; the opportu-
nity can pop up at any time!
I don't know about you, but I'm so pumped to get back to Blair Acad-
emy and have a fantastic summer! I can't wait to see returning campers
and meet the new ones! See you all in June!
Sydney Gottesman (Staff Assistant, Team B=)
tom@campuskids.com

Hello Hello there there CK! CK!
CK!
My name is Justin Kim and you cannot imagine how excited I am to be coming back to camp for my
fifth summer (first as a Staff Assistant). This summer I will be on the amazing Team D, so you’ll most likely
see me around camp taking pictures of YOU, so make sure you smile when you see me! Also, I love making
new friends so if you don’t know me yet, come up and talk to me because more likely than
not I’d be happy to talk to you too.
Right now I am currently a junior at Leonia High School, and currently I am completely
swamped with work right now, which is making the wait for camp almost unbearable.
When I’m not doing schoolwork. though, I am a member in my school’s track and cross
country teams and I also play tennis on the side. I am also in my school’s stage crew and I
recently started to play the cello. (I’m hoping that I’ll improve by the summer.) I am also in
my school’s Gay-Straight Alliance and a part of the environmental club.
For any campers reading this right now I just want to say that this summer will be
absolutely amazing and I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am. Also for any new campers I
would like to say that, no matter what, you’ll make many friends and instantly fall in love with this camp. I
can’t wait to see all of you this summer and before I end this I’ll leave you all with a quote about camp that I
think some of you might enjoy.
“Friendships started at camp can be separated by miles and months without losing any of their strength”-
Unknown
-Justin Kim, Team D Staff Assistant
P.O. Box 8, Madison, NJ 07940
Read the “Sundial” sooner. This issue was published first online:
www.campuskids.com/readthesundial.htm