Exciting Beginnings!
Yahoo! Camp has started and it’s already on track as being the best summer ever! Yesterday was a little rainy here at camp, but that never brings down the Manitou spirit! Our campers did their Swim Checks –just to make sure everyone is safe down at the water–and the lake was nice and warm for everyone. For the rest of the day, the cabins rotated to different activities–some to activities they normally wouldn’t have on their schedule. It was so fun to see Junior Girls practicing their Taekwondo at Martial Arts and to see Sophomore Boys playing improv games at Drama! I love the enthusiasm of our campers already, and I can’t wait to see what everyone can accomplish.
After a tasty chicken dinner from Chef Will, the whole camp went down to our first full Friday Night Fireside of the summer. We started the peaceful evening with Rach Klein, our Head of Canoe Tripping, giving a land acknowledgement, a little speech to give thanks and remember the Indigenous people who first lived on our land. After that, Denise “Mama D” George, one of the creators of Friday Night Fireside, explained the theme for this summer “Don’t Stand By,” and I think all of our campers were already brainstorming how they can stand up for others and make a difference. We then heard from some fantastic ‘Camp Is’ speakers: a group of campers who speak about camp and what it means to them. Some campers talked about how they were new last year and how Manitou has made them more confident and better as a person. Some were longtime campers giving their advice to new homesick campers and telling them how much fun camp will become soon! It was so nice to hear from our Manitou family, and I know it meant a lot to some campers.
After a great night at Fireside, we had our first Evening Programs of the summer…always a fun night for everyone! For those of you who don’t know, Evening Programs take place almost every night, and it’s where units participate in some sort of special program together. I’ve seen everything from mock beauty pageants to dog shows (with counsellors as the dogs) to camp-wide capture the flag games. There’s nothing this old moose likes more than hearing the sound of campers laughing and seeing them running around and smiling. After a long and exciting day, our campers went to bed for a well-deserved sleep, and got some rest for a big day today!
Today our campers woke up for their first activity day, following the schedule they chose for themselves. I could feel the excitement at breakfast! Campers were planning their Pottery and Woodworking projects, and were talking about what they could accomplish at Waterski this summer. We also saw the C.I.T.s go on their annual canoe trip this morning– an amazing chance to bond as a group and explore the beautiful Canadian landscape! They will be paddling together, swimming, and cooking some homemade food over a big campfire. I can taste the roasted marshmallows just thinking about it, and I’m excited to hear all of their stories when they return.
Well, I’m going to walk around camp and see all of our campers at their activities! First to Dance, where my friend Edyn Karney is already planning an amazing Dance Show!
Yours Moosily,
Manny the Moose
