Dear Tevya families,
For about 8 hours on Thursday, all of our campers, counselors, and CITs were out of camp on trips. I stayed at camp with our Office Staff and a handful of our Operations Staff. I’ve never stayed at camp during an all-camp Trip Day, so this was new for me.
Throughout the summer, I do my best to be aware of how certain camp moments make me feel. As I talked about last week, the summer is a long flight – you grip the armrests during take off, and ease up as you reach cruising altitude. With everyone out of camp for 8 hours, I anticipated it to be a much needed “catch up” day for me and the few of us at camp.
However, the candid truth is that I felt anxious – I was gripping the armrests again even though there was no turbulence. This was the opposite of how I expected to feel in this specific camp moment, and I couldn’t figure out why, which in turn made me more anxious. But as I started itemizing my to-do list for the day and thinking about how long I had to do everything, it dawned on me…
With everyone out of camp, time felt like it was suddenly speeding up for the first time since our campers arrived, and it was a jarring feeling.
When camp is happening, we get into such a rhythm that you don’t really notice the minutes and hours passing. We seamlessly transition from moment to moment to moment and before you know it, a million amazing things have happened and another day has gone by. And the best thing is that you get to wake up the next morning and do it all again. and I once again eased up on the armrests.
For me, Thursday was such a weird experience because for the first time all summer, the rhythm of my camp day changed, and suddenly our time at camp didn’t feel limitless. Once the buses rolled back into camp from Water Country, shortly followed by the buses for KTY and then BTC, the camp rhythm picked right back up and I once again eased up on the armrests.
Value of the Week
The value of this past week, which was introduced last Friday at Shabbat, was Inclusion. Inclusion is at the heart of the camp experience. Feeling like you belong in the space of camp with a group of people, and feeling like you are a part of something bigger than yourself, are powerful feelings.
Inclusion is the act of making the feeling of belonging possible. Inclusion is when a counselor teaches a new camper the hand motions during the Birkat Hamazon. Inclusion is waiting for a friend at the bunk before going to your next activity. Inclusion is bringing a bunkmate into a card game or conversation. Inclusion is keeping the camp experience of others in mind and doing something to make it better.
Camp Activities
It was a busy, action packed week here at camp! The week started with the crowning of our Yavneh Princess and Dalia Prince – congrats to Princess Katy Klein and Prince Sam Ades!
On Sunday we sent a group of Ole campers to Camp Bauercrest for the Jr. Jr. Jamboree. Campers from various camps competed in activities like newcomb and gaga ball. We also sent a group of campers to YJ to compete in the YJ Doubles Tournament. We had a second place finish from one pair and another who made it to the semi-finals. All in all, a good representation of Tevya at Sunday’s Game Days.
While KTY was in the mountains of NH, BTC traveled way up to West Forks, ME for an adventure of their own at Three Rivers White Water. On the first day, they tubed down part of the Kennebec River, followed by a delicious dinner and campfire. The next day, they rafted down a different section of the Kennebec that included class 2, 3, and 4 rapids. It was an exhilarating day! Parents, if you would like to see the rafting photos taken by Three Rivers, you can view them here: https://store.picthrive.com/threeriverskennebec/. Select 7/13 as the date to view Tevya pictures.
While the Bogs were away, the Oles and Tsofs and had the camp to themselves. Wednesday morning started with a late wakeup and a delicious omelet breakfast served by our senior staff. Campers had a rotation of bunk activities throughout the day, including our Water Park, Arts and Crafts, Athletics, and special drumming activity with Path to Rhythm. At dinner, we announced another surprise for the Oles and Tsofs: an exciting trip to Water Country! The weather was PERFECT on Thursday and everyone truly had a blast for our first trip back to Water Country since 2019.
The week ended as it began with a Game Day against YJ. Tevya hosted Ole Newcomb and Tsof Softball, while YJ hosted Bog Volleyball and Bog Softball. The morning was successful all around with hardfought, competitive games.
This week’s Evening Activities included…
- Oles: Fireworks, Yavneh/Dalia Duct Tape Boats with Big Brothers/Sisters, Middle and Older Ole Relay Races and Arts Arena, Siagel Social, Bunk Night
- Tsofs: Fireworks, Siagel Social, Karaoke Night, Bunk Night, Manhunt
- Bogs: Fireworks, Siagel Social, Overnight Trips, Bunk Night
Upcoming Events
Though we are approaching the end of 1st Session, we still have a lot of fun programming left for campers to experience! We are looking forward to having our Israeli Beach Party tomorrow evening with some fun games, music, and pita making on the beach.
On Monday, we are having a Senior, Junior, and Junior Junior Basketball tournament. Our Tsofs and Bogs will be traveling to other camps, while we host the Junior Junior tournament here at Tevya.
There is a lot more in store as we head into our final week of 1st Session!
Shabbat Shalom,
