FEBRUARY 24, 2017
CAMP GUIDE
CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 37
Read more camp news at cjn.org/camp
2017 CAMP GUIDE
A Cleveland Jewish News Special Section
Campers build with a counselor at one of the camps at Great Lakes Science Center. | Submitted photo
38 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG
join us in 2017
.com www.campwaldenmi i.com nm de al pw am summer@c
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With an awesome array of activities, a supportive camp family and a beautiful Northern Michigan setting, kids really do make the most of summer at Walden! Find dates for our 2- through 7-week sessions, 3-day Mini Mini Session, and Leader in Training program for campers entering 11th grade, at our WEBsite.
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www.campwaldenmi.com Family-owned since 1959
FEBRUARY 24, 2017
CAMP GUIDE
Camp’s offerings expand with ‘specialty week’ NAOMI GRANT
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ampers at Camp Livingston in Bennington, Ind., can camp for an additional week this summer. At the end of the summer session, a “specialty week” will be added for sixth- through ninth-graders, said assistant director Abby Solomon. Even those who did not attend camp during the rest of summer can participate. For this week, children can attend sports or outdoor adventure camp, and focus on building skills in those two realms in addition to participating in regular programming, such as campfires, talent shows and swimming. “We know that the camp’s movement in general, both day camp and overnight camp, is moving towards wanting a lot of specialized activities and skill-building and really tangible results,” Solo-
mon said. “That’s what parents want, so we want to be able to offer that to the community and so people have added that to our camp program.” While there will be similar parts like rest hour and evening activities and meal times, the full morning and most of the afternoon will be focused on either two specific sports each day or specific skills for the outdoor adventure program, Solomon said. Some camp counselors will stay on and experts that are qualified to teach each skill will be used, she said. “We do expect, just like camp, for them to build a lot of friendships and make a lot of great memories,” Solomon said. “Jewish camp’s amazing and very transformative and life changing.”
Naomi Grant was the Violet Spevack Editorial Intern.
Temple Emanu El revamps preschool summer session
Temple Emanu El in Orange is revamping its preschool summer session to incorporate a camp environment in addition to an educational preschool experience offered year-round. The preschool’s summer camp is a way to engage in active, healthy activities, experience personal growth and independence, and develop social skills in a Jewish setting, according to a news release. The summer session will run from June 5 through Aug. 29 and is open to the community. The summer session will include age-appropriate camp offerings such as water play, outdoor activities, free play on two secure playgrounds, cookouts and picnics, themed weekly activities, visits from an ice cream truck, special Shabbat celebrations and more. Lunch and two daily snacks are provided. Additional enrichment opportunities such as twist and shout, math monkey, tiny tigers taekwondo and introductory fun with Hebrew will be offered to children ages 4 and 5. Temple Emanu El is at 4545 Brainard Road. For costs and information, contact Executive Director Renee Higer at 216.454.1309 or rhiger@teecleve.org.
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Ready, Set, Summer! Members of Yachad’s vocational program serve food to campers. | Submitted photo
Yachad, Camp Stone create work partnership
Summer at Laurel 2017
Join us for exciting sports, adventure, theatre, science and specialty camps for girls and boys entering Preschool through Grade 12. We have a range of half- and full-day options as well as Before- and After-Camp Care.
JUNE 12 - AUGUST 4, 2017
BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org
For more information and to register, visit LaurelSchool.org/Summer or call 216.455.0154.
Y
LYMAN CAMPUS One Lyman Circle Shaker Heights, Ohio
achad, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities, and Camp Stone, an Orthodox Jewish summer camp in Sugar Grove, Pa., announced a partnership that will allow Yachad members to work at the camp as staff through a vocational training program offered by Yachad. Irving I. Stone, founder and chairman of American Greetings, founded the camp. Nechama Braun, administrator of Yachad summer programs, said that though they have a number of similar programs in other camps, most of those programs are located in northeast New York and Pennsylvania. According to Braun, partnering with Camp Stone gives Yachad access to a community that it may not have had the chance to collaborate with in the past. “The camp directors, Yakov and Estee Fleischmann, were very committed from the start to open up a Yachad program at Camp Stone,” Braun said. “(The partnership) will give us an opportunity to allow more young adults with special needs to be involved in a
summer camp experience as a staff member, which is very beneficial for each participant.” “This is because they gain tremendous social skills, independence skills, self-confidence and also boosts their vocational skills, which in turn allows them broader opportunities throughout the year. So, (the partnership) really just extends the ability for Yachad to provide these types of services.” Estee Fleischmann, co-owner of Camp Stone, which is about 145 miles from Cleveland, said that the partnership was a logical step for the camp to further insure that everyone is welcome at the camp. “This (partnership) would send messages to campers and the whole community that we are building Camp Stone to be a place where everyone is welcome,” Fleischmann said. “Though we have already had special needs staff members as part of our community, this partnership enables us to have more special needs staff members and allow others that are interested to see that we are making their time
FUN &
more inclusion-focused.” Fleischmann said the partnership won’t necessarily impact the future of the camp, but more notably will impact the whole feel of the camp’s inclusion culture and culture in general. “The direction that we are hoping to grow in and see the culture of our camp change is to a truly seamless, inclusion focused environment,” she said. “We want the inclusion to be something that everyone is involved in and nobody thinks twice about. And no matter who your staff member is, the camper would love spending time with and look up to – and that this is an environment that has all kinds of people in that position.”
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40 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG
February 24, 2017
CAMP GUIDE
Camp Roosevelt-Firebird campers find ways to incorporate Judaism NAOMI GRANT
Cleveland Info Session
Please join us for lunch and meet Beber Camp Staff Sunday, April 30 at 12:15 PM in Shaker Heights. Please email michael@bebercamp.com for more info!
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Boys and Girls 10-18 will have an opportunity to learn from the pros in the industry Meet sports celebrities Make sports anchor tapes in a TV studio Make reporting tapes from professional stadiums Make play-by-play tapes of the NBA Finals and Super Bowl Participate in sports talk radio and PTI style shows, trivia contests, and much more Day/Overnight sessions available
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rica Fusté regularly goes to Shabbat services and has Shabbat dinner. At Camp Roosevelt-Firebird, her secular summer camp, that’s not an option. But there’s almost a replacement – on Friday nights, the camp holds a “friendship fire,” a campfire. “When we’re sitting around the fire and we’re talking about the lesson of the week, I always thought it was really cool because even though it’s not really a Shabbat service or a Shabbat dinner, it was kind of like something where you’re sitting down or reflecting about the week,” said Erica, 16, of the camp about 30 miles south of Canton. Roman Caputo, 15 and a sophomore at Beachwood High School who also attends Roosevelt-Firebird, has his own way of incorporating Judaism into his life while at camp. “I maybe at minimum pray over my food or at night sometimes just like while at camp,” Roman said. “I’m very intrigued by the wisdom (of) the Torah and Judaism. I try to incorporate that in any situation at camp.” In Erica’s Jewish community in San Juan, Puerto Rico, most people go to one of two Jewish camps. However, she chose Camp Roosevelt-Firebird in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. “At first I regretted it, but now I think about it (and) I’m really glad that I was able to expand my horizons,” she said. “It was a break from routine. It’s more about learning from other cultures than being confined in
your own,” though she said that other camps are still “super cool.” Roman, a member of Congregation Shaarey Tikvah in Beachwood, chose to attend Roosevelt-Firebird because a friend of his, who is Jewish, said he loved it. “I guess you can relate to people more at a Jewish camp but when you met other Jewish kids at secular camps, you felt closer,” he said. “Just because you’ve been bar or bat mitzvahed and so you share that connection.” Erica expressed a similar sentiment. “The main bond would be when we’re talking about our different Jewish communities, like our different synagogues back home and we’ll talk about how we experience all of our normal activities with our own communities,” she said. B’not mitzvah are a common conversation topic and her friends discuss what it was like to have a big party or a service with just close family. Erica said she doesn’t feel “too weird” about being out of touch with a Jewish community while at camp, especially because Christian campers don’t have the option of church on Sundays. “If I was there during Passover or something, I’d be a little bit thrown off,” she said. Joe Mendes of Cleveland Heights purchased the camp in 2015.
Naomi Grant was the Violet Spevack Editorial Intern.
CAMP COUPLES Amanda and Josh Goldberg NAOMI GRANT
Swimming Horseback Riding Nature & Science Fishing Canoeing & Kayaking Archery Riflery Rock Climbing & Ropes Course Woodshop Arts & Crafts Hiking Sports Camp Fires & Overnights
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June 12 through August 18
RED OAK CAMP 9057 Kirtland-Chardon Road Kirtland, OH 44094 www.redoakcamp.org
Serving Northeast Ohio campers since 1947 – Red Barn • Chincapin • Red Oak
manda Bruell and Josh Goldberg met when they were 15 and in their final summer as campers at Camp Wise in Claridon Township. “We just were really good friends and we kept in touch throughout the years and we would always go back to camp,” said Amanda Goldberg, originally from Pepper Pike. The two started dating when they were about 20, but had to maintain their relationship long-distance as she was at Syracuse University in New York and he was at The Ohio State University in Columbus. In 2012, Josh Goldberg proposed to Amanda at Camp Wise and the couple got married in September 2013. Despite living in Phoenix, the Goldbergs are still very much connected to Camp Wise. They’re still in touch with all of their camp friends and said they talk about camp “constantly.” Both of their siblings married people they met at camp as well, and they hope their nine-month-old daughter will go to camp one day. “In Phoenix, Jewish camp isn’t emphasized as much … but we try to tell people how important it is,” Josh Goldberg said. “If there’s one way to connect with
Jews growing up, we think far and away the best (way) is camp.”
Naomi Grant was the Violet Spevack Editorial Intern.
CAMP GUIDE
CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 41
FEBRUARY 24, 2017
Specialized camps proven to positively influence campers
Favourable exchange rate means 30% more for your dollar!*
BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org
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sk those who have attended summer camp and they most likely will say they loved it. With so many camps catering to different interests, there is a camp for every child to love and create memories. Many parents find camp beneficial for a child, especially those learning and special needs. Camp directors Frazier at Beyond Camp in Lyndhurst and Camp Ho Mita Koda in Newbury said every child should have a camp experience and both camps strive to create a safe, informative and accommodating experience for children and teens who have Pangio learning and special needs. Nick Pangio, camp director of the diabetes camp Camp Ho Mita Koda, said that a large portion of the camp experience is to not only give education to campers with diabetes, but also create a sense of acceptance within the camp. “A lot of the time, (campers) don’t feel accepted, but at camp, they have that support system,” Pangio said. “A lot of the staff has diabetes, too, so they can use them as role models that they also can be successful. Our staff helps the campers learn self-management skills. A lot of the time, kids have their parents do their testing, but here they can learn themselves.” Pangio said that since he’s been director, his goal has been to have children learn about their condition, but also have fun doing so. “A lot of times, (campers) want to hide their condition, but at camp it’s openly embraced,” he said. “We bring them to the camp to have fun, bond with others and build that sense of acceptance among themselves. Our camp has camp activities, but it also has the promise of a better, more informed life.” At the end of the day, Pangio said it’s very important for children with diabetes to attend a specialized camp. Not only do they get that camp experience and feel that sense of camaraderie, but also the amount of independence they learn can’t be traded for anything. “There have been doctors that say you can tell the difference between the kids who go to a (diabetes) camp and those who
don’t – they take the initiative and aren’t scared to face their condition,” Pangio said. “We want to keep continuing that pattern of independence.” Allison Frazier, camp director of the Julie Billiart School’s special and learning needs camp, Beyond Camp, said that when combining camp with social learning, there is a lot of unique opportunities that take place at camp that wouldn’t necessarily make sense to the campers in another setting. “We combined camp with education to give context to our teachings,” Frazier said. “Teaching the social skills in the classroom and in the clinic has limited usefulness and it can’t be generalized to actual experiences with peers and the community. So, the camp provides many opportunities for campers to be exposed to new experiences and we have trained staff to assist them with navigating each social situation. We treat every moment at camp like a teaching moment.” At Beyond Camp, staff and campers deal with an array of needs. Each camper receives a set of personalized goals and Frazier said that a focus on group themes to bring unity to campers is evident. “We try to choose very basic social cognition themes for the week,” Frazier said. “We try to choose more basic needs. The benefit is that it keeps the staff and the students focused on that social theme for the week. By repetition over the week, they are more likely to have more experiences to generalize in the community and more learning opportunities throughout.” “The expertise of intervention specialists and behavior analysts make it a success for each camper despite their learning and social challenges. So, the campers get the benefit of experiencing traditional camp activities, as objectives are being embedded within them.” With the help of specialists, counselors and campers, both camps allow children to not only learn about their conditions, but also grow within themselves. Frazier and Pangio both said that when they see campers the following year, or in Beyond Camp’s case. In classes after the summer, there is a definite growth in skill and understanding. Instead of worrying about what they are going through, they get to experience camp while important objectives are included within the activities. “Everyone is there to help the kids,” Pangio said. “So, instead of being defined by their condition, they can try and just be kids.”
With more than 500 campers already registered for summer 2017Register Today! www.campramah.com *Based on current exchange rates
416.789.2193 info@campramah.com
Meet new friends and make memories to last a lifetime. Hiram House Camp offers Summer Day Camp for boys and girls ages 6 through 12 (and a Junior camp for children entering kindergarten) and Summer Overnight Camps for boys and girls ages 6 through 14. Camp activities include high ropes course, climbing tower, archery, boating, arts n’ crafts, hiking, horseback riding, cookouts and camp outs, swimming, and nature studies. Register for Summer 2017 now at hiramhousecamp.org or (216) 831-5045 HIRAM HOUSE CAMP • 33775 HIRAM TRAIL, MORELAND HILLS, OHIO
42 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG
February 24, 2017
CAMP GUIDE
How summer camps welcome their youngest attendees LUCY COHEN BLATTER | JTA Our 36th Year
W
ondering if your child is ready for overnight camp? A sure sign, according to Karen Alford, a sleep away camp consultant, is that he or she has grown tired of day camp. “At 9 (or going into fourth grade), you’ve probably been doing day camp for several years, and there’s just a natural progression to sleep away camp,” she said.
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Of course, Alford said, some kids aren’t ready until they’re older. “You have to know your child and what they can handle,” she said. “Some parents with kids who have trouble separating find camp even more helpful at a younger age because it builds independence.” Luckily, most Jewish summer camps pay close attention to easing their youngest kids into the sleep away experience. From pre-camp meet-and-greets to special presents for first-time campers to the common availability of ultra-short sessions – anywhere from five to 11 days – camps are acutely aware of the need to gently transition their littlest and newest campers into the culture of overnight camp. In addition to providing additional resources for the young newbies – and, of course, their anxious parents – many camps also hire additional staff and train them in some hand holding. Take Camp Judaea, a pluralist Jewish camp in North Carolina. It offers Taste of Camp Judaea, an 11-day program for kids as young as 7. Unlike older campers who can “specialize” in certain activities, the youngest campers, called Rishonim, get to sample all of the camp activities, including zip-lining and horseback riding. The Taste program is available for children until fourth grade. “To be honest, in some ways it’s more for the parents than the campers,” said David Berlin, executive director of Camp Judaea. “The parents tend to be more nervous. This is our way of hooking them into camp.” Additionally, the ratio of campers to counselors is lower for the Camp Judaea’s Rishnonim campers, hovering around 3-to-1, as opposed to about 4.5-to-1 for the older kids. To prepare the first-timers, Camp Judaea holds parlor meetings for new families, most of whom come from the southeastern U.S., Berlin said. New campers watch a video, hear about a typical day and have questions answered. “It allows the families an opportunity to meet the staff before the summer begins,” Berlin said. They also used to send first-timers a book about sleep away camp, “Sami’s Sleepaway Summer,” by Jenny Meyerhoff, but it’s out of print. Berlin said the book was a great way to get young campers excited and have them learn what to expect. He said he’s looking for a replacement book. At Camp Gilboa outside Los Angeles and part of the progressive Zionist Habonim Dror movement, younger campers can experience sessions as short as four nights. “We focus on easing them into camp,” Executive Director Dalit Shlapobersky said. But because Habonim Dror offers year-round programming, children can get involved prior to starting camp, and therefore become acquainted with other Gilboa campers and counselors well ahead of time, she said. The camp also invites families to visit during the year for weekends and retreats. Shlapobersky said campers typically start Gilboa at age 8. “At that point they’ve already gone through quite a few separations,” she said. “They’ve had to get
YOUNG | 43
CAMP GUIDE YOUNG | 42 used to a new community at preschool, and then a new one at kindergarten/ elementary school. These things are all about practice. The more time we practice doing something different, the more ready we are to take something new on.” But Shlapobersky gives campers and families added support through the preparation process, which includes weekly emails beginning in May that focus on different aspects of camp like what to expect on the first day of camp, what sort of communications there will be to and from camp, and a glossary of camp lingo. New campers also receive introductory telephone calls from counselors a couple of days before the session begins. Additionally, Gilboa calls new parents to find out more about individual campers, making the camp more prepared for them when they arrive. “For example, if we know they’re really into magic, we can have one of the counselors who loves magic tricks ready,” Shlapobersky said. Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, which is affiliated with the Conservative movement, offers a seven-day Ta’am Ramah (Hebrew for Taste of Ramah), to children entering third grade. Rabbi Ethan Linden, the camp’s director, said there’s a higher ratio of staff for the youngest children. “We’ll have 20 to 25 kids and 10 staff counselors, plus a group leader,” he said, adding that for older children, there are typically 14 children to four counselors per bunk. “We usually have more experienced counselors for the little ones,” he said. “We know we have to hold their hands more.” Linden said he’s found that most children are ready to start camp between the ages of 8 and 10, and agrees with other directors that parents are sometimes the last to be ready. But Ramah in the Berkshires pays extra attention to first-time campers regardless of age. “We’re particularly sensitive to issues of homesickness and integration,” he said. Linden said the camp employs staffers called “yoetzim,” or people who
CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 43
FEBRUARY 24, 2017 are a little older, usually parents, who can get involved in tough situations. The camp also does “a lot of training on bunk dynamics, trying to make sure that no campers slip through the cracks,” he said. “We work to find that one thing the kid loves to do and then use that to ease the transition,” he said. At Camp Modin, a pluralistic sleep away camp in Maine, and the oldest Jewish camp in New England, the youngest campers are 8, or going into third grade. Director Howard Salzberg said Modin used to have even younger campers, but found they weren’t quite ready for the experience. While Modin doesn’t have extra-short sessions for first-timers – the shortest “regular”session is 3½ weeks – counselors for younger kids are trained to give more personalized attention, Salzberg said. “We don’t expect these kids to unpack their trunks or do their own laundry,” he said. “We recognize that these kids need extra help changing out of their wet bathing suits, that we need to make sure they’re showering, that they know how to open their soap in the shower, that they’re combing their hair. “With older kids it’s more about mentoring. For younger years it’s more parenting.” And in some ways, the younger kids are easier, Salzberg said. “They present different challenges, but honestly, younger kids can be a lot easier than hormonally-challenged teenagers,” he said, laughing. At Modin, newbies are matched with returning campers in a “big brother, big sister” program – the older campers call the younger campers before the session starts, and at camp they meet up on opening day. The older group gives the younger campers a small gift, like a goody bag or a Modin bracelet. Regardless of what age a child starts camp, the camp directors noticed that first-born children tend to start camp older, and slightly more nervous, than their younger siblings. “Younger siblings have parents more prepared for the sleep away camp experience, are often familiar with the campgrounds from visiting day,” Alford said. “Plus, they’ve seen how much fun their older siblings have at camp.”
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BEACHWOOD, OH 44122
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AWESOME SUMMER DAY CAMPS • Over 100 camp sessions • Dozens of new themes • Three convenient locations
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44 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG
FEBRUARY 24, 2017
CAMP GUIDE
Camp listings Summer Ruffing It! Summer Camp for ages 18 months - Grade 9
June 19 - July 28, 2017 For more information or to register go to: ruffingmontessori.net
BEBER CAMP
HATHAWAY BROWN SCHOOL
Winter: 8833 Gross Point Road, Suite 312 Skokie, IL 60077 847-677-7130 • Fax: 847-677-7132 Summer: W1741 County Road J Mukwonago, WI 53149 262-363-6800 • Fax: 262-363-6804 info@bebercamp.com bebercamp.com Director: Becky Altman
19600 North Park Blvd. Shaker Heights, OH 44122 216-320-8085 216-371-1501 jhabig@hb.edu hb.edu/summer Director: Jason Habig
CAMP RAMAH IN CANADA 3845 Bathurst St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3H 3N2 416-789-2193 • Fax: 416-789-3970 info@campramah.com campramah.com Director: Dr. Ron Polster
CAMP S.T.E.P. A Division of Hebrew Academy of Cleveland 1860 S. Taylor Road Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 216-321-5838, ext.176 • Fax: 216-321-0588 hac1.org Director: Rabbi Hillel Drazin
CAMP WALDEN 3380 Fairmount Boulevard : Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
5607 S. River Road Cheboygan, MI 4971 248-225-1256 • Fax: 844-272-6354 summer@campwaldenmi.com campwaldenmi.com Directors: Liz Stevens and Scott Ruthart
CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO SUMMER DAY CAMP 3900 Wildlife Way Cleveland, OH 44109 216-635-3391 programregistration@clevelandmetroparks.com clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo
CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SUMMER CAMPS 216-987-3075 tri-c.edu/summercamps Director: Fran Tomba
SUMMER CAMPS IN UNIVERSITY CIRCLE
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HIRAM HOUSE CAMP “Ohio’s Oldest Camp - Enriching the Lives of Children Since 1896” 33775 Hiram Trail Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 216-831-5045 info@hiramhousecamp.org hiramhousecamp.org
SUMMER AT LAUREL Lyman Campus One Lyman Circle Shaker Heights, OH 44122 Butler Campus 7420 Fairmount Road Russell Township, OH 44072 216-455-0154 Director: Karen Edwards kedwards@laurelschool.org laurelschools.org/summer
LAWRENCE SCHOOL SUMMER PROGRAMS Broadview Heights (Lower School) Sagamore Hills (Upper School) 440-526-0717 Fax: 440-526-0595 admissions@lawrenceschool.org summeratlawrence.org
THE MUSIC SETTLEMENT 11125 Magnolia Drive Cleveland, OH 44106 (216) 421-5806, ext. 100
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CAMP GUIDE STUDIO J ACADEMY OF DANCE SUMMER DANCE 23945 Mercantile Rd. Suite M Beachwood, OH 44122 216-292-2720 studiojdance.com Director: Jennifer Kups
CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 45
FEBRUARY 24, 2017 SUMMER RUFFING IT Ruffing Montessori School 3380 Fairmount Blvd. Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 216-932-7866 Fax: 216-321-7568 julias@ruffingmontessori.net ruffingmontessori.net/camps
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While attending programming camp, campers learn how to code video games. | Submitted photos
STEAM turns up heat on hands-on camp
Create your own SUMMER adventure.
BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org
S
ummer camp can be a fun experience. There are different choices for parents to discuss with children, including those that focus on more abstract interests. STEAM camps (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), previously referred to as STEM, could be the answer for children that express interest in those concentrations and potentially foster career interest. Kirsten Ellenbogen, CEO and president of Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, said the camps at the GLSC don’t just solely focus on science, but there is a camp for every child in hopes of sparking further interest in the specific field. Ellenbogen stressed that it’s important for children to leave camp confident in their ability to do something. Not only do STEAM camps focus on everyday learning and having fun, but campers also get the opportunity to feel like they are part of something bigger. “They will be building those STEAM
HB offers a wide array of summer programming for boys and girls ages 3–21, with dozens of offerings to choose from. Ellenbogen
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skills, like identifying how to solve a problem to the kind of creative thinking that is required for jobs that we can’t even begin to describe in the future,” she said. Sweeney “So, we know that the best predictor of a child ending up in a STEAM career in the future is an interest in STEAM around middle school. These camps will get them regular interactions with those experienced in those fields.”
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Visit hb.edu/summer to browse through academic, athletics, adventure, theatre, and specialty camp options to create your own one-of-a-kind experience. We offer flexible scheduling. Call 216.320.8085 for details.
June 12 – July 20
March 20 – 31 July 24–August 11
Broad Horizons Beginner Co-ed, ages 3 & 4 Broad Horizons Girls, Kindergarten – Grade 5 Broader Horizons Girls, Grade 6 – 8
VACATION CAMPS Co-ed, Preschool – Grade 8
DAY CAMPS
46 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG
SUMMER
FEBRUARY 24, 2017
CAMP GUIDE
CAMPS 2017
Peter Sweeney teaches campers how to build robots. | Submitted photo
Summer Camps for Grades Preschool and Up
STEAM | 45
According to Peter Sweeney, director of programming and robotics camps at University School in Shaker Heights, attending a STEAM camp is a great opportunity to spark interest at a young age. “I want (the campers) to become problem solvers,” Sweeney said. “We introduce them to tools and help them solve initial problems, but then we set them loose on their own. I want them to explore and try new things on their own. I think having them make their own ideas into reality is a valuable lesson. It’s important they option 1 16-1209 know that (programming and robotics) isn’t magic, it’s a real world problem they can interact with.” Some of the programs that University School’s programming and robotics camps include building video games and making robots, which face each other in combat matches. Sweeney said that these activities are not only about learning the tools of the particular concentration, but also allowcampers to learn how to work in a team and deal with the frustration of trial and error. “It’s all about (the campers) hopefully enjoying the problem-solving aspect of the camp,” he said. “We Summer programs for boys and girls ages 4-14. want them to leave with a sense of accomplishment. As they work, they can see where they need to improve and get that empowerment that they can do what they set their mind to.” For Austin Mazurik, general manager at School of Far-out adventures close Get in the game and have fun. Rock in Highland Heights, STEAM camps are great to to home. learn how to build relationships, and campers learn how to be in a band, play concerts and communicate with each other. Academic enrichment “From the music aspect, studies have shown that One-week sessions for fun and refresher courses for those involved with any part of the arts are smarter,” and creative explorations. grades 6 –12. Mazurik said, when asked about the impact of programs like School of Rock on campers’ everyday lives. He said it’s most important for parents to always support and encourage a child to pursue whatever he Visit exciting locations and or she is interested in to the fullest extent. make lasting memories. Ellenbogen, Sweeney and Mazurik all said the beautiful part of STEAM-focused camp experiences is allowing campers to broaden their horizons. “We believe that camp is a really critical part of that career trajectory to spark the interest,” Ellenbogen said. “Too often we don’t help our children to stay curious and we want to make sure they understand www.hawken.edu/summer • 440 . 423 . 2940 that there is a wide range of things they can do in summerprograms@hawken.edu STEAM.”
Classes includes, but not limited to:
Basketball • Engineering • Film • Fitness Leadership • Performing Arts • Music • Technology
tri-c.edu/summercamps 216-987-3075,
Imagine summer, think Hawken! Day Camps
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CAMP GUIDE
CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 47
FEBRUARY 24, 2017
S umatm e r
Lawrence
COME LEARN, EXPLORE AND PLAY AT LAWRENCE SCHOOL THIS SUMMER ! Our carefully constructed programs offer children the opportunity to have fun, catch up academically, make friends and dive deeper into their interests.
CAMP COUPLES Anne and Steve August
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NAOMI GRANT
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Academic Review Kindergarten Readiness Music and Theater
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nne Finesilver and Steve August already knew each other from Belvoir Elementary School when they went to Camp Wise together. “I know we went already liking each other as much as a fourth-grader and a fifth-grader could,” Anne August said. “We have photos of each other together at camp, we have the group shots that they took on erev Shabbas. He and I are sitting next to each other in it, so he was my ‘boyfriend.’” She said the two of them spent so much time together that the counselors had to try to pry them apart. “Young kids, in love, I know it sounds so crazy. I’d kill my kid if they did that now,” she said. After that summer, she switched schools and didn’t go back, so she and August didn’t see each other again until high school. They didn’t meet again until they were both in college at The Ohio State University in Columbus and were both at Char Bar one night. (“It’s this famous Ohio State bar that Jews love to hang out,” she said). The two dated for about nine months, but ultimately broke up. She moved back to Cleveland after being apart from Steve August for nearly five years. When they met again, he asked her to dinner at Mama Santa’s in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood. “We saw each other again and that was immediate that time,” Anne August said. “He told me that he always knew he’d always come looking for me and that was on our first date that he said that he loved me and he wanted to marry me.” As adults, the couple, who live in Solon, are still very involved with Camp Wise in Claridon Township. Four of their five children attended the camp, two became counselors and their oldest daughter had her bat mitzvah there. They also host foreign staff members at their house every summer. “They come for Shabbas dinner, they come during the week, during weekends. They stay at our house,” Steve August said. “It was great for the older ones, and the younger kids got to grow up with them all in and out of our house.”
Naomi Grant was the Violet Spevack Editorial Intern.
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Science and Technology Cheerleading and Soccer
To learn more, visit us at:
www.SummerAtLawrence.org or call 440.526.0717
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