The
Vedette
Issue 1 July 5th, 2019
Culver Summer, 2019
Meet the Vedette Staff Personal Culture Boyu Yao, Troop
The start of Boyu’s life was in China 2004 August 12. This was the time in China when it was not legal to have a second child. Being a 2nd child meant that Boyu’s family had to pay taxes to the government. As time passed, the boy grew up, and things changed a lot. He learned about the culture of his mother country, China. But, soon comes one of the biggest changes of his life: moving to the US. Moving to a country where you know nobody and leaving everything you have was very hard. During his first year in America, he did not know what was happening. People talked fast, and he knew nobody in this new society. He felt scared and lonely, until someone came up and asked him, “Are you good?” using fluent Chinese. This sentence saved him from loneliness and being afraid of this new world. Now, he’s not afraid any more. He has made more friends and talks more, but he wants to learn more about his new country.
First Impressions Jose Jaime Estrada, Naval 4
Jose Jaime Estrada Rivas (born September 13, 2004) is a Mexican student from Boca del Rio, Veracruz. His parents are Jose Jaime Estrada Jacome and Maria Isabel Rivas Ross; he has one sister named Maria Estrada Rivas. June of 2019 was Jose Jaime’s first year at Culver Summer Schools; up to now, he has enjoyed all the activities and things he has done. One of his favorite activities is sailing. His uncle encouraged him to do it because when his uncle went to Culver, he enjoyed that a lot. Jose Jaime is in the fourth Naval Company. He has met a lot of people from all around the globe, some from the United States, Dominican Republic, Spain, and Mexico. One of the most interesting people Jose Jaime has met is Yuzhe. He is a boy who was born in China but lives in California. He is friendly, very nice, and kind with other people and tries to help them with what they don’t understand, and he is one of Jose Jaime’s best friends. Jose Jaime is looking forward to having a great summer in Culver and is hoping that everybody else will as well.
Gold Medal Gymnast Ava Dunn, Deck 7
Ava Dunn is a 14-year-old girl. She is a third classman at Culver Academy. Ava has a family consisting of three brothers, two dogs and two loving parents. Ava was born in North Carolina but has grown up in the state of Virginia. She is an athlete and excels in gymnastics. In 2015 (age 10) and 2016 (age 11), she won her state championship for her level. Ava has been practicing gymnastics for ten years now. Ava’s favorite foods are sushi and ice cream. She enjoys having fun and making new friends. Due to great reviews from friends, Ava Dunn and her older brother, Tommy were signed up for Culver summer camps. So far in her journey at Culver, she is having a great time. She enjoys meeting new people and staying active. Ava does not enjoy the daily marching included at camp, nor room inspections. Marching involves a great amount of self-control; you must stay still even if an army of ants are crawling up your leg. For the future, Ava hopes to learn and improve her skills as a person. She also wants to advance her skills in gymnastics and maybe earn a college scholarship.
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Culver Summer Schools & Camps / / Vedette
What to Expect? Karla Medina, Alumna
From the moment you arrive to camp, you’re going to be surrounded by the most amazing people. Some of them flew fifteen hours to get here, and some of them drive just forty-five minutes, but all of them come with a smile, ready to have the best summer. Culver is a safe place where you can be yourself; you can expect being tired, and even though you slept from 10:00 pm till 6:30 am, you feel overwhelmed, but happy. Even if this is your ninth year here at culver, wait and live this experience because it is going to be a new one--a new rollercoaster. If you’re a third classman: have an open mind, try everything, and remember that you’re already part of something bigger than yourself. Expect to have challenges and make sure they make you stronger. If you’re a second classman: remember to help your unit. You know how to do it. If you’re a first classman: enjoy every minute because summer goes by really fast. Remember to be the leader that is in you. No matter where you come from or what class you are, enjoy this experience because it’ll be the best one of your life.
Culver Summer Schools & Camps / / Vedette
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Your Culver 2019 Shopping List Lilith Kocian, Deck 7
Every time you come to Culver, whether it be as a Woodcrafter or an Upper Camper, you are given a set of necessities you need. Of course, there are the obvious like toiletries and socks, but there are many other items a cadet needs to have. 1. A good attitude: you might think that this is common sense, but this is such an important value when going into a new environment. Even if you’re already associated with Culver for multiple years, having a good attitude is key. You can’t go into life with a negative mindset. 2. Get all your own cleaning supplies: I can’t say that this tip isn’t helpful. Bringing your own cleaning supplies, whether it be, wipes, a dustpan, or even a whole Swiffer will help you get through the whole summer without worrying if you might run out or be too late to get something for P.I.
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3. Be a good leader or follower: there are aspects to both of these traits. However, both have similar qualities to fulfill one of these roles. You need to be a good listener, patient, and most importantly, vulnerable. Being vulnerable will lead you to be empathetic, to understanding, to much more. 4. Food. 5. Think outside of the box: having a creative mindset to help you make decisions is a great way to have a great Culver experience. If you are a first classman, try and put yourself in others shoes, show empathy for other to be a great leader. If you are a second or third classman, try doing things out of the ordinary to have the best summer possible. These are just some of the top examples of what you should have at Culver—all of them helping you get closer to have the best summer ever. Culver is a place to try new things, meet new people, and, above all, make memories and traits that will last you a life time.
Culver Summer Schools & Camps / / Vedette
Mistakes to Avoid Kevin Dagvadorj, AVA
When coming to Culver there are a lot of things that you need to bring with you, but it’s inevitable that you will forget something, and that’s your first mistake. As soon as you arrive there are many more mistakes that can catch you by surprise, but you won’t fall victim to them if you know what to do. Culver is full of traditions since it’s been open for over a century, and you have to be able to follow those traditions. Culver is also a military school, so there are a lot of rules here as well. Following the rules and regulations isn’t that hard when you have a rule book and great upperclassmen and councilors, but it’s always best to be prepared beforehand and know it now. For instance, it’s well-known, and you should be told when you get here, that when you enter the gym: don’t go in through the left door. There are many different stories as to why not but, in case you forget, it’s usually closed. If someone walks through it, people will usually gawk and gasp. Another tradition that needs to be followed is to not step on the plaques in front of Logansport Gate. Stepping on them will lead to being required to kiss it to show respect. When you first arrive, you will have a unit meeting to discuss all of the dos and don’ts of Culver. A big mistake that a lot of people make is choosing classes they don’t really want and putting them at the bottom to fill up space; don’t, because it’s not worth the trouble of getting a class you hate and having to switch out. Lastly, none of that compares to when someone makes the biggest mistake of all: not trying. Even if you don’t plan on coming back, can’t come back, or were forced to come, you still have to try. Coming to Culver is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it will only get better and give back to you once you start giving everything that you have to it. Your summer will just keep getting better the more that you try to do better and try to give all that you have because, even if you lose, you have truly won a great summer.
Culver Summer Schools & Camps / / Vedette
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First Flying Preston Bodnar, AVA
On the way to the airport I was very excited because I was about to fly a plane for the first time. When we arrived at the flight school, I sat down with my instructor to review what we had talked about last class. Then, he said it was time for us to go out to the plane. The first thing you do when you get out to the plane is the preflight inspection. This is how you make sure that everything on the plane is working and ready for flight. After the inspection, you get in the plane and start it up. He let me taxi out to the runway, and we lined up for takeoff. At this moment, you realize you are in this tiny metal tube that is about to go 4,000 feet up in the air, which is a little unsettling. As a beginner, you are not allowed to do takeoff, but after we took off, he said the plane was in my control. I was flying! Once we were in flight, I asked my instructor if we could fly over Culver Academy, and he said to make the turn. We flew over Culver Academy, and it was the coolest thing ever. When in flight, you see things you know from a different perspective, which is really weird. I flew over Culver Academy and saw stuff I didn’t even know existed. I saw the track and field, which I had never seen before. I even saw the AVA barracks. When you are up in the air, everything looks so small. The people that were walking looked like ants. After flying over Culver Academy, we went to the old Culver airport. There were some remains of the buildings there, but there was really not a lot.
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The most stressful part of flying for me is when I turn. I have to keep my eyes on 10 different controls while still looking out the window to see where I am going. When you turn the plane, you have to use both the foot pedals and the yoke (steering wheel). When doing turns for practice, there are only certain parts of air space you can use. Airports with flight schools cannot have them flying and doing practice maneuvers in heavily populated areas, so they use nearby unpopulated areas for practice. When doing turns, you have to keep the plane at a 30Âş angle. This is the perfect opportunity to look down and see how far you are from the ground. The view when making turns is unbelievable. You can see for miles, but the best view is from above the clouds. We went above the clouds, and they were so flat it looked like you could walk on them. There is no experience I can compare to flying a plane up into the clouds. After spending some time in the clouds, we knew we had a long descent back, so we left. It takes a long time to descend because, similar to scuba diving, the pressure needs to adjust at each level. Just like takeoff, students are not allowed to land the aircraft. After landing, we taxied back and parked the plane. That flight was the most fun I have ever had. Overall, flying my own plane was without a doubt the best experience of my life and is sure to be one I will never forget.
Culver Summer Schools & Camps / / Vedette
2019 intramural schedule Monday
Locations
Boys Volleyball - 4:00 pm Girls Soccer - 7:30 pm Boys Football- 7:30 pm
Sand Volleyball Courts - Fleet Gym if raining East side of Naval Building Football / Soccer fields
Tuesday Girls Volleyball - 4:00 pm Boys Basketball - 8:30 pm
Sand Volleyball Courts - Fleet Gym if raining Steinbrenner / Fleet Gyms
Wednesday Archery- 12:15 pm Rifle - 12:15 pm
Archery Range Rifle Range
Thursday
Field #1 - behind Chapel Field #2 & #3 - across road near indoor tennis Field #4 - retreat field
Boys Soccer - 8:30 pm
Fields along lakefront path
Girls Kickball - 8:30 pm
Friday Track Meet - 7:00 pm
Oliver Field
For more information: usintramurals@culver.org
Culver Summer Schools & Camps / / Vedette
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