The
Vedette Woodcraft
Issue 1 July 8th, 2019
Columnists
Columnists
Editors
Regina Castelan Trace Beckwith Arielle Pare Adisyn Huff Sarah Christiansen Aaron Johnson Autumn Jackson Conrad Dyrkacz Morgan Hofferth Kate Kuja Lucie Flynn Anne Nowalk Luis Cristobal Landa Santiago Franco Gutierrez Catalina Leal-MontaĂąo Lauren Gerber Regina Lujan Miranda Lacy Talia Murad Santiago Laresgoiti Ruthie Neuhaus Paloma Lujan Jacobo Ochoa Camelo Emilia Murat Grace Proctor Olivia Scavo Sydney Salus Audrey Sims Jordan Thornburg Lily Stevens Sawyer Willson Arielle Waterfield Eugenia Wolberg
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The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
James Henderson Talia Murad & Jordan Thornburg
Henderson is a name that almost every camper at Culver Summer Schools and Camps is familiar with. To those of you who somehow don’t know the name, the Henderson Parade Field and the Henderson Ice Rink may help jog your memory. Even though many Hendersons have a background at Culver—fifty, by now— this article will be discussing one of Culver’s most grateful alumni: James Henderson.
how it relies on its Gold Cs - are you listening, Gold Cs? - to be leaders for the unit. If you think about leadership broadly, it tells you how to treat others and how to build trust by not telling lies instead of marching ahead of the unit.” Q: “Is there any lesson that Culver taught you that you still value to this day?”
A: “That’s a good one… when you go to Culver and have a good experience it impacts your life anyway. The lessons you learn about respect and leadership leaves you with an impact that you use every day anyway.” According to Colonel Spahn, Mr. Henderson himself spent a large A story that Mr. Henderson told us about that he seemed really amount of time at the campus along with his family. After working fond of was about Gold Cs being good leaders. They came to his very hard to improve the experience for future campers, he was cabin late at night to calm it down after they were being rowdy admitted to the Board of Trustees, where he eventually became with no counselor to calm them down. He believes it shows just chairman. (Recently, he retired as chairman.) To this day, Mr. what kind of leader Culver can make you. Henderson remains as an active contributor to Culver. Due to his immense generosity, Culver had felt compelled to name the Parade While interviewing Mr. Henderson, we learned a lot about Culver Field after him with the name Henderson. and how much it has changed over the years. At the same time, he answered the question about what happened to Division Two, Recently, we had the opportunity to interview Mr. Henderson which wasn’t as exciting as we expected, but it was interesting himself. What follows is the interview: nonetheless. We are truly honored to have had the opportunity to meet Mr. Henderson. Q: “What is your family’s connection to Culver?” At the end of our interview with Mr. Henderson, we found that A: “My father was John Henderson - and I love this story because he was a kind and wise man who clearly is grateful for his time at it’s a Culver story to me. After World War I, my father was brought Culver. He understands what life has taught him with a sense of in to Culver by the students because the students were the faculty. depth that is awe-inspiring. We are grateful for the chance to meet Some time had passed, and my father had become Commandant (a him, and we wish him well.
Canadian / French word for someone who is in charge of a midsize unit) for five years after going to Culver for eight years. Years later, my brothers went to Culver and when I was asked which school I should go to, I said Culver.” Q: “Can you tell us what happened to Division Two?” A: “After a while, we had Division One, Division Two, Division Three, Division Four, Division Five, Division Six, Division Seven, and the Drum and Bugle. They had run out of cabins, so they had decided to do away with a division, which was Division Two.” Q: “What do you think is special about Culver?” A: “I’m pretty clear about that in my mind. I think Culver’s interest in involving leadership in its programs and how it nurtures a camper’s or student’s leadership skills is special in itself. Most schools encourage leadership, but Culver does it differently with The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
Before our interview was over, Mr. Henderson said something that we thought really defined what happens to campers from Culver. “Even if it is not written down, I think everyone has a code about life.” He said, “Mine was partially written by Culver, and I think anyone who went to Culver had a similar experience.”
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Pool Vs. Lake
Ice Skating
Audrey Sims, Sarah Christiansen, and Miranda Lacy
Adisyn Huff & Autumn Jackson
How do you feel about swimming in the lake instead of the pool? This article will inform you about thoughts from other campers and instructors. Recently, the Culver pool closed for the summer, and now we are swimming in Lake Maxinkuckee. We talked to Tijana Radojicic, a C2 camper, and Lt. Caroline Sem, a lifeguard, experienced in both of these areas. When asked how Tijana felt about swimming in the lake, she said, “It's not bad, but the waves make it a little harder.” She felt it was easier to swim in still water. When asked how the conditions of the lake affected her swimming, she said, “the water makes you a bit slower, and when it’s not see-through, it’s harder because you don't know when you’re at the end.” When we asked Lt. Sem how the pool-to-lake transition affected her, she said, “In the pool, it’s easier to see if someone is struggling, now it is less clear about them needing help. Sometimes the waves make it look like someone is struggling but they aren’t,” she explained. “It’s a big transition, and we’re still getting used to it.” When asked about the difference in lake safety and pool safety, she told us how they are really the same rules, just taken to a different level. “Out here, we take it more seriously. Those who struggle to swim, struggle more here,”she said. We asked her if she liked the change, and in response, she said, “It respects the traditions of Woodcraft, because this is how they used to do it.’’ There are varied opinions, and we all take this change very differently, but in the end we all appreciate both places in their own way. They have different ups and downs, but they are similar in that they contribute to the wonderful experiences campers and instructors have at Culver Summer Schools and Camps.
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Have you ever done ice skating? Welcome to Woodcraft! If you attend Woodcraft, you will have amazing experiences. When we came to Culver, it became a second home. When we had the opportunity to come to Culver, we were able to pick classes. When we were looking at the list, I came across ice skating! My family is big on hockey, so I chose ice skating as my first class. Ice skating has taught me so much—so many skills and how to work hard. We asked some people who took part in this class some questions. We asked the director of ice skating, Mr. Quella, when ice skating became a class. He said, “Over 30 years ago.” “Where is this located on campus?” We asked. Megan a friend/camper in C1 said, “This is located on upper school campus.” “What do you do in this class?” Suri, one of the campers in C3, answered this question by saying, “You have fun and skate!” “Why is this a class?” “This is a class so you can learn how to ice skate,” said James in D5. This is why we think ice skating would be great for you! Ice skating is good because it teaches you self-discipline.
The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
New Additions or Changes to Woodcraft 2019
The class will be located in the dining hall and 16-20 Gold “C” cardinals and beavers will be able to take the class per period according to Colonel Spahn.
Catalina Leal-Montano & Jacobo Ochoa
We went to speak to Maj. Peppers in the Air Rifle class to talk about the extension to the shelter. Last year, the shelter was smaller, and Woodcraft had many changes done to it in the past year. Today, this year they extended it to be bigger. She said, “This year we will we are going to talk about the new additions or changes done have 10 more campers per class period and 150 more campers in all to Woodcraft in 2019. summer. Many campers did not get to be in air rifle class.” They also changed the air rifles this year to a matte black rifle. The rifles before To start, the most noticeable change done to Woodcraft was were wooden rifles with some hints of black in them. the new food system, Flik. We had the opportunity to talk to Amy Collins, the head chef, and Mia Holsapple, the director of This year, all of the water classes and activities are now in the lake dining services system. We asked what we can expect from the because the pool closed this year. The only class that was cancelled new system. because of this issue was diving, and it is planned to come back next year. The pool is closed because of the construction work going on “We are focused on fresh ingredients and homemade meals,” right now, and it is planned to be opened before the Winter School said Amy Collins. They are focused on a variety of foods so that students arrive. We asked Lt. De La Vega from C1 if she prefers the campers don’t get bored with the same food. They also worry lake or the pool and this was her answer: “I prefer the pool better about making food that kids like and making them with not a than the lake because the campers this year don’t want to go in the lot of processed food. lake because it is going to smell, and it will stink their stuff.” A new class that they brought back to Woodcraft is cooking Those are some of the new changes and additions to Woodcraft class. This cooking class is only available to Gold “C” Cardinals 2019. Some of these changes, like the pool closing, may not be your and Beavers. favorite, but remember, these changes are for the better of this camp.
Camp Play Lucy Flynn
Wolves, beanstalks, and slippers, Oh my! Into The Woods is coming and everyone is excited! I was wondering how long it takes to learn a play and why people auditioned, so I interviewed Maj.Coven the code/technical director of the play. “The roles are hard because the actors have to learn music, dance, and lyrics in four weeks”, said Maj.Coven. The theme though is NOT woods, and regular fairy tale themes. Instead it is steampunk style. Steampunk is Victorian science Fiction, so Red Riding Hood will be wearing goggles and boots. “Kids audition because they are talented and really like theater,’’ said Maj.Coven. Things have changed this year, so I wondered if the play changed. I went back and asked Maj.Coven if the play changed. The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
“The play changed a few years ago, because it used to just be Woodcraft, but so many people moved up to Upper camp so we made it both,” Maj.Coven told me. I went to the set a few days ago and the set looked different than the movie. I also saw a mini Milky White, the cow that was fed a cape, gold, and hair. It had gears on the sides and metal bars. Everyone saw the movie Into the Woods a few days ago. I have seen it before, but some people hadn’t, and thought that it was a surprise when Prince Charming kissed the baker’s wife. There are some parts where it didn’t make sense, like when the Prince kissed the Baker’s wife or there were 6 magic beans or that the Cinderella Prince had a brother, the Rapunzel Prince. The baker is going to be Justin Tidd from N4. The Baker’s wife is going to be Lucy Shepard from C2. The Narrator is going to David Kern from D5. Little Red Riding Hood will be Sofia Aguayo from B2. Into The Woods is coming!
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Major Kelly
Why she is a valuable asset to Woodcraft Arielle Waterfield
Major Kelley is the major of one of the many units in Culver Summer Schools and Camps and still somehow stands out as a kind, hardworking major. She is an extremely valuable piece in Culver’s puzzle, and Woodcraft loves her for it. She herself came to Culver’s Winter School in 2008, as a 15-year-old child, and graduated in 2011 as a young adult after 4 years of intense work. After she was finished with Winter School, she decided to work as a basketball and lacrosse coach in a boarding school in New Jersey. Before she started her new job in New Jersey, she realized that ever since she had finished her years at Winter School, her heart was longing to be back at Culver. In 2011, when she was only 18 years old, she decided to be a teacher in New Jersey during the school year, and the assistant athletic director for the girls and boys at Culver in the Summer. After only one year of working as the assistant athletic director in Culver Summer Schools and Camps, she realized that her heart was longing for a different type of work at Culver. When interviewed, she said that she had “always liked working with kids” and that when she was growing up, she was the youngest of 4 kids and came from a rather large family, so she was used to working with people younger than her. She became Lt. Kelley in 2012 as a 19-year-old young adult and from then on began to think of Culver as her home. After three years as Lt. Kelley, she graduated to Major Kelley in the year of 2015.
I’m glad I got to be a cabin counselor before being a Major, because I believe it makes me a better major to know how the cabins work and to know what’s happening in my unit. I truly believe you can learn so much from kids, and I hope I can continue to work here forever, and I wish I could spend the rest of my life here helping kids grow into the best versions of themselves they can be.”
We have an amazing staff here at Culver Summer Schools and Camps, and it is important to know about them so that we can appreciate how much work they put into making Culver an amazing place. I believe that all the majors, lieutenants, and staff When asked about being a Major, she replied, “Being a Major is definitely different than being a lieutenant. One of the pros of being deserve recognition for how hard they work to make every single person that steps foot inside this camp have the best summer the Major of Bl is that I get to know the whole unit instead of just of their lives. Major Kelley is currently the beloved Major of my cabin, and I’m responsible for planning all the fun stuff. Woodcraft’s B1 unit.
Cabin Games Ruthie Neuhaus & Katherine Kuja
Every Monday after classes, every Woodcrafter comes together to fight to the death. Just kidding, we are talking about Cabin Games! Every cabin in all of Woodcraft plays either one of these sports: for Cardinals they play Mushball, for Butterflies they play Newcomb and Wiffleball, for Cubs they play Soccer, Basketball, and Softball, and Beavers play Softball. Occasionally, the Cubs play Gaga Ball. Cabin Games generally take place at the Retreat Field on Mondays after classes. They were added to have cabinmates and people from different units bond and learn teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship. We interviewed some campers and counselors about their opinion on Cabin Games. Q- What do you think of Cabin Games? A- “I think they’re fun, and you can bond with your Cabin Mates.” Sarah Zellner C3
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Q- What have you learned during Cabin Games? A- “It’s good cabin time, and it’s good to be active and play sports, but it can be a little repetitive.” Evan Gerber D&B Q- If you had the power to, would you change the sports of Cabin Games? A-“I would like to it to change to soccer or tennis.” Silvia Jourdan Q- If you could change the schedule of Cabin Games, would you? A- “I would change it to Tuesdays because it drains your energy since we have a swim meet and track meet after.” Lt. Mendoza The conclusion is that Cabin Games are a fantastic addition to Woodcraft that allows you to bond with your cabin and other cabins. The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
Aviation Eugenia Wolberg, Santi Franco Gutierrez, & Paloma Lujan
We are writing about Aviation class at Culver. We interviewed Commander Welch, an instructor of aviation here at Culver, he talked to us about the class and its history here at Culver Summer Schools and Camps. Commander Welch is an instructor at the winter school and summer academies and learned how to fly in 1984 and now works as a great instructor at Culver Academies. Commander Welch talked to us about what made him fall in love for aviation and what he loves about it now. Commander Welch said that what got him to look and like aviation was looking at planes in books and reading about them. What Commander Welch most enjoys about aviation at Culver is, “Working with all the kids and watching them learn.” Commander Welch also told us about the main focus of the woodcraft aviation program which is giving campers a general knowledge of aviation and planes to campers and giving them the opportunity to fly a plane. What Commander Welch least likes about aviation is the time schedule and how tight the schedule is. In a class, there are twelve people with three classes a day, and that number every trimester would be 118 campers per year which is a lot of people to teach how to fly a plane. The program that Culver Summer currently has in aviation is that the Culver instructors teach them what is in a plane and prepare them with knowledge that could come in handy. The instructors take them to an aviation academy, and they arrive prepared and ready to fly a plane with an instructor from the academy. When they fly the plane, it is called a discovery flight, and they go around the Culver area on the aircraft.
Lake or Pool
Gracie Proctor & Sawyer Wilson
Why do Woodcraft Campers have to swim in the lake this year? Some people say that there is a chemical disorder in the pool, but what is the real reason? Well, we are here to tell you the real reason. We interviewed Major Arvelo, who is the girls’ director, and got the real reason why we can’t swim in the pool this summer. She says there is “structural damage to the building.” If you heard that the moisture in the air was the real reason, it was wrong. There are a few pros and cons to swimming in the lake instead of the pool. For example, it isn’t as long of a walk. When going to the pool, it can be very hot and very tiring to walk to the pool. A con to swimming in the lake is the wildlife; there are fish and other species living in that lake. Some people might be scared of those creatures, but they are scared of you and won’t bother. In the pool, there is no type of wildlife. A con for the pool is that your hair gets very messy and has chlorine in it if you swam in the pool. The lake water isn’t as clean as the pool water, and some people might not want to swim in that type of water. We also asked Autumn Jackson from B1 about this, and she told us, “The lake is disgusting because of all the seaweed and dead fish.” We then asked Major Arvelo which is more safe, and she said, “The lake is better to swim in right now, but if the pool was safe, I think the girls would appreciate to be in the pool.” So now it is up to you, if the pool or lake is better.
When Commander Welch is not working at Culver, he is a Fed-Ex plane driver as well. What he finds most challenging about his job is the weather because there are some tough climate changes and rough weathers. There is a reason aviation keeps coming back to Culver, because it is important to learn about and for people to understand the difficulties of the subject. We choose this topic because we were interested in the history and the future of aviation, and we are very excited to see what is to come.
The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
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Eagle Outfitters/Upper School Bookstore Luis Landa
Do You LOVE Snacks, Clothes, Souvenirs, and CULVER?? Well I Think Eagle outfitters is the store for you with a TON of Snacks and a TON of CULVER MERCH! Not only hoodies or jackets, there are also blankets, shirts, and MORE! Without a doubt it’s a very Awesome store. I asked LT. Navarro from D4 his opinion of the store, and he said, “It’s a Good Store it has every necessary thing for Campers.” I also asked LT. Harris from D4 for his opinion. He said, “I think it’s very good because its sells CULVER merch, and the people who buy it take it home and wear them in their Country, and like that it expands CULVER pride all over the world.” Tempting Right?? Well yeah! The snacks are very good, and the clothes they sell are very comfy. I asked Vilma Van Horn and her partner, Mrs. Cagle. They are employees of the bookstore. “Why did the people back then build the store?”
Water Ski Regina Castelan
Water skiing is very popular and fun; the classes are full, and there is no more space. Some people have a lot of bronces on their butts, and there are some cases like the last period that my Lt. Cpt. Grih, B2, told me to try to put water ski in the list, but maybe you won’t have the chance to get into the class. Why is water skiing so popular? People have fun because people have lots of different types of water skiing to do like one ski, two skis, and lots more. Interview with Miss Babcock: - What kind of water ski you like most? - One ski - Who is in charge of water ski? - Miss Babcock - When did water ski start as a class? - 30 years ago I chose this article because the class is fun!
She said, “They built it because we can sell souvenirs that campers can buy so that they can have something to remember Culver by. There are also things to eat in case they are still a little hungry, so they just buy a snack and take it to their destination.” I also asked about how long the store has been open. She said, “It’s been there a long time they… even had different products. The store has been around for AT LEAST 75 years!!!” My last question for her was: “Have you guys thought of giving things to the Eagle Outpost?” She said, “Yes, in my opinion, I would give some things, but I think they have only a little space, but they have the necessary stuff.” In my opinion, it is an amazing store, and you should go there on Permit. It’s an Awesome Place! I would BET it’s one of the BEST!! :D
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The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
The 100 years of D&B Emilia Murat, Lauren Gerber, & Olivia Scavo
Everyone has heard D&B play at least once this summer, but very few people actually know what D&B has gone through to get here. The Woodcraft D&B was created in 1919, with very few campers and not as many instruments as present day. Today, they have over 80 boy and girl campers playing. Their current major, Major Roesler, mentioned that D&B has the highest return rate of any unit. According to the D&B pamphlet called Join the Parade, in 1915, 6 boy campers had thought of an idea to create the Woodcraft D&B. By the time it reached 1919, it had been officially created as the Drum and Bugle Corps. The Drum and Bugle Corps had people from various divisions and was attached to the camp’s second battalion with 20 members. The number of people kept growing and growing, and it soon became its own unit. In 1946, they had 64 members, and by 1947 they reached 78 campers. The legacy of D&B finally allowed girls to be a part of it in 2011. We asked the people of D&B a series of questions about why they like D&B and why they always come back the following year. We asked Carlos Perlta about his opinion on D&B, and he said, “Sometimes it can be hard because you practice just about every day, but it’s unique because you get to learn something new.” Evan Gerber had a similar response and said, “It is a tradition, and its fun playing an instrument.” We also asked the major of D&B about what they are going to do to celebrate the 100-year anniversary. Major Roesler said, “We are going to go to a South Bend Cubs game, the traditional six flags trip, have the alumni group march behind D&B during parade, and everyone gets a 100-year patch on their sash or jacket.” He responded to the question of how D&B has changed in the past 100 years and said, “D&B has gone from using actual bugles to trumpets, we have added girls, have gone from reading music to not reading music then back, and have grown from when D&B first started.” We wanted some people that are not in D&B about their opinion on the Drum and Bugle Corps. Jose Ramon Chedraui from D7 said, “I feel bad for them because they have to stand in the sun playing instruments, and I personally don’t like to play an instrument.” Will Kesler, also from D7, said, “It’s cool to have something there to listen to. Parade would be boring without it.” The Woodcraft Drum and Bugle Corps has come a long way since the start. They’ve added girls, gained new instruments, and switched their program around. It matters because it’s the 100-year anniversary, and without it we wouldn’t have the instruments and the music in retreat and parade. The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
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All About Hockey Trace Beckwith
Campers at Woodcraft Camp have always thought about patches. From Aquatic Biology to Campcraft Basics, there is always a patch. But the one thing that Campers get stuck on is if they should redo the class or if they should take a two-period class. I, Trace Beckwith, asked Lt. Tommy Green, a current Lt. for Division Three, a couple of questions about Ice Hockey (a two-period class. “Will you be willing to answer a couple of questions for me?” I asked. “Sure thing,” Green answered. “When do you think Ice Hockey was made a Class?” I asked. “It’s got to be over the 30th year like… 37 years ago?” he continued. “Why do you think Ice Hockey is a two-period class?” I started. “Due to the time it takes to get your gear on,” he said. “How does putting on gear take so long?” I asked. “There is a lot of gear to put on,” Lt. Green continued. “When and why did you get into Hockey here in Culver?” “The first time that I ever skated as here in this hockey rink,” Lt. Green said. “Thank you for your time, I appreciate it!” I Finished. “Sure thing,” he ended. After interviewing Lt. Green, I realized that hockey takes so long due to the time it takes to put all of that gear on. The next person interviewed is a camper named Ryan Haskin from division four (a current bronze C camper that does Ice Hockey as a class). I asked a few questions about the class. “Why do you think Ice Hockey is a two-period class?” I asked. “There are a lot of drills and getting dressed.” Ryan continued, “hockey is also an extremely exciting sport, and I think it should be longer than others,” he continued. “Why do you think it is so fun?” I asked. “New drills and games every day. There is also a really good variety of drills that we do,” Ryan finished. “When do you think Ice Hockey began being a two-period class?” I asked. “I would say 1940 because of the time change,” Ryan ended. “Thank you for your time and effort,” I concluded. What I learned from these two interviews is that one, Ice Hockey takes very long to put on Hockey gear and two, don’t judge a book by its cover; the Hockey class sounded very fun and I wish you could take the class. When I was in that hockey stadium, and when I saw those boys playing ice hockey, they looked like they were having the time of their lives, and I hope you feel that too.
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The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
Why Campers Keep Comng Back Conrad Dyrkacz & Santi laresgoiti
Why do campers keep on coming back to Woodcraft? Campers come to Woodcraft because it can be like a summer home, and there are endless possibilities. Also, because you can make a lot of friends, and it’s really fun! Patrick Greene from D7 says that he keeps on coming to Culver because of the chance to make a lot of friends and to set you up for the future. You learn how to become a leader. Woodcraft is also great for discipline. The military part Culver Academy is a unique camp, one of those reasons is because it teaches discipline. I use the word discipline because there isn’t that much military in Culver. Yes, you do need to march down to meals and, you need to keep your living quarters clean, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. You have so many options to choose from. There is everything from equestrians (horseback riding) to aviation (but you must be a beaver or a cardinal to do aviation).
What sports do you teach at Culver? “I am the Softball and swim team coach for D7.” What’s your favorite command? “I like present arms the best because when a unit does present arms really well, it looks awesome.” Did you attend Woodcraft when you were young? “I did not.” How long have you been working in Woodcraft? “This is my 5th summer.” What’s your favorite camp? (Woodcraft or Upper School)? “Woodcraft because I’ve been working Woodcraft for 5 years, and I’ve gotten used to the way everything works over here, and it’s fun.” In conclusion Culver Academy is a great place for campers from all different backgrounds. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience, which is part of the reason campers keep on coming back.
Sports At Culver Academies, another great thing about it are the sports. There are a lot of sports, and if you play the sport whether it’s on your school team or seasonal team, chances are you can play it at Culver. Along with the normal sport activities, there are more serious teams for sports, like divisional games and cabin games. Both types of games are played with your friends, and it’s a great time and place for socializing. We interviewed Captain Johnson from D7, who is the coach for the swim team and the softball team. What’s your favorite thing about Culver? “My favorite thing is watching the kids develop over the course of 3 or 6 years. I like to see the difference between a brand-new camper and a camper who’s been here for 3 or more years, and their improvement on the way.
Quidditch, and We’re Not Talking About Harry Potter Sydney Salus and Regina Lujan
Quidditch is a fun sport to play because it helps teach children about working together and healthy competition. We had a chance to interview the coach of Quidditch, Maj.Sheer, and he said, “It teaches kids about teamwork and cooperation. It’s also co-ed so it teaches kids to work together with everyone.” It is also a good class to take because the coach, Sheer, is very experienced. In fact, he played quidditch for 7 years. He also played at the University of Toledo. Many kids who previously played quidditch enjoyed it. When we asked Silvia Jourdain, B2, if she enjoyed the class, she responded with “yes, because I am really competitive.” Teddy Foster from D&B said, “I did it because it was different, it’s unique. Even though this is a class you wouldn’t necessarily choose at first, it is a very fun class and 100% worth taking.”
The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
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Indian Dance Lily Stevens
Indian Dance is an exciting dance class that many campers from Woodcraft and Upper Camp take, but there are still many Bronze Cs and maybe even a couple of Silver Cs (probably no Gold Cs) that don’t know what the course is truly about. Now, of course, Indian Dance has to do with traditional dancing, but only some know the background story of the class.
But, what is the Council Fire really about? I read last year’s Vedette article on Indian Dance, and the purpose of Council Fire is to celebrate and teach Native American dance traditions so that viewers can learn about the culture. I also interviewed Callista Ye (B1 Butterfly), a dancer taking the class, and she gave me some answers that really helped me. She told me she never got sick of the class because Culver started out having Indian Dance because the Native Americans they had new dances to learn each week, and some of the were close to nature, and Culver Summer Schools and Camps was reasons people kept coming back were for reasons like based off of the original Boy Scouts, which worked with the natural earning awards. I asked Callista if she considered the dances environment quite often. Therefore, Culver decided to have many to be difficult or more uncomplicated, and she told me it American Indian programs provided at the camp, including Indian depended on which dance moves they did. I also asked Dance. I interviewed Major Zimmerman—an instructor for Indian what Callista would change about the class if she could, and Dance—and he provided me with many straightforward answers packed she said she wished girls could beat the drum because she with information, perfect for my article. explained to me how that if girls even touched the drum, the drum has to be destroyed. He helps to teach tough choreographed dances to mindful, attentive students while entertaining all of the campers each weekend with In conclusion, Indian Dance is a fun activity full of tradition dances, stories, and songs at each council fire. He told me that they use which makes it distinctly important to Culver’s American a rotation to choose which stories and dances they use. They won’t use Indian program. Many campers love taking the class for the same one unless it took place 3 years ago, or more, to provide fresh, enjoyment and awards, and it gives them a sense of purpose new showings to perform each week. He said that it’s not too hard to to reach achievements they couldn’t reach anywhere else. “I teach a new choreographed dance each week because all of the students was told the best way to end an article was with a quote” -Lt. are good, and they listen well. Only the most hard-working dancers Paré participated at each weekend performance because there weren’t enough spots for all of the dancers. I asked if he would ever take the class and Major Zimmerman said himself, “Of course! I enjoy all things American Indian.”
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The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
WOODCRAFT MAJORS MATCHING GAME
B1 Maj. Reeves ___ B2 Maj. Maes (boy) ___ B3 Maj. Young ___ C1 Maj. Trickey ___ C2 Maj. Ellert ___ C3 Maj. Knigga ___ D1 Maj. Kelly ___ D3 Maj. Roesler ___ D4 Maj. Cislak ___ D5 Maj. Bowers ___ D6 Maj. Maes (girl) ___ D7 Maj. Hisey ___ D&B Maj. Smith ____ The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
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From the Upper School Vedette
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.
The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
Two We Weeekkss TThhee FFiirrsstt Two
The Vedette / / Culver Summer Schools & Camps
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