The Hi-Hills Herald Issue #6
August 1, 2014
Top News at Hi-Hills Day Camp!
Go Team Go!
Sportsmanship Week at Hi-Hills It’s game time! Sportsmanship Week was filled with a variety of games, activities and very special events such as the penny plunge, the pasta hunt and the miniOlympics. All campers participated and showed great sportsmanship throughout the entire week. Campers shook hands with winning teams, stepped up to the plate when teams were uneven and cheered each other on. Good job campers!
This week we also wrapped up the season for Leagues! It has been a wonderful season and we tip our hats to the campers who shined on the field. Everyone played with good sportsmanship and dedication.
Kinder Camp also had a chance to enjoy their Family Fun Night this week. Campers spent time with their families playing tennis, swimming and jumping throughout the playground. Thank you to everyone who came!
Go team go!
At the end of the week, campers dressed up in their favorite team’s gear. There were football outfits, baseball hats and soccer jerseys. You all looked ready to play!
Celebrating our 47th Summer!
Table of Contents: Note from Camp Director Bunk Updates
2 3-6
Birthdays This Month
7
Dates to Remember
8
Program News
8-10
Upcoming Dress Days 11 Weekly Photography Tip 11 Leagues 11 Athletics 11 Trivia Winners 12 Counselors in Training 12 Teen Travel 12 Special Events 12
Gill St. Bernard’s School, 25 St. Bernard’s Road, Gladstone, NJ Phone: 908-234-0067 • Fax: 908-234-1611 • Email: info@hihills.com hihills.com • www.facebook.com/hihills
te o N A ur o m fro Camp rs to c e r i D
Hello Hi-Hills!
Dear Hi-Hills, There is only one word to describe week six at Hi-Hills: amazing! Monday morning started off with incredible energy and excitement as campers began their fun-filled week. Some campers came for the Whiz Kids science camp while others were interested in sewing classes, basketball or our traditional camp activities. Whether campers stayed on for the full or half-day schedule, everyone had a blast. Hi-Hills celebrated Sportsmanship Week and integrated our color wars challenge during the mini-Olympics and the legendary pasta hunt. Congratulations to the green team for finding the purple pasta! Campers gave it their best effort while also showing respect to the opposing team. On Wednesday, our Kinder Camp celebrated at Family Fun Night. It was a great night for homemade pizza and cookies. Campers were able to show their families some of the fun locations across campus and activities they participate in such as the playground, the pool and tennis. We truly enjoy watching campers and their families interact here at Hi-Hills. Have a great weekend and we look forward to seeing you at the Parent Luncheon on Thursday, August 7. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and you may join your camper for clubs from 12:20 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Best, Cindy Wyatt – Director of Summer and Auxiliary Programs Nicole Spiotta – Assistant Director of Summer and Auxiliary Programs
Bunk Upda tes
Bunks 1 & 2: Miss Kathleen’s Little Lambs Miss Stefanie’s Playful Piglets We had a great week both getting to know some new friends as well as hanging out with old friends. Our Family Fun Night was a great success! Everyone enjoyed swimming in the pool, playing a little tennis and eating pizza and cookies. Ariana, Barrett and Isabella reconnected from school and had a great time playing together in the pool. Ariel was a star in our coin toss as she collected the most pennies for the group on the stairs. Meanwhile, Bianca was our star collector for all the campers collecting in the low end of the pool. Brooke and Guliana found a strong friendship on the tennis court. They actually volleyed the ball for a little while! Peyton had so much fun in yoga and enjoys sitting like a frog. Overall we all had a great week. Thank you for sharing your children with us! A friendly reminder to our parents: picture day is August 5!
Bunk Upda tes Bunk 9: Electro Scorpions Sportsmanship Week was another fantastic one for the campers in Bunk 9! We’re a competitive bunch so all the contests to earn points for our color teams got us pumped. We especially enjoyed shooting at the moving targets in archery and collecting pennies in the penny plunge. Our campers also collected lots of pasta in the pasta hunt to help the color teams. We just wish this summer would never end! -Ben Green, Counselor
Bunk 10: Bedazzled Cheetahs We had a super Sportsmanship Week. Between the penny toss, pasta hunt and mini-Olympics the girls had plenty of opportunities to win points for their team. Ellie and Eva collected a ton of pasta at the hunt. We all had a blast collecting pennies at the bottom of the pool as well. Ava was an awesome sport during the relay race and played on the blue team to help balance out the teams. Lucy and Ariana scored some points at archery while Annabelle collected almost a full basket of pasta. Overall, everyone was a great sport and did a fantastic job for their teams. -Betsy Swartz, Counselor
Bunks 11 & 13: T he Vikings Week six proved to be very exciting for the Vikings. Beautiful weather allowed us to be outside and enjoy every day this week. The theme this week was sportsmanship and the campers participated in lots of activities. Josh, Carter and Ian collected the most pasta in the great pasta hunt while Tyler and Bradley made amazing sprinting records in the mini-Olympics. Phillip also managed to hit a moving target in the archery competition and Chris did exceptionally well during the swimming events. The week wraps up as a total success and we greatly anticipate week seven! -CJ Blasi, Jr. Counselor
Bunk Upda tes Bunks 16 & 18: Magical Minions The Minions are at it again. We beat the fishing record by hitting twenty one with Grace catching five for the win with Lily taking one fish home. In girls’ leagues the Lions defeated the Green Machines in basketball with Emma shooting a three-pointer and Lily grabbing a few points as well. The girls did very well in the mini-Olympics showing great sportsmanship in all of the events. The big challenge next week is our Combat Trip! Bring it on! Have a great weekend. -Maria Diaz, Counselor
Bunks 12 & 14: Double Trouble Double Trouble had an awesome Sportsmanship Week! Anna, Ellie and Cassidy have been having so much fun rehearsing in drama club for Hi-Hills on Broadway. Caitlin started her first box lanyard ever! Zoe did a fantastic job at archery almost hitting multiple bull’seyes. Sophia really enjoyed doing watercolors in arts and crafts club and Bella loved making spin art. All the girls showed great sportsmanship during their league games and “bounce and score.” Good luck to the blue and green teams as the color wars continue! -Danielle, Counselor
Bunk 15: T he Stormtroopers We have all had a great Sportsmanship Week. Color wars kicked things up a notch this week because campers were given many more chances to earn points for their teams. We played a great game of volleyball and the campers competed in our mini-Olympics. The highlight of the week was the pasta hunt! All of the campers searched for colored pasta pieces with different point values and everyone really got into it. The summer has flown by. Next week is my last so I am excited to see what the week brings. -Matt Rivas, Counselor
Bunk Upda tes Bunk 17: Wolf Pack It has been a great week. We had a couple of old faces join us again and we didn’t even skip a beat. It was Sportsmanship Week and what a great week it was for the Hi-Hills mini-Olympics. The bunk really showed their athleticism and camaraderie. We also really enjoyed our second fishing trip and came close to the fishing record with nineteen fish caught. We also had a camper catch a twelve pound fish! It would have been enough fish to feed us all. -Taylor Rush, Counselor
Weekly Photography Tip: From Mackenzie
Bunk Photos are now online and available to download!
Focusing Knowing how to focus your camera is very important. It is always a shame when you try to capture a great moment and your photo comes out blurry in the places you don’t want them to be. Always play around with the focus before taking a photo. Hold down the shutter and let your camera adjust to your subject. When I took this picture of the chinchilla, I had to readjust where my camera was focusing so it would not blur out the animal. I wanted the cage to blur out in order to see the chinchilla. Patience is the key to getting a great photo!
Birthdays T his Month August 1 : Andrew Hansen
August 11: Anna Leung
August 2: Katherine
August 12: Cecelia Criscola
Humphrey, Zachery Yekta
August 13: Ella Baker, Robbie
August 3: Lucie Iati
DeVergillo
August 4: Kurt Hunziker
August 15: Samantha Witt
August 6: Emily DeCotiis,
August 16: Bradley Matthews
William DeCottis
August 18: Lea Casareale,
August 8: Caitlin Murgatroyd,
Nina Bhatia
Michael Fritzlo
August 19: Dylan Beers
August 9: Andrew Agresti,
August 20: Gabriella Tarinelli
Maya Saunders, Annabelle
August 23: Grace Rubinstein
Beekman
August 24: Chase Thomson
August 10: Kerry Colford,
August 25: Lucas Suthern
Brooke Babinec, Branddon
August 28: Katie Lazaar, Sara
McCall-Sulton
Merton, Landon Braemer August 29: Alexander Roch, Clinton Wolfe August 31: Ariana Isusi, Hannah Spieler
Program News Low Ropes
We have completed our sixth week at Hi-Hills! The campers have done a great job and their camaraderie has been excellent. I have emphasized safety and the importance of spotting one another on the low ropes course. The campers have gone above and beyond and have volunteered many times to help, which is spectacular to see. Each camper should be incredibly pleased with how they have grown. -Chris Walsh, Activity Leader
Performing Arts
This week was full of fun! In class we started practicing our trivia questions for the Broadway Jeopardy game in week eight. We also talked about how movies are made into Broadway shows. Campers participated in a camp-wide dance-off to celebrate Sportsmanship Week. The drama kids are working hard to get ready for their Hi-Hills on Broadway show! Get ready for lots of singing and dancing. -Taylor, Activity Leader
Swimming
Sportsmanship Week was great. Campers participated in an endurance swim to earn points for their color teams. We then hosted a fun penny dive event and all the campers had a great time. On Thursday the campers competed in relay races such as the sea horse, the kick board and the two man breast stroke. Friday was the always enjoyable ring dive and water polo. -Augie Lorio, Activity Leader
Program News
Picture Day is on the 5th!
Parent Luncheon is on the 7th!
Mark You r Calendar
Dates to Rememb er!
Fishing
Bunks 17 and 18 completed the sixth week of our stellar fishing program. Grace from Bunk 18 was the outstanding fisherman and Robbie from Bunk 17 set this year’s camp record for the largest single take-home catch in six years: a 10 pound wide mouth bass! Meanwhile, Bunk 18 set the record with 21 catches this week. Fishing has been a great experience for the campers and I have enjoyed working with them this summer. We have two weeks left and we are looking forward to finishing up strong. -Em Foster, Activity Leader
Tennis
Emerald Foster and I have been privileged to work with your talented children on various tennis skills throughout the week. The campers have been split between the blue and green teams for Sportsmanship Week. We enjoyed witnessing random acts of kindness and an uplifting spirit of sportsmanship. -Marc Willemsen, Activity Leader
Archery
This week we challenged the campers with a moving target. The campers had to consider maintaining their form while acquiring and staying on target. This is quite a task but it was quickly mastered by several of the young archers. During the mini-Olympics the campers hit a six-inch circle on a 2 x 2 foot square foam target suspended by pulleys and a string. Campers from both the blue and green teams scored points. The campers are enjoying the new challenges, new twists and new methods to hone their shooting skills, such as the lesson on range and trajectory with the six-foot water balloon launcher. The archery club has been a great success so far! -Matt Hibbitt, Activity Leader
Program News Pottery
In honor of Sportsmanship Week campers made sports bowls. They used stencils for soccer, baseball, basketball and football. They traced the pattern onto a piece of slab and then laid it into a bowl. The final two weeks of camp will be dedicated to finishing up all of our projects. I will be doing my best to make sure that every camper comes home with something finished and beautiful! -Savannah LoPrinzi, Activity Leader
Nature
In honor of Sportsmanship Week the campers cheered on their team’s cockroach during our annual cockroach races. The campers were also able to collect points for their color teams during the plastic frog, snake and lizard hunt in the Peapack Brook. -Mr. Nature, Chuck Hogan, Activity Leader
Arts & Crafts
For Sportsmanship Week, the Kinder Campers made medals for each other to celebrate being good sports. The boys painted Olympic rings and enjoyed some intense sports-based Pictionary and learned how to make paper footballs. The girls and Teen Travel groups created coasters using decoupage techniques and experimented with spin art! -TT Dechent, Activity Leader
Yoga
It was Sportsmanship Week here at Hi-Hills and the compassion and support in our yoga studio is flowing like Kombucha in a Vermont country store. Campers have been assisting each other in partner pretzel, partner canoe and dog on dog asana poses. Our focus this week has been on the transitions to enter the poses and the transitions to safely and successfully exit the poses. Each pose has its benefits, but it is often the journey that trumps the destination. - Marc Willemsen, Activity Leader
ing m o c p U ys a D s s e Dr
Program News
Week seven is Arts Week! Dress up as an artist or character!
Leagues Leagues is a camp-wide competition that involves a variety of games of soccer, tennis baseball and basketball in which teams of campers compete to win! The campers play on their teams and play for points every week.
CURRENT STANDINGS Boys Team W L T Pts. Chompers 12 0 0 24
s Athleticr Corne
Green Machine 1 7 4 6
It was a terrific week in the world of athletics, with Tuesday through Thursday taking center stage. On Tuesday bunks competed in contests of kickball, tennis baseball, Newcomb and Bounce-n-Score. The following day saw the annual Hi-Hills pasta hunt, with Rebecca finding the all-important purple pasta. On Thursday the traditional mini-Olympics took place. Archery, tennis, basketball and obstacle course events helped wrap up the exciting week, as both the blue and green teams racked up massive points toward the Hi-Hills color wars. We look forward to an exciting seventh week on our beautiful campus!
Domination Assoc. 2 8 2 6
-Marc and John
Yellowjackets 5 6 1 11 Green Gladiators 1
10
1
3
Blue Banzais 5 6 0 10 Girls Team W L T Pts. Majestic Dragons 9 2 1 19 Super Mighty Lions
7
2
3
17
Monday: Nick Spinelli, Cassidy Gesualdo
ia v i r T y l k Wee Winners
Tuesday: Timmy Miller, Becky Fernandez Wednesday: Mitch Dubson, Lucy Allred, Madison Gesualdo Thursday: Arianna Tellalian, Cassidy Gesualdo, Madison Gesualdo Friday: Eddie McCarthy, Lucy Allred
Teen Travel ing
Train n i s r o l e uns
Co
e his week ths T ! k e e W ip activitie rtsmansh Happy Spo been helping out withwith miniCITs have g pasta and helping our Teen like paintin The CITs also joined York City Olympics. an excursion to New d famous n n Travelers o ingled with the rich auseum. We where we mame Tussauds Wax M museum at the Mad e floors of this hugetched a 4D traveled th f pictures even wa cted with o taking tons seats we sat on interaexperience. movie! The e movie. It was a wild scenes of th
Teen Travel had another awesome week! We went to Mountain Creek (also known as Action Park) in Vernon. We swam in the wave pool and floated along the lazy river. On Wednesday we went to the Wax Museum in NYC. We took pictures with John Wayne, Lady Gaga, Derek Jeter and many more. Our final trip of the week was to the movies to see Disney’s Maleficent with Angelina Jolie. Overall, we had a successful week and can’t wait for our adventures next week!
Mindy -Monica
Special Events
Sportsmanship Week was a lot of fun. Throughout the week, campers were expected to show good sportsmanship towards others in order to win points for their colored teams. Campers participated in games, the pasta hunt and mini-Olympics throughout the week and everyone did their best both athletically and in sportsmanship. Congrats to Rebecca for finding the purple pasta, the highest valued pasta in the bunch!