The Hi-Hills Herald Issue #7
August 8, 2014
Top News at Hi-Hills Day Camp!
Celebrating our 47th Summer!
Let’s go to Broadway Arts Week at Hi-Hills
Broadway has come to Hi-Hills! It has been a musical Arts Week here at camp and we have learned a little bit about Broadway thanks to trivia and a variety of fun activities. Campers are learning so many fun facts and are racking up the points for their color teams. Leagues continued this week with playoff games to help decide the championship games for next week. Good luck to all of the teams! Thursday was a busy day as we welcomed parents for another fantastic luncheon. Following lunch, Hi-Hills hosted our 3rd Annual Campers vs. Counselors Basketball
Game! It was a close game but the campers pulled ahead at the end to secure a win. Thank you to all parents who came for the afternoon and congrats campers!
Table of Contents: Note from Camp Director Bunk Updates
2 3-6
Birthdays This Month
7
Dates to Remember
8
As the camp season comes to a close, we still look forward to one last week of fun and activities. The second Kinder Camp Garden Party is next week, along with Bring Your Friend to Camp Day on Tuesday, the Talent Show and our season-ending Ice Cream Social.
Program News
Let’s celebrate the summer at Hi-Hills with a fantastic finish!
Trivia Winners 12
8-10
Upcoming Dress Days 11 Weekly Photography Tip 11 Leagues 11 Athletics 11 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, I cannot believe it’s the end of week seven already! Monday began with campers’ overflowing enthusiasm for Arts Week. Spirit and rivalry hung in the air between the blue and green teams which made for fun banter during morning assemblies. The friendly rivalry between campers was soon forged into an alliance against the staff in preparation for the 3rd Annual Campers vs. Counselors Basketball Game. The game was not only a nail-biter, but it was tremendous fun. I can still hear the cheering from all the fans in the stands. The campers came out on top, but everyone played like a champion. Please check out our Facebook page (facebook.com/hihills) as well as our website’s photo gallery (hihills.com) for more details and pictures from the game. Thursday was our second Parent Luncheon of the summer. I love the look on campers’ faces when they proudly introduce their new friends and counselors to their parents. We know it’s difficult for parents, grandparents and special friends to take time out of their day to join us and we thank you for making the day so incredible! Friday was a whirlwind of activity. Council Ring and the color war “Spirit Cheer Off” amazed us all and certainly finished the week off with a wow! We look forward to having your campers share our last week of camp together. Thank you for another great week! 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 wonderful week getting to know new friends from soccer camp and we enjoyed seeing our everyday camp friends as well! Chloe and Mark have come a long way in the pool. They are swimming on their own now and are doing so beautifully. Johnny and Lucas have bonded in the garden checking out all of the vegetables and how they grow! Isabella P., Isabella O. and Elizabeth all join us after a hard day on the soccer field. Their favorite time of day is free swim and relaxing at the pool. Barrett and Quinn have been playing great tennis and can really get the ball over the net. Ariel and Brooke hold hands and walk together all over campus. They are buddies in yoga and love to show off their poses. We had an exciting week in all of our activities. It is hard to believe we only have one more week to share together. We plan to enjoy every minute of it. We are very excited to announce our last Kinder Camp Garden Party will take place Monday, August 11 at 2:30 p.m. At this Garden Party you will be making a craft with your child, playing on the playground and enjoying light refreshments. Please let us know if you will be available to come. Thank you!
Bunk Upda tes Bunk 9: Electro Scorpions Week seven at Hi-Hills was fun but also bittersweet, as the end of summer is nearing and we have to say goodbye to some of our friends who are leaving camp early for vacation. We are still enjoying every moment together, though! This week we loved inviting our parents back to camp for lunch and cheering the teams on in the 3rd Annual Campers vs. Counselors Basketball Game. We are eager to hear the results of the epic color war. Only one more week to go in the best summer ever! -Ben Green, Counselor
Bunk 10: Bedazzled Cheetahs Bunk 10 had an awesome week at Hi-Hills! Campbell and Ariana both battled it out in leagues this week for a chance in the finals. We welcomed two new campers, Charlotte and Caroline, who loved the pool and nature club. Annabelle helped our bunk learn some new yoga poses when she helped lead the class. Ellie and Ava joined nature club this week where they both got to take the goats for a walk. We also welcomed back Isabelle to our bunk and really enjoyed arts and crafts! I look forward to our last week of camp. Bunk 10 has had an awesome summer! -Betsy Swartz, Counselor
Bunks 11 & 13: T he Vikings This week we were focused on our color war. The campers spent time every day working on their cheers and banners. Tyler created his very own cheer for the games and many of the kids drew their own banners that will be flown during the face off. Everyone enjoyed the camper vs. counselor soccer and basketball games. Campers also enjoyed the Parent Luncheon and watching the basketball game with them. Leagues wrapped up this week with the Chompers in first and the Banzais in second. This week definitely proved to be an awesome one! -CJ Blasi, Jr. Counselor
Bunk Upda tes Bunks 16 & 18: Magical Minions Camp is winding down as we end week seven. The Magical Minions have been very busy. Everyone was very excited for our combat laser tag trip and it was awesome! Campers had a wonderful time and everyone is looking forward to going again next summer. The finals in girls’ leagues have come to a close with the Super Mighty Lions and the Dragons playing in the championships next week. Who will win? As we enter our last week of camp, we will have the pleasure of seeing Hi-Hills on Broadway performed by our talented campers. It is going to be amazing! Welcome back Erin and Lindsay and thank you to our CITs for helping us out. Everyone have a safe weekend! -Maria Diaz, Counselor
Bunks 12 & 14: Double Trouble Double Trouble had a fantastic Arts Week! We had lots of fun at the Parent Luncheon on Thursday and fishing on Friday. Anjola and Cassidy even said the fishing trip was their favorite part of the week! All the girls have been doing well in their clubs and are having a blast! Anna and Ellie loved doing archery. Everyone has improved so much since the beginning of the summer. The girls have also been showing their spirit for our color war by working hard on their cheers. To end the week, we had a very special day: Caitlin’s 9th birthday! Happy birthday Caitlin! Even though we’re sad camp is almost over we’re so glad we have one more week together! -Dylan Rowell, Counselor
Bunk 15: T he Stormtroopers The Stormtroopers had a great time at camp this week. Everyone loved learning the cheers for our color war and making the banners for our competition on Friday. They all had a blast watching their counselors and fellow campers play in the 3rd Annual Campers vs. Counselors Basketball Game. The bunk went fishing this week and the kids had a lot of fun. Zack caught a whopping ten fish on his own! We are looking forward to having a great last week at camp next week. -Matt Rivas, Counselor
Bunk Upda tes Bunk 17: Wolf Pack What an awesome week it has been for the Wolf Pack. This week has been filled with so many fun activities. From laser tag to playing against the counselors in soccer and basketball, they have been challenged with new things that they have loved. Bunk 17 has become the tightest pack of the camp. They are always looking for a new game to play, thinking of new things to talk about and they have really made their summer a success. We cannot believe that this upcoming week is our last. Let’s make it count. -Taylor Rush, Counselor
Weekly Photography Tip: From Mackenzie
Bunk Photos are now online and available to download!
Studio Photography Product shots are a great way to practice your photography skills. Place a simple item down with a pure white background. Lighting becomes very important when you are shooting products. The white in the background needs to be pure white. The best way to be sure of that is to take advantage or natural lighting. Lighting that is too dim or artificial will wash out all of the vibrant colors in your photo. Try it out!
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
During week seven campers on the low ropes course have taken things to the next level. In addition to the continuous development with the beams, single-rope walking, double-rope walking and the balance swing, the wall has become a very exciting activity for the campers. The first low ropes club started this week and the campers had a great time. -Chris Walsh, Activity Leader
Performing Arts
This week in class the campers watched some clips from Broadway shows! They also got to take some guesses and discuss what they thought some of their favorite movies would look like on a Broadway stage. The drama club is getting excited to present Hi-Hills on Broadway to their friends and families! They have worked very hard to prepare. -Taylor, Activity Leader
Swimming
This week the lifeguards and I were evaluating the campers’ swimming skills. We handed out American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim booklets which list the levels and skills that they accomplished. Some of them passed their levels and received swimmer cards. The counselors put their booklets and cards in their backpacks so be on the lookout! Good job swimming campers and we will see you for the last week! -Augie Lorio, Activity Leader
Nature
This week in nature, the campers had the opportunity to pick beans and tomatoes from the GSB garden. The campers were able to see where many of the vegetables they eat at lunch come from. Next week we will take our last trek into the Peapack Brook. -Mr. Nature, Chuck Hogan, Activity Leader
Garden Party on Monday, Bring Your
Program News
Friend to Camp Day Tuesday, Talent Show T hursday & Ice Cream Social Friday
Mark You r Calendar
Dates to Rememb er!
Fishing
For the past two weeks, fishing has been taking place at a record-setting pace. The record for the most catches this summer sits with bunk 18 for twenty one catches! The record for individual catches was nine, but a camper from bunk 15 just broke that record with ten catches. Double Trouble went fishing on Friday. There are three trips lefts to wrap up this summer! -Em Foster, Activity Leader
Tennis
It has been said that tennis is part art and part sport. To this end, we strive to blend the two. All campers are encouraged to hit approaching shots and venture toward the net. We play ladder ball and king/queen of the court. Next week we will be participating in a camper/counselor doubles tournament. This provides an excellent opportunity to challenge each other in a healthy, supportive manner. -Marc Willemsen, Activity Leader
Archery
Campers have been given a choice this week from a wide range of targets both stationary and moving. Watching one of the campers hit a waffle golf ball at 10 yards while it was moving suspended on a string and going from right to left across the range was amazing. Think about the difficulty in hitting a golf ball size object at 10 yards with no sights, add in the fact it was moving and slightly bouncing up and down on a piece of fishing string and you have an episode for Myth Busters! Lilly hit it once and Megan hit it twice! The competition this week has been non-stop for our color war, and everything on the archery range has been given a point value based on the size of the object and the difficulty of the shot. -Matt Hibbitt, Activity Leader
Program News Pottery
With the end of camp just around the corner we have kicked pottery into high gear. I am working on getting all the campers to glaze their final pieces so that no project is left behind. This week I am allowing the campers to create their own masterpieces with the variety of skills they have learned these past few weeks. They are enjoying their independence and are doing a great job. -Savannah LoPrinzi, Activity Leader
Arts & Crafts
This week, campers learned about Vincent Van Gogh and Wassily Kandinsky by making finger-paint versions of “Starry Night” and their own rendition of Kandinsky’s circle paintings. Everyone throughout camp also participated in creating larger-thanlife team banners and spirit signs for the big color war. -TT Dechent, Activity Leader
Yoga
The perfect weather this week has allowed us the opportunity to practice yoga outside. We continue to emphasize the flow in between the asanas. I am so encouraged to see the interest among the campers as we deepen our practice. We employ various audio CDs, specially designed yogorilla cards and a new book called Sitting Still Like a Frog. This week we learned the transition from cat cow to downward facing dog into pigeon. We also practice flat flamingo and beanstalk to keep our legs and hips aligned. - Marc Willemsen, Activity Leader
Program News
ing m o c p U ys a D s s e Dr
It’s Environment Week! Retro themed dress up!
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. This week was host to our playoff games.
PLAYOFF RESULTS BOYS
s Athleticr Corne
#1 Chompers vs. #4 Gladiators Chompers win series, 2-0. #2 Yellowjackets vs. #3 Banzais Banzais win series, 2-0. GIRLS #1 Dragons vs. #4 Green Machine Dragons win series, 2-0. #2 Lions vs. #3 Association Lions win series, 2-1.
This week’s athletics activities featured the annual Counselors vs. Campers Basketball Game. For the third straight year, Hi-Hills’ “young guns” took down the veterans, as the campers rallied from a 13-0 deficit in the second quarter to post a 36-28 victory over the staff. Graydon, Eddie and Julia formed an unbelievable trio that scored 30 of the campers’ 36 points. Thanks to all parents who came from Parent Luncheon to enjoy a thrilling and fun contest. We hope to see you out there again next year, and for now we look forward to our final week of the 2014 camp season! -Marc and John
Monday: Phil Lockitt, Lindsay Frucci
ia v i r T y l k Wee Winners
Tuesday: Douglas Lee, Ellie Lee Wednesday: Robbie Bellina, Erin Flaherty Thursday: Andrew Castano, Christina Tamchin, Madison Gesualdo Friday: Tyler Tellalian, Caitlyn Murgatroyd
Teen Travel ing
Train n i s r o l e uns
Co
nue to . They conti ITs are ll a s u to n o an inspirati d take initiative. The Cre here n a a The CITs are ls il while they rship sk learn leade ng lasting friendshipser to lend a hand and building lo hey are always eag ach and every one T at Hi-Hills. ed. I am so proud of e row in confidence, lv o v in ing each g get hing them hip is truly a reward rt of tc a W . m e a ers of th r being a p ity and lead responsibil to watch. Thank you fo m! ra experience this wonderful prog
Mindy
Special Events
This week was yet another exciting one. We started the week by going to play outdoor laser tag with bunks 17 and 18. We had a blast running in and out of the trenches, capturing flags and unlocking safes to win the games. On Wednesday we went rock climbing as well as participating in gymnastics. We climbed high in caves and swung into foam pits! On Thursday we went to Dorney Park to ride the roller coasters, play arcade games and swim in the wave pool. Overall, it was another fantastic week at Hi-Hills! We don’t want camp to end! -Monica
During Arts Week, campers competed in their league playoff games, played some trivia and smiled for Picture Day. Our Parent Luncheon turned out fantastic and the 3rd Annual Campers vs. Counselors Basketball Game was very entertaining. Even though the camp season is winding down, our campers certainly are not!