The Hi-Hills Herald July 19, 2013
Issue #4
Top News at Hi-Hills Day Camp!
Hi-Hills Celebrates the Arts Campers Unleash Their Creativity
This week at Hi-Hills, campers got in touch with their creative sides as part of our arts theme. Studies have shown that students who have access to arts education programs perform better in reading, writing and math classes. Summer camp is a fun way to expose students to a variety of arts programs, from sculpting to acting, and more. Brian, our pottery instructor, fired up the kiln and turned campers’ clay creations into permanent works of art. Johnny taught the Upper Bunks all about Batik painting and guided them through the process of making their own watercolors. Campers learned about music theory while
in class with Stefanie, and practiced their dance moves with Diana. Studying the arts, especially the performance arts, is a great way to inspire confidence in kids who may be more introverted than their peers. Campers from all bunks are rehearsing for this year’s musical– The Wizard of Oz, to be directed by Johnny and Stefanie. We’re so proud of the way our campers expressed themselves all week, and we hope they’ll take the lessons they’ve learned with them throughout the rest of the summer and the coming school year.
Celebrating our 46th Summer!
Table of Contents: Note from Camp Director Bunk Updates
2 3-6
Birthdays This Week
7
Dates to Remember
8
Program News
8-10
Upcoming Dress Days 11 Featured Recipe 11 Kinder Camp 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, Week four has been HOT, but FUN! Once again our top-of-the-line facilities have proven to be a great asset for battling the heat. Depending on the time of day, athletics was able to move into the air-conditioned gym. The Splash Pad, pool and Aqua Climb have kept our lifeguards busy all week long. Many thanks to our Lower Bunk, Upper Bunk and Kinder Camp parents for taking time away from their busy schedules to join us for the Parent Luncheon and the Kinder Camp Garden Party. These are some of the many special traditions that make Hi-Hills Day Camp so special. You will read about these events and much more in this week’s issue of the Hi-Hills Herald! Mark your calendars this Wednesday, July 24 for Carnival. Also, Thursday, July 25 is the Lower Bunk late night from 4 p.m to 7 p.m. Be sure to check out our Hi-Hills photo gallery to see the adorable smiles from Picture Day! Also, if you have not already done so, like us on Facebook to get the daily scoop on Hi-Hills. Have a wonderful weekend! Cindy, Jack and Beth
Bunk Upda tes
Bunk 1: Miss Kathleen’s and Miss Monica’s F ishies All the children have become such good friends! It is so cute to see Brooke and Logan walking around campus holding hands. They sit on the steps in the pool and “chit-chat” in the way only threeyear-olds can. Peyton and Avery have become close too. They sit at lunch together and talk with Fiona about all the things they love to eat. Taylor was only with us for one day but she fit right in. Logan loved making our turtle in art class. Brooke is doing great in the pool and is on the verge of swimming on her own. Fiona was so excited to make pizza in Cooking Club. Peyton loved all the balancing games we played in yoga. Avery was new this week and was thrilled to show us his dance moves in the dance studio.
Bunk 2: Miss Stefanie’s and Miss Erin’s Leopards It’s hard to believe camp is already halfway over. Although this week was particularly hot, the Leopards still had a blast. Brendan, Neil and Finn loved personalizing their mini pizzas in cooking. Jasper and Zach showed off their agility on the obstacle course in athletics. Ariana and Anthony created turtles out of paper plates in arts and crafts. Alex and Daniel moved like Smurfs during dance. Barrett and Angela painted their handcrafted beads in pottery. Thanks again to all the parents and grandparents who came to support our campers at the Garden Party on Thursday. We are so proud of the kids for doing such an awesome job! Special thanks to Miss Jamie for helping us out.
Bunk Upda tes Bunk 9: T igersharks Bunk 9 had a great week at camp despite some issues with the weather. The Tigersharks did not let the heat get their spirits down. We spent a lot more time in the pool and changed several of our activities so that they took place indoors. Another highlight of the week was the Parent Luncheon on Wednesday. It was a lot of fun to meet all of our campers’ parents and to be able to talk and share a great lunch. -Matt and Pat
Bunk 10: T he Rockin’ Chatterboxes This week has been a whirlwind of fun and adventure. Our girls competed in Leagues sports teams and demonstrated great sportsmanship with the other campers. They continue to forge lifelong friendships with their bunkmates and discover new ways to express themselves. Lunch was always the highlight of our days, as the girls worked up huge appetites playing tennis and soccer. The pool was an essential part of our strategy to stay cool during this unbelievably hot week. -Beryl and Emily
Bunk 11: T he Grumpy Giants It was another big week for the Grumpy Giants! We’re proud of Taylor for trying some new vegetables at lunch. Tyler T helped our bunk win the Spirit Stick by rapping in front of the entire camp. Tyler R created almost-perfect coils in Pottery Club. Phil really improved his swimming, and he is becoming less afraid of the deep water. Nick was always happy and had a great time in every activity. -Taylor and Paul
Bunk Upda tes Bunk 12: Beautiful Brave Butterflies Bunk 12 had a fantastic week! We had a blast making monkey bread, brownies, nachos and pizza in Cooking Club. We didn’t win the Spirit Stick last week, which only inspired us to “bring it on” this week. The heat wave has not stopped us from having fun. The girls enjoyed playing “duck duck water” and “water tennis.” Next week is Carnival. Camp just keeps getting more exciting for the Brave Beautiful Butterflies. -Jen and Jamie
Bunk 13: T he Fantastic Fury Bunk 13 beat the scorching heat during week four with some fun and safe indoor activities! In Black Rocket, campers designed their own unique videogames with custom heroes and villains. In arts and crafts, campers enjoyed designing their own Leagues jerseys with stencils and markers. Outside, campers used the Splash Pad and pool to have fun and stay cool. Even in a heat wave, The Fantastic Fury knows how to let the good times roll. -Ben and Cory
Bunk 14: T he Sugar Rush This has been a hot, hot week so thank goodness for snow cones— thanks, Mindy! We filled our days with another great Black Rocket experience. The kids have been designing their own video games. They really look great, so get excited for the email from Black Rocket with your very own access code. It was a very eventful week because of Picture Day and the Parent Luncheon. At the Friday Council Ring, it was our turn to perform our skit. The girls are really putting their performance skills to use this week. Bunk 14 met the challenge of the boys from Bunk 17 during fishing, with a final tally of 36 fish! -Nancy, Megan and Jen
Bunk Upda tes Bunk 17: T he Chicken F ingers The Chicken Fingers had another great week of camp. We enjoyed finishing our video games in Black Rocket, as well as exploring the stream during nature. We had a great time getting to meet all of the parents during Parent Luncheon on Wednesday. Bunk 17 is looking forward to another fantastic week at camp and is excited for Carnival next Wednesday! -RJ and Mike
Bunk 18: Powerpuff Girls We are halfway into our summer fun here at camp. It has been a real challenge trying to beat the heat, but the Powerpuff Girls are still going strong. Our challenge this week was fishing, where we tried to beat the boys’ standing record of 36 fish. How many did our girls catch? We’re proud to announce that Bunk 18 caught a whopping 41 fish! Black Rocket has also made a positive impact with our girls; they are almost done with their video games, which look so cool. They are amazed at what they can create with the touch of a keyboard. Stay cool and enjoy the weekend! -Dylan, Katie and Maria
Bunk Photos are now online and available to download!
Birthdays T his Month July 3rd: Christine Rosato
July 11th: Robert Bellina
July 4th: Joshua Monto
July 13th: Connor Udoff
July 5th: Lindsay Frucci
July 15th: Alexander Cohen
Benjamin Sturman July 21st: Kira Bringemeier July 7th: Emma Cullen Mary Young
July 26th: Eleanor Lee
July 8th: Julia Spinelli
July 27th: Rebecca Fernandez July 29th: Carter Klein July 30th: Emma Torkelson
Wednesday, July 24:
Mark Your Calendar Dates to r! e b m e m e R
Carnival T hursday, July 25: Lower Camp Late Night (4 p.m to 7 p.m) T hursday, August 1: Charity Basketball Game
Program News Dance
This week our kids danced to the song “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” and to the theme song from the Smurfs. Kinder Camp enjoyed practicing their new Smurf dance moves in slow and fast motion across the floor. Our kids practiced their dance choreography to the Wizard of Oz. They are doing an amazing job with coordinating both their dance routines and their songs. It has been a fun and joyous week here at camp; dancing took place across campus with the excitement of the play, skits and the Smurf theme. Seeing our little Smurfs dressed in blue on Friday and dancing was quite a day! -Diana
Pottery
This week in pottery, campers practiced making clay coils and finished applying different glazes to their creations. We fired up the kiln and made plenty of room for next week’s art projects. It was arts week here at camp, but every week in pottery class we celebrate individuality and self expression. -Brian
Program News Fishing
Some people will tell you the best time for fishing is during cool and rainy weather, but this week we proved that you can have great fishing even in the heat. On Tuesday, Bunk 17 made a big run to break the summer record for most catches, however they fell a few short with 34 total fish. Bunk 18 came up big with 41 total catches, five more than our previous record. This fantastic week concludes round one of our fishing competition. Round two begins next week, on July 23 with Bunk 9.
-Em
Tennis and Yoga
The only thing hotter than the temperature has been the action on the tennis courts. Campers are playing for competitive points in “Ladder Ball.” Next week we’ll begin camper and counselor mixed doubles matches! We’re celebrating creativity during yoga as part of arts week. To this end, we performed The Stork pose and playfully competed to see who could last the longest standing on one leg. Other poses this week included the Happy Baby, Flat Flamingo into the Beanstalk and a partner pose, Partner Pretzel.
-Marc
Nature
With the recent heat wave, we’ve really been experiencing Mother Nature. We were lucky enough to have been able to move most of our nature activities indoors. We played some nature games, made some nature crafts and tested our knowledge by playing “Reptile Bingo.” Next week we’re planning to venture out into the Gill garden. -Mr. Nature
Program News Arts and Crafts
This week campers in the Upper and Lower Bunks created watercolor paintings using special paper to create a Batik effect, a style of painting that began in the Fourth century BCE. Kinder Camp created turtles using green plates as turtle shells. They used googly eyes and other green materials for the rest of the body. Some of the campers made tie-dye T-shirts, which came out absolutely spectacular. -Johnny
Music
It’s arts week here at Hi-Hills! This week in music we played a review game to brush up on the material from last week. After, we learned about the musical staff, the treble clef and note names for lines and spaces. We then worked on different rhythm patterns and I had the campers come to the front of the class and clap out a rhythm I’d written on the board. After that, I talked about four different Broadway shows: Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Anything Goes and 42nd Street. I played four songs from the shows, and the campers played a musical game of “four corners!” -Stefanie
Martial Arts
This week in martial arts, we practiced the skills and techniques we’ve been learning all summer. I’m really proud of how much their kicks and punches have improved, even in our short amount of time together. I’m Looking forward to teaching some new moves next week! -Ben
g n i m o c Up ays D s s e r D
July 26 Under The Sea
Weekly Featured Recipe:
s c i t e l h t A Corner
From Dan
Pizza Monkey Bread 1 can of biscuits (torn in fours) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 bag shredded mozzeralla 1 jar marinara sauce 1. Place biscuits in baking pan, coat with oil 2. Add sauce and cheese to taste 3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until biscuits are fooly cooked and the cheese is melted
Greetings from Kinder Camp The highlight of Kinder Camp this week was the beautiful show they put on at the Garden Party. We practiced every chance we could, and the performance was a great success. The children loved the cake and ice cream! The weather has been so hot that we jumped into the pool any chance we could! We also found fun in “cool” places like the Dance Studio and the Pottery Barn. It’s great to see the children create friendships in such a wonderful environment.
Athletics took to the indoors this week as the thermometer crept over the 100-degree-mark outdoors. Inside the frigid GSB Athletic Center, campers took part in thrilling games of “Alaskan baseball” that featured a bean bag, four cones and a whole lot of hustle. The Kinder Campers played some tremendous games of “steal the bacon” on Monday and took part in a super challenging obstacle course during Thursday’s session. With games of “money ball” and “kickball” on the docket for the next two weeks, the fun is sure to continue without interruption. Stay tuned for Leagues updates on our website–coming soon! -Marc and John
ia v i r T y l k Wee Winners
Monday - Ed McCarthy, Anna Leung Tuesday - Jake Beers, Anthony Clerici, Ellie Gustaffsen, Becky Fernandez Wednesday - Blake Bertolli, Lucas Alland, Jolie Golden, Elizabeth LeClerc T hursday - Dylan Vaidya, Nick Parlavecchio, Julia Spinelli Friday - Carter Klein, Anna Leung, Phil Lockitt, Ellie Gustaffson, Marie MaKalhon, Chris Vera
rs in Counselo Training
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Mindy
Teen Travel
Teen travel drove out to Kent, Conn. for a week-long trip to Club Getaway, the highlight of our program. Located near the Berkshire Mountains on 300-acres of lakeside grounds, Club Getaway offers a wide range of great outdoor activities and sports. Campers even had the chance to use a zip-line! Next week, we’re looking forward to our boat trip in New York Harbor, some golf and some epic laser tag battles. -Jim
Special Events!
This week at camp was full of special activities that involved our HiHills parents. On Wednesday, Chef Anthony prepared a special meal for the Parent Luncheon. On Thursday, the Kinder Campers dazzled at the annual Garden Party. Also this week: Photo Day! Stop by our website to view your child’s bunk and individual photos.