It’s Session THREE! Summer is just whirling by and today we welcomed another set of campers for our final two week session of the summer (there is still session four to go, but that’s only 8 days long).
Again, another terrific group of campers (how do we get such awesome kids? Is it just that the arts equal empathy, and that leads to a great deal of support for others, and a strong sense of community? I have no idea). What IS surprising is how different the start of camp feels in August, to the way it feels at the start of July. Just as wonderful… but different. In early July, campers come to us straight from school. They have the carry-over energy from their scheduled life in school, but also a wild excitement, because summer is just beginning. In August, campers have already had a few weeks to relax. They are laid back, and ease into camp more gently. This said, they also struggle more to get up in the mornings!
If there was a calm, gentle easing into camp today, it was transformed into something energetic (and wildly competitive!) by evening program, as we launched into SINGO BINGO! Dorms competed against one another to complete bingo cards by visiting program directors all over camp and singing songs which featured a given word. If two dorms headed to the same spot at the same time, it was a mad dash to get there first, accompanied by a lot of screaming and laughter, and this was followed by a wild fight to answer the question first! Evening program ended with a faceoff between finalists in the dining hall, accompanied by hot chocolate and cookies.
As I wandered around the dorms minutes ago, everything was calm and quiet. I heard stories being told. Campers sharing the highlights of their day with one another. Friends who haven’t seen each other since last year deep in conversation. Counsellors singing to their campers, strumming guitars, visiting each of their campers by their bunks to say goodnight. Today is the first full day of session three… and camp is once again off to a terrific start.
Julie Hartley
Director
Centauri Summer Arts Camp