By Jeremy Klotz, Camp Director

Shalom GUCI!

Our campers really made great memories and had some fantastic experiences this week! The third week of camp is traditionally “Trip Week!” Trip week is an important week for us because the shared experience during a break from routine can be very powerful. It oftentimes injects a new enthusiasm and excitement within our units. This year was no different.

Garin, our rising 3rd and 4th graders, visited a percussion museum in Indianapolis where they learned about different percussion instruments, made music together and saw instruments used by famous musicians and bands, like the Beatles. They also went roller skating! They came back smiling and talking about having had the best day ever. Our youngest campers will be thinking about experiences like these when they choose to return to camp next summer.

Shoresh, our rising 5th and 6th graders, went bowling, followed by a trip to the movies to see “Inside out.” The movie creatively deals with the wide range of emotions we feel and how they affect us on a daily basis. The highlight of their trip was at the end, when they visited and toured a working farm near camp. This farm operates a creamery. The kids learned about the farm’s operations, saw the animals, and sampled the food. They learned a lot and had a wonderful time.

Gezah and Anaf, our rising 7th/8th and 9th/10th graders, respectively, went on their unit camping trips. We were blessed with a break in the rainy weather, and had 3 beautiful days in a row! Gezah went to Mounds State Park near Anderson, Indiana where they went hiking and learned about nature, went fishing, had services together, cooked out and did several unit bonding programs. Anaf went to Hardin Ridge Recreation Center in the Hoosier National Forest near Bloomington, Indiana. Anaf spent an hour each day before the trip learning camping craft. They learned to set up tents, build fires, use propane stoves and lanterns, and planned all of their own programming. The campers learned new skills, realized the benefits of teamwork, and achieved a heightened sense of self-confidence.

Sometimes a person has to separate from a community in order to realize how strong and important that community is. These trips, while exciting, educational and fun, are also an effective vehicle for reminding the smaller groups within our community how strong we are as a whole. The spirit in our Chadar Ochel (dining hall) is greater than ever now that we are all back together.

Shabbat Shalom!