Greetings from Camp Nakanawa!
The Spirit of Nakanawa Award Winner
Rylin Szymarek
The Second Week of camp was a busy and exciting one, with campers continuing to learn new skills and develop friendships with their fellow campers. We have managed to pack a great deal into a relatively short period of time, and it has been a rewarding experience for all of us up on the lovely Cumberland Plateau.
Sunday evening: (continued from last week’s newsletter) A beautiful evening vespers service was held down near the docks overlooking the lake. Counselors recited meaningful devotional stories for the service. These stories – also acted out by the counselors – reinforced many of the values regarding friendship and kindness that we hold dear here at camp.
Monday: Classes continued today with campers now feeling comfortable with their schedules and with the many new things they are learning. We had some rain this afternoon – and everyone cheerfully adjusted as some activities were moved indoors. The day ended with team meetings of the Valkyries and the Amazons, which were held indoors this evening as well, just in case the rain returned.
Tuesday: Tuesday was our last full day of classes. During “Free Swim” after Rest Hour, Ann & Pepe hosted their annual Garden Party near the garden plot outside the Nature Hut. The plot has a pollinator garden on one side and a space for vegetables – such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and squash on the other. Pepe delivered a fascinating talk on the history & origins of the vegetables grown in the garden plot, and the girls especially enjoyed snacking on individual small servings of veggies after the talk. In the evening, there was a festive “Hoedown” held in the covered riding arena – with games, activities, and dancing!
Wednesday: Today there was a modified class schedule, with campers enjoying the day wearing their Free Day clothes. Classes were held in the morning for four different activities – Nature, Riding, Glee Club, and Games. Dinner was an exciting time, too, as Junior campers had a big cookout with the Intermediate campers across the lake in Senior Camp! After dining on the Crow’s Nest, we gathered in the Kiosk (Senior Camp’s version of the Playhouse in Junior camp) for singing and dance performances by Intermediate campers and the different age groups of all of Junior Camp. Then we gathered again on the Crow’s Nest overlooking the lake. We listened to a devotional and sang a few camp songs, but the highlight was the lighting on the large “N,” which is visible across Lake Aloaloa on the shore of Junior Camp. It was a lovely sight to see as the sun set over the lake on another beautiful, peaceful day at camp.
Thursday: Thursday – our second to last day – was HUGE! The day was full to overflowing. The Riding Show started at 8:30AM, followed soon by the first part of the Tennis Meet. At 11AM, everyone enjoyed the musical – Seasons of Love. It was spectacular! Each age group performed a different song, complete with choreography. All of the campers returned to the stage for the grand finale – Seasons of Love from the Broadway show Rent. The video of the musical will be posted on the Nakanawa website soon. The cheerful campers and our fabulous Glee Club staff members did a wonderful job to pull off such a marvelous production. At the end of the performance, Ann & Pepe were presented with flowers, as well many dozens of cards and notes from campers and counselors alike, in recognition for all of the love and hard work that they have given to Camp Nakanawa over their many years here. The day continued after lunch with the Tennis Finals, a Water Meet, and then a final Council Ring. At the end of this jam-packed day, the counselors gathered together to walk from cabin to cabin for the Counselor Serenade. Carrying candles as they sang, underneath the bright full moon, the serenade was a moving experience for all involved.
Friday: The day began with a surprise in the Dining Hall. The tables had been arranged to form an enormous “N” – and everyone dined at the long tables, connected end to end. No assigned seating! It was a fun and festive way to begin our final morning together. The Awards Assembly in the Council house began soon after breakfast, with campers being given awards in the various activities. There were claps and cheers as everyone celebrated their accomplishments and those of their fellow campers! Parents began arriving soon after the Awards Ceremony. Trunks and duffle bags were loaded into cars. A few tears were shed. There will be many exciting stories of Camp Nakanawa to share on the rides home!
ACTIVITIES:
Archery: The first part of the class was dedicated to learning to safely using the quiver and the bow so as to not hurt herself while practicing. Then they learned how to shoot from afar and attempted to hit the bullseye, with many succeeding!
Arts and Crafts: All of the girls in arts and crafts learned how to paint landscapes. They learned perspective by painting Lake Aloaloa when the weather was nice. They outlined in sharpies and used colored pencils to put their own creativity into their landscapes. At the end of camp, the art was distributed back to the campers to take home with them. Take a look at what your daughter has accomplished over these two weeks!
Canoeing: The campers spent class time learning how to safely canoe using techniques such as forward strokes, reverse strokes & J-strokes. The girls learned teamwork by having three or ten girls, depending on the size of the canoe, work together to steer these canoes. The girls take time throughout the two weeks to canoe to Senior Side and also have canoe meets between the Valkyries and the Amazons.
Games/Climbing Wall: The girls learned how to play games competitively while also supporting one another on the weekends. The Amazons and Valkyries compete against each other on the games field with many rotating stations of games. They practiced line dancing and also learned how to play Bocce. The girls alternate days between games and rock climbing. At the Climbing Wall, campers learned how to safely climb with ropes. They faced their fears – such as the fear of heights – and continued working on their strength.
Glee Club: The campers made continued progress in practicing “The Seasons of Love” for the big performance on Thursday. Glee Club is a place where they learn all of the Nakanawa songs that they use for meals, Council Ring, Games meets, vespers and other events. They learn the melodies and also learn to harmonize with one another. Each camper spends their two weeks learning and memorizing these songs.
Horseback riding: The girls worked on riding horses of all sizes and learned how to communicate with and cooperate with the horses. They learn English riding, which means they learn how to trot and “post” on the horse while they are trotting. They also learn how to mount and dismount safely on and off of the horses. At the end of the two weeks, there is the Horse Show where a small group of selected campers compete and are awarded ribbons for their performance. Many of the girls have never ridden before, and emphasis is placed on improvement in the show. Girls were excited to help groom and prepare the horses for the show on Thursday.
Nature: It was a short but busy week in the Nature. Our two certified wildlife rehabilitators and the rest of the Nature staff continue to teach the girls about the marvelous critters we have living with us in the Hut. We also had hikes along the Centennial Trail, learning about the plants and trees along the path beside the lake. Our baby rats continue to thrive, and the campers enjoy watching this transformation!
Swimming/Diving: The girls all learned how to safely swim and learned different techniques such as the backstroke, breaststroke, and free style as well. They used these techniques to swim in meets between the Amazons and Valkyries. For Diving, the girls learned different diving techniques and some are chosen to compete in the diving competition during this week’s Water Meet. There are also ambitious campers who have been working towards their swim-a-half-mile and swim-a-mile goals this session!
Tennis: The girls focused each day working on the strokes of tennis. The first part of the class consisted of working on the technical part and the second half of the class was focused on the techniques within the game itself.
Sunday evening: (continued from last week’s newsletter) A beautiful evening vespers service was held down near the docks overlooking the lake. Counselors recited meaningful devotional stories for the service. These stories – also acted out by the counselors – reinforced many of the values regarding friendship and kindness that we hold dear here at camp.
Monday: Classes continued today with campers now feeling comfortable with their schedules and with the many new things they are learning. We had some rain this afternoon – and everyone cheerfully adjusted as some activities were moved indoors. The day ended with team meetings of the Valkyries and the Amazons, which were held indoors this evening as well, just in case the rain returned.
Tuesday: Tuesday was our last full day of classes. During “Free Swim” after Rest Hour, Ann & Pepe hosted their annual Garden Party near the garden plot outside the Nature Hut. The plot has a pollinator garden on one side and a space for vegetables – such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and squash on the other. Pepe delivered a fascinating talk on the history & origins of the vegetables grown in the garden plot, and the girls especially enjoyed snacking on individual small servings of veggies after the talk. In the evening, there was a festive “Hoedown” held in the covered riding arena – with games, activities, and dancing!
Wednesday: Today there was a modified class schedule, with campers enjoying the day wearing their Free Day clothes. Classes were held in the morning for four different activities – Nature, Riding, Glee Club, and Games. Dinner was an exciting time, too, as Junior campers had a big cookout with the Intermediate campers across the lake in Senior Camp! After dining on the Crow’s Nest, we gathered in the Kiosk (Senior Camp’s version of the Playhouse in Junior camp) for singing and dance performances by Intermediate campers and the different age groups of all of Junior Camp. Then we gathered again on the Crow’s Nest overlooking the lake. We listened to a devotional and sang a few camp songs, but the highlight was the lighting on the large “N,” which is visible across Lake Aloaloa on the shore of Junior Camp. It was a lovely sight to see as the sun set over the lake on another beautiful, peaceful day at camp.
Thursday: Thursday – our second to last day – was HUGE! The day was full to overflowing. The Riding Show started at 8:30AM, followed soon by the first part of the Tennis Meet. At 11AM, everyone enjoyed the musical – Seasons of Love. It was spectacular! Each age group performed a different song, complete with choreography. All of the campers returned to the stage for the grand finale – Seasons of Love from the Broadway show Rent. The video of the musical will be posted on the Nakanawa website soon. The cheerful campers and our fabulous Glee Club staff members did a wonderful job to pull off such a marvelous production. At the end of the performance, Ann & Pepe were presented with flowers, as well many dozens of cards and notes from campers and counselors alike, in recognition for all of the love and hard work that they have given to Camp Nakanawa over their many years here. The day continued after lunch with the Tennis Finals, a Water Meet, and then a final Council Ring. At the end of this jam-packed day, the counselors gathered together to walk from cabin to cabin for the Counselor Serenade. Carrying candles as they sang, underneath the bright full moon, the serenade was a moving experience for all involved.
Friday: The day began with a surprise in the Dining Hall. The tables had been arranged to form an enormous “N” – and everyone dined at the long tables, connected end to end. No assigned seating! It was a fun and festive way to begin our final morning together. The Awards Assembly in the Council house began soon after breakfast, with campers being given awards in the various activities. There were claps and cheers as everyone celebrated their accomplishments and those of their fellow campers! Parents began arriving soon after the Awards Ceremony. Trunks and duffle bags were loaded into cars. A few tears were shed. There will be many exciting stories of Camp Nakanawa to share on the rides home!
ACTIVITIES:
Archery: The first part of the class was dedicated to learning to safely using the quiver and the bow so as to not hurt herself while practicing. Then they learned how to shoot from afar and attempted to hit the bullseye, with many succeeding!
Arts and Crafts: All of the girls in arts and crafts learned how to paint landscapes. They learned perspective by painting Lake Aloaloa when the weather was nice. They outlined in sharpies and used colored pencils to put their own creativity into their landscapes. At the end of camp, the art was distributed back to the campers to take home with them. Take a look at what your daughter has accomplished over these two weeks!
Canoeing: The campers spent class time learning how to safely canoe using techniques such as forward strokes, reverse strokes & J-strokes. The girls learned teamwork by having three or ten girls, depending on the size of the canoe, work together to steer these canoes. The girls take time throughout the two weeks to canoe to Senior Side and also have canoe meets between the Valkyries and the Amazons.
Games/Climbing Wall: The girls learned how to play games competitively while also supporting one another on the weekends. The Amazons and Valkyries compete against each other on the games field with many rotating stations of games. They practiced line dancing and also learned how to play Bocce. The girls alternate days between games and rock climbing. At the Climbing Wall, campers learned how to safely climb with ropes. They faced their fears – such as the fear of heights – and continued working on their strength.
Glee Club: The campers made continued progress in practicing “The Seasons of Love” for the big performance on Thursday. Glee Club is a place where they learn all of the Nakanawa songs that they use for meals, Council Ring, Games meets, vespers and other events. They learn the melodies and also learn to harmonize with one another. Each camper spends their two weeks learning and memorizing these songs.
Horseback riding: The girls worked on riding horses of all sizes and learned how to communicate with and cooperate with the horses. They learn English riding, which means they learn how to trot and “post” on the horse while they are trotting. They also learn how to mount and dismount safely on and off of the horses. At the end of the two weeks, there is the Horse Show where a small group of selected campers compete and are awarded ribbons for their performance. Many of the girls have never ridden before, and emphasis is placed on improvement in the show. Girls were excited to help groom and prepare the horses for the show on Thursday.
Nature: It was a short but busy week in the Nature. Our two certified wildlife rehabilitators and the rest of the Nature staff continue to teach the girls about the marvelous critters we have living with us in the Hut. We also had hikes along the Centennial Trail, learning about the plants and trees along the path beside the lake. Our baby rats continue to thrive, and the campers enjoy watching this transformation!
Swimming/Diving: The girls all learned how to safely swim and learned different techniques such as the backstroke, breaststroke, and free style as well. They used these techniques to swim in meets between the Amazons and Valkyries. For Diving, the girls learned different diving techniques and some are chosen to compete in the diving competition during this week’s Water Meet. There are also ambitious campers who have been working towards their swim-a-half-mile and swim-a-mile goals this session!
Tennis: The girls focused each day working on the strokes of tennis. The first part of the class consisted of working on the technical part and the second half of the class was focused on the techniques within the game itself.
Many thanks to you ALL for sharing your wonderfully curious and engaging daughters with us these past two weeks. The entire Junior Camp staff was honored to have had the opportunity to work with them this summer, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year!
Nakanawa Love –
Your Junior Camp Counselors & Staff
