Dear CW Families and Friends,
Wow! I cannot believe we are already at our final Shabbat of the session. Our last few days of camp have been filled with capstone moments. Our SITs worked hard all session to plan an Out of this World July 4th carnival. Throughout the planning process they learned valuable skills in areas of teamwork, time management, creativity, organization, and leadership. And it all showed on Tuesday night when our campers had the opportunity to attend the SIT carnival. And all throughout this week, campers have been putting the finishing touches on projects in the art shack, mastering skills across our sports fields, and achieving successes in each of their activities.
This last Shabbat is planned by our 10th grade Solel campers. For many campers in Solel, they have been planning and thinking about their role in this Shabbat since their first summer at Wise. This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is the famous story of Balak, Balaam, and the talking donkey. In this parsha we first hear the blessing Ma tovu ohalecha Ya’akov, mishkenotecha Yisrael – How lovely are your tents oh Jacob, your dwelling places oh Israel. Solel has linked this piece of the Torah portion to our Core Value of Hachnassat Orchim (welcoming guests). The Ma Tovu blessing is words we hope our guests would say after being welcomed to Camp Wise, our Home of Happiness. When the donkey speaks to Balaam she reminds him that the only way we can remain on the right path in our lives is to be open and welcoming to the signs that are pointing us in the right direction. In addition to learning about this week’s Torah portion and leading camp in Shabbat services, our Solel campers show leadership as they take over staff responsibilities during our Friday night spirit circle and Saturday afternoon Shabbatones (band) performance. How fitting is it that the Torah portion also teaches about being on the right path and the definition of Solel is trailblazer or pathfinder; I can say with confidence that our Solel campers are moving along the path to become leaders in our camp community.
Wednesday afternoon, the campers who participated in the drama, dance, and guitar chugim (activities) had the opportunity to perform in front of all of camp in the Performing Arts Showcase. And last night, we gathered together to watch the camp play, Matilda. The story of Matilda teaches us that anyone can take a stand and make a change; that each person is in control of their destiny. This story is not so different than the story of the Camp Wise Magic. I know that when your child arrives home on Sunday they will be better versions of themselves. Each day at Camp Wise we see campers learn how to create new friendships, accept challenges, and master new skills. Throughout the session, campers learn to appreciate their Judaism, discover new talents within themselves, and grow to be more confident individuals. Thank you for seeing the Camp Wise Magic and allowing your child the opportunity to experience it for themselves.
While your campers will be sad to go home, I want to remind you that there are also several programs in August & September designed just for you and your families – Alumni Camp: August 11-13, Family Fun Day: August 20, Women’s Weekend: August 25-27, & Family Camp: September 1-3. For more information visit our website (http://www.campwise.org/) or call the CW office!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rachel
CABIN PHOTOS
CHALUTZIM
C1 – C1 had a blast jet skiing at the lake this past week. They also really enjoyed the July 4th carnival put on by the SITs!
C2 – C2 cheered on their counselors at the international vs. USA staff soccer game on Tuesday. During their outdoor cooking activities boys really enjoyed their apple dessert that the baked over the campfire!
C3 – C3 loved watching fireworks on Monday night! They also worked on their cabin plaque this week which will hang in their cabin for all future campers.
C6 – C6 had an incredible week here at camp! They had the opportunity to play basketball up at our courts and had an amazing time. They also had some birthday celebrations happen in their cabin and got to have a pool party as a cabin!
C7 – C7 had such a fun filled week involving many fun and crazy activities. We had a paint party where the kids had the opportunity to slip and slide, go through and obstacle course, and a balloon toss! What a great week for C7.
C8 – C8 had the opportunity to participate in the showcase show, where many of them showed off their incredible dance moves. C8 also had the chance to create their very own cabin plaque for the summer that will be hung up in their cabin!
OHALIM
O1 – O1’s week was out of this world! They cheered each other on as they hit the bullseye in their Archery cabin activity. The cabin can always be found on the Ohalim Hill or in the Ohalim Moadon playing an intense game of Magic.
O2 – O2 was mesmerized while they were watching the fireworks on Tuesday night. They then enjoyed belting out the words to patriotic songs and cheering on their counselors in the Annual USA versus World July 4th soccer game!
O3 –O3 has had a great final week together at camp! They really enjoyed their team building exercises at low ropes and on the vertical playground. The boys loved putting their athletic skills to use during their Fourth of July cabin football game!
O4 – Everybody do the O4 rumble!! O4 can always be found cheering for their cabin and their village in our dining hall during every single meal. They loved their surprise giant swing activity during rest hour on Wednesday, and they were so surprised by their late-night s’mores adventures!
O6 – The cabin of O6 had several special moments this week. They loved their late-night dance party with Fraser which ended in a special treat – chipwiches! They also cooled off as they jumped into the pool during a hot Rest Hour while singing their hearts out to One Direction and Justin Bieber!
O7 – What a week for O7! They worked together as a cabin to earn perfect 10s two days in a row for cabin clean-up! They were jumping for joy when they were awarded the prestigious Silver Plunger! This cabin also shared many laughs together while helping their elderly counselors go through several obstacles during Monday night’s evening program!
O8 – O8 is truly embracing their final week together here at camp. They’ve done everything from Israeli culture, to outdoor cooking, to awesome low ropes team building activities. Many of the O8 girls really shined during the performing arts showcase. The highlight of O8’s week was an extra special lacrosse party that their counselors planned for them!
O10 – O10 has had so many awesome activities this week! The girls absolutely loved the leap of faith on our ropes course, and of course, horseback riding! They enjoyed celebrating a cabin mate’s birthday with a special ice cream sundae bar and had a blast at our Fourth of July carnival!
NOAR
N1 – All of the boys of N1 got to make pet rocks in arts & crafts and have been having so much fun with them! They especially loved hanging out with the other counselor during the Noar staff scramble!
N2 – N2 loved their time at the basketball cabin activity this past week! They got even closer when they shared Havdalah together! The cabin is really excited for the few days of camp.
N3 – The boys of N3 bonded even more this week over the prank they pulled over their counselors! They also got to spend time at archery and horseback riding together.
N4 – N4 got to go to the lake this week for a cabin activity and loved it! They also enjoyed chipwiches at special campfire with N8!
N5 – N5 girls all showed their appreciation for each other with their Shabbat buddies activity. Each camper made a present for another camper in their cabin and all of camp saw their positivity throughout the week!
N6 – The ladies of N6 had an awesome time at arts & crafts and tennis this week! They even got to pair up with N5 to make homemade chipwiches!
N7 – So many girls in N7 were able to successfully conquer their fears during their high ropes cabin activity and we couldn’t be more proud! We can’t wait to see what these last few days of camp bring for them.
N8 – N8 had an especially great week; they really enjoyed their improv cabin activity as well as their special giant swing program during rest hour! They topped off a great week with the July 4th fireworks.
SOLEL-Solel’s final week at camp has been action packed! A quick trip to Columbus saw us picking our own vegetables for a do-it-yourself soup and salad lunch, epic climbing in a rock wall gym, and volunteering at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank to help those less fortunate that us. The trip was capped off by a visit to THE Ohio State University where village bonding was on full display as we hung out on the campus oval and played games. Our sweatshirts have finally arrived (they look amazing!) which means that Solel Shabbat is finally here – the campers’ last Shabbat as campers. We can’t wait for the coming surprises left in store during the final few days at camp!
SIT-For the last 2 weeks the SITs worked hard planning and prepping our 4th of July Carnival and spent a lot of time at the art shack! The aliens (aka SITs) stole Max Shall’s infamous “space pants”. It was up to our campers to come to the carnival and win as many tickets as possible to bring back the pants. The carnival was a huge success and was seriously out of this world! The evening ended with popsicles and a surprise foam party on the O-Rec! The SITs spent time together this week at the ropes course on the zip line and new leap of faith element and then went down to the lake to swim and eat s’mores. While the SITs are sad to split up next week when half of the group heads to Israel we excited to hear about each other’s separate adventures!
