William Shakespeare once said “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players” and the Rec Hall stage was no exception! This year during the 2014 summer, our actors and actresses accomplished great things in Dramatic Arts. The musical Peter Pan proved to be a great success with all cast and crew putting in hard work. The performances were a great success and the entire camp really enjoyed their trip to Neverland!
Also this summer we created the Find Your Way Camparet. This gave our performers the chance to learn different styles of musical theatre from a broad range of musicals from Matilda to South Pacific and even a staff number from Rent. It also gave our campers the opportunity to work on longer pieces of music as well as more difficult pieces. The campers worked on different techniques in acting styles and improved breathing techniques for singing and knowledge of music.
In our electives, campers learned different styles of improv games to work on character development, and many warm up exercises to work on focus. Our campers also learned theatre terminology and stage directions. The elective also doubled its size in camper participation!
All in all summer in the Rec Hall was filled with music, dance, and loads of fun!
Maggie and Nick
2014 Drama Staff
Fishing 2014 was a great success! Campers reeled in many adult sized largemouth bass and pickerel (some perch too) indicating that our private Lake Lenape is a favorable environment for fish to thrive. Mason Levine and Eric Forster both caught 22″ largemouth bass, and Max Kruman caught a 24″ pickerel. Mitchell Konstandt’s fish count this summer was in the double digits.
Campers came out during electives and free play. Serious anglers benefitted from smaller electives to learn more information and to go out on the canoes. Campers in bigger electives had the ability to socialize with many other campers in their division while fishing. Fishing became a very popular free play activity. Thanks to all the staff who assisted me!
Michael May
2014 Fishing Director
The Canadensis lacrosse program of 2014 was a huge success this year. We had a plethora of positive feedback from the campers. We adapted the program to include drills, but be more about fun and games. We would do mini drills in the beginning and then play a game that would work on those skills. This format worked splendidly for both the boys and the girls. Our two most popular games were lacrosse golf and ultimate lacrosse. The lower campers also loved sharks and minnow with the noodles as well hungry hungry hippos.
Overall, our 2014 lax Program was a lot of fun for both the campers and the staff!!
Thanks for a great summer
Shawn Caven and Katie Russo
2014 Lacrosse Staff
The photography program this summer consisted of a wide range of projects, skills, and creative problem solving.
For the digital studio, campers took the reigns and explored their personal visions. Campers experimented with color alterations in Photoshop CS2, creating pop-art like images. They also learned how to select parts of images, move them around, and create quirky surrealistic photos. A new skill the campers explored was using the scanner as a camera. They created landscapes, faces, and their names by arranging and scanning objects. The concept of creating a digital image without the traditional digital camera excited a great number of them.
In the black and white darkroom, our practical and creative skills were touched on. Campers learned to shoot with traditional 35mm cameras as well as make prints in the darkroom with the shot negatives. Campers also created photograms, similarly to the scanograms in digital. They also created their own images by painting with fixer. The last project which blew their minds was the pinhole camera. Being able to create an actual photographic image with just a box and a hole seemed to be the highlight out of all the days in photo.
Overall I think what was most successful were the alternative methods of image making that allowed campers to think even more outside the box!
Heather Dorsett
2014 Photography Director
While many may say Summer of 2014 was the “Summer of Roessler”, my appointment as Director of Canadensis Outdoor Adventure Living Skills (COALS) has biased me towards the position that it was actually the summer of COALS. The previous generations of campers may have manufactured personalized shirts reading “I survived the Canadensis Overnight”, but the campers of 2014 did not just survive, they thrived!
Our program’s goal was to streamline the overnight process and improve the menu making sure it was enjoyable for all ages. I truly believe we succeeded, and we even incorporated some creative themes to get the kids excited. One personal favorite was a Harry Potter themed overnight, complete with “Cauldron Cakes” cooked in a Dutch Oven over the fire. Hogwarts admission letters with packing lists were delivered to the bunks prior to the overnight, proving that the mail room staff makes a good alternative to owls for successful mail delivery.
While the overnights tend to be the staple of COALS, we can’t forget the regularly scheduled COALS activity periods. Our team got the kids excited every week, with creative and fun activities that allowed campers to have fun and enjoy nature. A favorite among camp was the natural shelter building contest which ended with a “thunderstorm” of water balloons and water guns. Of course there was no shortage of s’mores throughout the summer…chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers gives COALS an edge over other programs! I hope that next year campers will return excited to embark on another adventure and make 2015 another “Summer of COALS”.
Kerry Neil
2014 COALS Director
