Hello Canadensis!
So, my apologies for the hiatus in blogs. Basically, what happened is this…the New York Football Giants won the Super Bowl and I have been celebrating ever since! Ha Ha! I usually end my blogs with stuff like “football talk,” but for this one, it is where I absolutely MUST begin. So, for all of those campers and counselors that unfortunately root for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles and happened to give me a lot of the “business” last summer about how my New York Giants won’t be doing anything in January and February and how your teams will be the “dream” teams of the 2011-12 season, all I have to say is this…the New York Football Giants are World Champions! I now even have a T-Shirt saying the exact same thing. And, for all those same fans that wouldn’t let me hear the end of how this was going to be the Jets or Eagles year, get ready to hear the score Giants 21, Patriots 17 at every morning line-up this summer just as a reminder! While we’re at it…how ’bout a picture, too…
Eli Manning holds up the Lombardi Trophy as the New York Giants win their 4th Super Bowl! Oh yeah, this picture is also my screen saver.
Now, onto camp stuff…
As many of you know, right around this time of year, we have many travels as part of our schedule. Matt went to Eastern Europe to hire many of our support staff. Eric was in Australia to attend several counselor recruiting fairs. Pam and Cara hit the road in places like Arizona, Michigan and Louisiana to interview staff. And, this year, I got to go to Paris, France! Over the past two summers, we have had a number of international countries from France and Spain join us at Canadensis. So, this trip was to intended to meet many French families looking to send their children to camp for the summer. Jaime and I headed overseas to attend three camp fairs in Paris. While there, we also got to take in the sights and do all the things that many visitors would do while in France. We spent an afternoon at the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. I was particularly impressed with the Egyptian exhibit there, too. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. And, we ate a whole lot of French pastries…yum! While there, we met up with the amazing Lauren Berry, who was on vacation from her current nanny job in London. The three of us took a boat ride down the Seine river, taking in all of the amazing architecture of Paris. Then, we hit a nearby cafe to eat some lunch. Unfortunately, the weather was very, very cold…in the low 20s on most days. But, here are a few pictures from our week in Paris…
Me and Jaime at the first level of the Eiffel Tower. We, of course, went all the way to the top!
Me and Jaime at one of the Camp Fairs in France, ready to meet many families.
Me as an Egyptian mummy in its tomb at the Louvre.
Me with 2010 and 2011 Lower Senior Group Leader Lauren Berry. We were very happy to see her. We laughed and talked camp for hours!
On the staffing side of things, we are very busy filling many of our counselor positions. Over the past few months, me, Eric, Pam, Cara and Matt have met and interviewed more than 400 applicants who are looking to work at camp this summer. This process is very exciting as we know just how important it is to have the best staff ever at camp. In the upcoming months, we will be filling everyone in of our returning and new staff for Summer 2012.
Next weekend, we get the summer unofficially underway with our Annual Leadership Weekend. Here, we bring together many of our head staff to talk about the camp program and great things we have in store for 2012. We will be sure to bring you pictures and videos on our blogs.
We hope to see many of our camp families on Sunday, March 18th at 10 am at our Annual JRA Community Service event. This wonderful opportunity allows Camp Canadensis to be represented while it helps box and deliver food to local Jewish families in need. If you are interested in attending, please e-mail Assistant Director Pam Levi at pam@canadensis.com .
I got a great e-mail from 2012 CIT Rebecca Altschul a few weeks ago, who told me it was OK to share her great news with everyone at Camp Canadensis. During the high school football championship season, Rebecca’s high school choir was asked to sing the national anthem at one of the games, which are played at MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play. She got to go on the field and perform, which she described was “one of the coolest experiences EVER.” Rebecca said that the choir sounded really great and her team, the Cedar Grove Panthers, even ended up winning! Here is a photo she sent me…
2012 CIT Rebecca Altschul (center) and friends got on the field at MetLife Stadium to sing the national anthem.
Since my last blog, there are a number of home visits and camp get-togethers to fill you in on…
In Merrick, NY, I met up with Rachel and Ava Fisher. Rachel is back for her 2nd summer as an Upper Inter Girl while Ava joins us for her first summer in our Junior Girls Division. Now in 5th grade, Rachel is busy with tap, jazz and hip dance classes and will be performing at a recital in June. She is also taking tennis lessons. She wanted to give a shout out to the girls of Bunk 6 from Summer 2011 and was so happy to see everyone at the reunion in January. She also let me know that she is stocking up on duct tape as she is anxiously counting down the days until the summer. She is also looking forward to the Banana Boat, Triple Dare and Summit. Ava, currently in 1st grade, is also taking tap and jazz dance classes and preparing for a Spring recital. On top of that, she is active in basketball, piano, gymnastics and karate. She is also excited for her upcoming birthday! When at camp this year, she can’t wait to make S’Mores, jump on the Water Trampoline and have fun! Here is a photo…
Me with Upper Inter Girl Rachel Fisher (left) and Junior Girl Ava Fisher (center).
In Oceanside, NY, I got to hang out with Jake and Sydney Tavroff, both who will be joining us at Canadensis for their first summers. Jake, currently in the 4th grade, will be in our Lower Inter Boys Division and Sydney, currently in 1st grade, will be in our Junior Girls Division. Jake plays basketball, his favorite sport, in three different leagues from CYO to Game 7 to the Long Island Lightning. He plays both forward and center on these teams. Jake is also a big sports fan and can be seen rooting for the Jets, Giants, Knicks and Yankees. He also enjoys playing video games like “Kinect Sports Season 2” and watching TV shows like “My Wife and Kids.” This summer, he is excited for the lake and water activities, swimming, the high ropes course, overnights, the Summit, mountain bikes, hondas and Inter-camps. As for sister Sydney, she is taking an art class once a week, where she is currently working on a portrait of her dog Casey. She also plays in basketball clinics and plays soccer. She loves to dance and play in the backyard. When she gets to camp, she is looking forward to horseback riding, overnights, high ropes course and all the lake activities. Here is a pic…
Me with Junior Girl Sydney Tavroff and Lower Inter Boy Jake Tavroff. And, their dog Casey.
In Brooklyn, NY, I got to know Garrett and Sara Hiller as both will be joining us for their first summers at Canadensis. Garrett is in the 6th grade and will be in our Freshman Boys Division. Garrett is currently taking tennis lessons. When at home, he might be found taking care of his pet gecko Walter, three pet toads or his cat Puck. Or, he might be found playing PSP or X-Box. At the moment, his favorite games are NBA 2K12 and Goldeneye. When he comes to camp, Garrett is ready to try a lot of things including archery, lacrosse, photography, hondas, the ropes course and climbing wall, fishing and boating at the lake. Sara is currently in the 4th grade and will be in our Lower Inter Girls Division. She is involved in jazz, hip hop and lyrical dance classes and is rehearsing for a recital in the Spring. She also takes tennis lessons and does gymnastics. She loves art, too. When she comes to camp, she can’t wait for all of the activities at the Art Center and gymnastics. Both Garrett and Sara are excited to join their cousins, Zoe and Max Hiller, at camp in 2012. Here is a picture…
Me with Lower Inter Girl Sara Hiller and Freshman Boy Garrett Hiller.
In Dix Hills, NY, I got to see the Greenbaum Family. This included Super Senior Girl Casey, Lower Senior Boy Jake and Upper Inter Girl Jolie. Whereas I didn’t do an official “blog write-up,” we spent a lot of time talking about camp and all their great memories. Jolie and Casey were sure to remind me that there were “too many fake breaks last summer” and Jake let me know that his bunk won every week’s inspection last summer. Casey is really enjoying her freshman year of high school. Jolie won her school election and is now the president of her elementary school. And, Jake is busy on the bar mitzvah circuit of friends, playing tennis and hockey. Here is a photo…
Me with Upper Inter Girl Jolie Greenbaum (center), Super Senior Girl Casey Greenbaum and Lower Senior Boy Jake Greenbaum.
In Voorhees, NJ, I got to be a special surprise guest at Jacob Batt’s sleep over for his camp friends. Upon getting there, the boys had just woken up a little bit before and were eating breakfast. From there, we played games of Ghosts in the Graveyard, Zombie Tag and Knockout. Apparently, the night before, the boys stayed up extremely late, playing basketball, hockey X-Box and even forming their own nightly entertainment talent show. Also that day, the boys were surprised with a game truck that arrived at Jacob’s house, complete with video games and flat screen TVs. They boys thought that was awesome! Here is a photo from my visit…
Me with some of the 2012 Upper Inter Boys. On the couch (from left to right) are David Brucker, Max Kruman, Dan Igielski, Dylan Carruba and Isaac "Ice G" Grama and his balloon friend Frankie. Top row (from left to right) is Michael Poulshock and Jacob Batt. On the floor is Julian Batt.
While at the sleepover, I got to know Jacob’s younger brother Julian Batt a little better, especially since he will be joining us for his first summer at camp. Julian is in the 2nd grade and will be in our Junior Boys Division. All year long, Julian plays soccer, both indoors and outdoors. He plays midfield on his Vorhees Power team. He also plays defense on a Floor Hockey team, the Avalanche. In the Spring, he will also play baseball. He likes to pitch. When at home, he enjoys X-Box and games like NBA and NHL. When he comes to camp, he can’t wait for all the sports, Color War and the Banana Boat. Here is a pic…
Me with Junior Boy Julian Batt.
Still at the sleepover party, I saw new camper Marissa Brucker, who will be in our Junior Girls division this summer. Marissa lives in Plymouth Meeting, PA and is in the 2nd grade. She was at the sleepover, picking up her brother from the fun. But, Marissa told me that she is currently taking hip hop dance classes and rehearsing for a dance recital in June. She plays basketball on her team, the Hawks, and has already scored two baskets this season. She is also involved in lacrosse and practices with the Conshy Bulldogs. This summer, she is ready for all of the lake activities, the Art Shack, sports, Color War and making new friends. Here is a photo…
Me with Junior Girl Marissa Brucker.
In Cherry Hill, NJ, I met up with Zach Schreiber, who will be in our Junior Boys Division for his first summer at camp, joining his older twin sisters Hannah and Daniela, both who will be coming back for their third summers. Zach is in the 2nd grade and plays a lot of different sports. In the fall and spring, he plays in the Cherry Hill Little League. He plays both short stop and 2nd base. Currently, his Street Hockey team, the Kings, are in the playoffs. At the same time, Zach plays in two different basketball leagues. At home, he enjoys playing X-Box. Right now, his favorite game is NBA 2K12. In Summer 2012, Zach is ready to try the Triple Dare, go waterskiing and ride some go karts and quads. Here is a picture…
Me with Junior Boy Zach Schreiber.
Well, that’s all the blogging for now.
Have a great day!
-Brian
