The Episcopal Academy, 1785 Bishop White Drive, Newtown Square, PA 19073. Call us at 610-688-3298.

WEEK 3 JULY 3 - 7, 2017

Inside This Issue:

Letter from Our Director – page 2 Weekly Program Recap – page 3

Director Spotlight – page 4 Staff Spotlight – page 4

Weekly Theme Image Gallery – page 5 Coming Up Next Week – page 6

Stay Informed! – page 6

Virtue of the Week:

POSITIVITY An optimistic attitude can get you through

anything! We want campers to be able to find the silver lining in every situation. This week they

used positivity to power through challenges and obstacles, even with the odds against them.

Gilman School, 5047 Roland Ave, Baltimore MD 21210. Call Us at 410-532-2300

Dear ESF at Gilman families,

Another week has come and gone at Gilman and the summer is flying by! Even with one less day than usual, camp was just as jammed pack with exciting adventures this week. One of my favorite events at camp is when parents get to join us. This week we welcomed our Oglala parents on Thursday to join their campers for the morning. After they experienced a typical morning in Teepee Village, parents listened to the story of the famous Spirit Stick. The Spirit Stick is a legendary part of camp and a long running tradition here at ESF. It serves as a foundation for many of our other traditions and holds a special place in my heart. Campers are always so thrilled to earn the Spirit Stick and I love being able to share that story and excitement with our families. Another thrilling event this week occurred on Friday when our Senior campers hosted The ESF Carnival. This only happens once a summer and is something I look forward to all year long. Seniors campers dedicated the week to completing an engineering feat by creating their own games for Day campers. The ideas, signs and games are all made and run by our own Senior campers. It’s an impressive day to day the least! However, the best part about it is that Senior Camp does it all for others and expect nothing in return. It’s a huge lesson in selflessness and something we’re very proud of them for pulling off. As the summer continues the temperatures are getting higher and higher, but our Sports campers are unaffected! They continue to impress me with their ability to play their hardest every day with smiles on their faces. They are a prime example of this week’s Virtue of the Week, positivity. While conditions aren’t always ideal, they continue to work hard and be positive no matter the weather. Way to go Sports Campers! Something new we implemented this week is the Go BIG sunglasses. We’ve been encouraging campers to Be In Gratitude (BIG) in everything they do and want to reward those who do just that. Every Friday we close out Day Camp with a Dance Party and Pow Wow. Here we have started giving out the orange sunglasses. Only one camper per tribe, who has exemplified all 8 of our virtues, is given a pair of glasses. If your child comes home with a pair we want you to know they’ve done an exceptional job of showing kindness, respect, gratitude, resiliency, trustworthiness, effort, community and positivity. I hope you enjoyed your holiday week and are looking forward to a sunny and fun filled weekend! We can’t wait to see you next week. Sincerely, Debbie DeSmit ESF at Gilman Site Director

Gilman School, 5047 Roland Ave, Baltimore MD 21210. Call Us at 410-532-2300

Day Camp was painted red, white and blue this week for a Patriotic Plaooza! Although there was no camp on the 4th of July, campers made up for it by showing their American pride on Wacky Wednesday. Decked out in their creative outfits, every tribe competed in Sports Tournament Day. Campers participated in games and got to play with the Patriotic Parachute. Teepee Village had some special guests on Thursday when Oglala parents spent an hour in the morning with their campers. They got a taste of what we do at camp each morning and got to hear the legendary story of the Spirit Stick. The fun continued Thursday afternoon with a Junior Quest Grand Ole Flag Obstacle Course. Friday campers got to experience a special treat when Senior Campers put on The ESF Carnival. This event only happens once a year so it’s a big deal! They spent the afternoon watching magic, getting their face painted and playing games like ring toss and duck pond. Of course, the day wrapped up with awards, to honor campers who went the extra mile this week, and a dance party! Day campers sang their way to carline as the week ended on a high note.

While Senior campers have a True Life Adventure every week, this week Day Camp got to benefit from it too! Their theme was Carnival, Circus and Magic with the goal of putting on a Carnival for all our Day campers. Although campers dedicated a lot of time for preparation, they got to take a break on Wacky Wednesday when they showed up in red, white and blue (and stars and stripes too). They spent the afternoon competing in a Patriotic Pointball Tournament but returned on Thursday ready to get to work. After dedicating Thursday to preparation. it was time for the big day! Senior campers pulled off a flawless carnival complete with games that they created and ran on their own. Some favorite stations were the beanbag toss, golf and balloon animals. The other campers had a blast and are grateful for all the hard work the senior campers put into the day. Great job Senior campers!

In line with ESF tradition, Sports campers kicked off the week with a weekly skills contest to gauge their strengths and weaknesses. This week they focused on their skills in basketball, football, handball and baseball. Coaches reminded campers of tips and tricks to improve on their game. After testing their abilities, campers faced off in games against one another to put what they had learned into action. On Wednesday Sports campers got the chance to join in on Wacky Wednesday by wearing patriotic colors to camp. Thursday was full of friendly competition as the Big East and Big Ten competed in Tournament Day. On Friday campers had another chance to dress up for Super Bowl Day where they wore their favorite football team’s gear for the day. Although camp was full of different team jerseys, the Baltimore Ravens were a crowd favorite. Campers enjoyed channeling their inner NFL stars for the day. Throughout the week Sports campers encompassed the virtue of the week, positivity, and had fun despite heat, rain and uncontrollable obstacles. Way to go Sports campers!

This week we welcomed three Tech Camps and a new Specialty Major Camp! These camps are always exciting because they change each week and offer new experiences. Our Tech Camps consisted of Jr. Robotics, Minecraft and Intro to Programming, who all built on their computer knowledge in different ways. Minecraft campers built their own 3D game adventures while our Jr. Robotics campers worked in a robot lab, bringing their creations to life. In Intro to Programming campers learned the basics of software development to design projects. Our Specialty Major Camp, Jr. Art Studio, worked on various projects this week like Tona Animal Masks and 3D firefly paintings. We’re excited to see what new adventures Tech and Major Camps have in store for us next week!

Gilman School, 5047 Roland Ave, Baltimore MD 21210. Call Us at 410-532-2300

KRISTEN PHILLIPS: Senior Camp Director Meet Kristen, our Senior Camp Director here at ESF at Gilman. Kristen is 31 years old and spending her 11th summer as a member of our team. As a long-time staff member she says she’s looking forward to working with old and new staff members this summer. During the school year Kristen works as physical education teacher at Golden Ring Middle, where she’s been teaching for 10 years. When she’s not working, Kristen plays in a Women’s Soccer League and competes with her friends. She recently got engaged in May and wants to pick a wedding venue and date before the end of summer. Be sure to congratulate her if you see her on campus!

JAY WOJCIECHOWSKI: Teaching Assistant/Subject Matter Expert Jay is 23 and new to ESF this summer. He recently graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Arts where he majored in Game Design and Music Composition. Music is a big part of Jay’s life, he’s even a part of a band! Jay serves as the guitarist in a five man band. He’s one of the two members who have been in the band from the very beginning and loves to perform metal music at shows with his friends. This summer he is looking forward to teaching the Game Design Portal 2 Tech Camp because he’s an expert on the subject. He’ll serve, not only as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) but also as a teaching assistant for other Tech Camps. As a recent graduate he aims to find a job in the Baltimore Area before the summer ends.

Fun Fact: Kristen has a fear of squirrels because she says they could bite or attack. However she’s a big dog lover.

Fun Fact: After starting karate when he was in 5th grade, Jay continued throughout high school and earned his black belt!

Gilman School, 5047 Roland Ave, Baltimore MD 21210. Call Us at 410-532-2300

Gilman School, 5047 Roland Ave, Baltimore MD 21210. Call Us at 410-532-2300

WEEK 4 JULY 10 – JULY 14

Don’t let your summer fun come to an end so soon! Explore programs here!

Add additional weeks of camp through your Online Account!

SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING NEXT WEEK! Day Camp Presents Spectacular Show Week

Senior Camp competes against Georgetown Prep for The Oracle Games World League Day: Gilman Spots Camp vs. Norwood-Fontbonne & Episcopal

Academy Sports Camps New Specialty Major Camp: Ooey Gooey Kablooey: Hands-on Science Fun

FIVE Tech Camps: Robotics 101, Web Design 101, Game Design with ROBLOX®, Jr LEGO® Star Wars & Jr LEGO® Enchanted Castles and Princesses

Stay Informed!

Read our blog to learn more about what’s happening at camp! https://www.esfcamps.com/gilman/news

Follow us on social media!

https://www.facebook.com/ESFsummercamps https://www.instagram.com/esfcamps/

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