Dear readers,
Camp has been abuzz with excitement this past week! On Sunday morning our Apes departed for their four day, three night canoe trip down the St. Croix River. While we missed our Apes dearly the past few days, the fun continued even in their absence!
For starters, as per tradition, the Mots and Pios bunks stepped up in many ways during the past few days to lead the camp as the oldest bunks on camp! During Sunday’s line up, the Mots and Pios announced which bunks they would be “motting” and “pioing.” For some background, at the beginning of the summer each of our oldest campers (the Apes) is paired with a younger bunk to help out with, participate in activities with, and hang out with. For instance, three of the female Apes may “ape” Bunk 3, meaning that they go with Bunk 3 to their bunk activities in the morning and hang out with Bunk 3 on Friday nights after Shabbat singing. However, when the Apes go on their canoe trip, the Mots and Pios are paired with bunks to “mot” and “pio” for a few days. This is a very exciting opportunity for the Mots and Pios, who are able to step into a leadership role in a bunk and form new connections with younger campers! While the Mots and Pios were only able to spend a few days with their assigned bunks in an official capacity, they were sure to make the most of these few days by joining the younger bunks for morning activities, meals, and evening activities.
The past few days have also been filled with many exciting evening programs for our campers (many of which were elaborately planned by the Mots and Pios)! Last night Bunk 1, Bunk 2, Chippies, and Beavers enjoyed the “Chocolate Seder,” a spin-off of the Passover seder that features breaking the Kit Kat instead of breaking the middle matzah and drinking four cups of chocolate milk instead of drinking four glasses of wine. Bunk 3, Bunk 4, Eagles, and T-Birds danced the night away in the MoCo in a prom-themed event hosted by the Mots and Pios. Pairs of counselors from the Mots and Pios bunks launched campaigns for prom king and queen and speeches were given on behalf of the candidates leading up to the election. Haven 1 and the Foxes enjoyed a “life skills” themed evening activity in which campers visited different stations focusing on various skills ranging from meditation to self defense to fire building. Haven 2 and the Wolves took part in “cupcake wars!” Campers were split into groups of four and were given 15 cupcakes and 30 cupcake dollars. After a quick planning session, each group was able to use their 30 dollars to shop for supplies, including frosting, sprinkles, twizzlers, mike and ikes, and sour straws. Groups then spent thirty minutes creating a cupcake masterpiece centered around the theme of “seasons.” Once time ran out, Wendy took on the role of cupcake judge, looking at each group’s creating and providing feedback before ultimately selecting a winner. The phrase “best activity ever!” was repeated several times throughout the night!
Just a few minutes ago the entire camp lined up by the driveway to welcome back our beloved Apes as they returned from their canoe trip, and we could not be more excited to spend the rest of our summer all together!
Check back soon for more news from Belgrade!
Molly, Sarah, and Harrison
