Session 1 Week 2 Newsletter Summer 2019

Sothue thwoods Way

Issue 138 Summer 2019 July 11, 2019

Southwoods Stage Stars!

What an incredible week it has been! The other show in the Playhouse was
We’ve been lucky enough to have the All Camp Talent Show! This
three different performances in the event is something campers can sign
Southwoods Playhouse recently- up for, and gives them a chance to
Lower Camp Airband, Upper Camp show off their unique and amazing
Airband, and our All Camp Talent talents! We had some unbelievably
Show! At Southwoods, campers are impressive performances this
encouraged to take risks and step summer, like Upper Junior Girl Leyla
outside of their comfort zones, and Kalagoglu’s tae kwon do
one of the ways they do that is demonstration, Upper Inter Girls
through these performances! Alexa Citron, Eva Cichosz, Jessica
Zawadzki, and Cassidy Sacks
The Southwoods bunkline has been performing All of Me, and Upper
humming with music and chatter all Junior Boy James Wang playing Old
week as everyone practiced and Town Road on the ukulele! All of the
perfected their Airband Southwoods campers are talented in
performances! We loved seeing all of so many ways!
the amazing dances this summer, and
everyone picked such a wide range of It is so amazing that all of our
songs! Some favorites were the Upper campers have the confidence to get
Junior Girls with Fabulous from High up in front of the whole camp and
School Musical, and the Upper Inter perform. That’s the Way, the
Boys of Panther with Bad Guy by Southwoods Way!
Billie Eilish. We are so proud of
everyone’s Airband performances!

In This Issue: - Southwoods ninja warrior day!
- Southwoods Stage Stars
- terrific times at trek! - Exciting Electives!
- staff member of the week - camper contributions
- a letter from Andrea and Scott - Sunday summaries
- the week in photos

Page 2

Terrific Times at TREK!

T I can’t hear you, R a little louder, E that’s better, K now
you’ve got it, T-R-E-K TREK TREK TREK! Do you know how
many different things campers get to do at TREK each
summer? Our TREK team runs the Southwoods Outdoor
Education program, which means that they run different
programs on camp like climb and the ropes course, and
also lead off camp trips like hiking and caving! Every age
group at Southwoods will go on a TREK trip during the
session! Since the beginning of the summer, TREK has
taken Southwoods campers on eight overnights, seven
hikes, six bike trips, and three caving trips! They’ve also
been running climb, rappel, low pines, and the high pines
rope course on camp. All of these experiences allow our
campers to challenge themselves in a safe environment
and try new and fun things! We are so lucky at Southwoods
to have such an amazing outdoor program!

Staff Member of the Week:

Amarith is our staff member of the week! This first year counselor for
the Upper Junior Girls has made a huge splash in her cabin and at the
waterfront, where you can find her teaching swim lessons and helping
our campers have a safe and fun time in the lake!

Full Name: Amarith Kaur Koner
Hometown: Wolverhampton, England
Role at Southwoods: Lifeguard
Years at Southwoods: 1st summer!
Favorite Activities at Camp: Swimming at the waterfront
Favorite Events at Camp: Airband
Favorite Campfire Song: The Moose Song
Favorite Canteen Snack: M&Ms

SoTuhethwoodsWay
PAGE 3
A LETTER FROM ANDREA & SCOTT

Dear Southwoods Campers,
WOW…! Can you believe how fast the days here at camp have gone by? As we take a moment to stop, take a
breath and look back over all of the fun things we have done this past week, it is easy to see why time has gone

by so quickly.
Fantastic events like: Southwoods Ninja Warrior Day, Lower Juniors trip to the Pool, Upper Seniors Boston Trip,

Lower Seniors Trip to Burlington, Upper Inters Six Flags Great Escape and Water-park trip, Upper Camp Air-
band, Super Seniors Flying West, Start of Project Morry Swim-A-Thon, Lower Camp Panic, Upper Camp
Rainbow Warriors, Tribal Track Meet, Tribal Candy Hunt, Tribal Advisor lunch, our Varsity sports under the

lights - baseball & volleyball, trek trips – biking, caving, hiking, canoe overnights, camping overnights, horseback
riding trips, all in addition to our regular scheduled program. Who does more fun stuff than Southwoods
does…NO-BOD-EEEEEY!!!

We also have to give a shout out to all our amazing Southwoods athletes. We have been blown away by the skill
and effort our teams have shown. Simply put, our campers have dominated inter-camp play this year... We have

played in 11 inter-camp events with Southwoods posting wins or ties in every soccer game 4/4 and 3/4 in
basketball and huge wins in Swim. We have more tennis, swim, baseball and soccer yet to come so stay tuned.
Andrea and I also wanted to share with you how very proud we are of our campers and staff. We make follow
up thank you calls to each venue and camp that Southwoods visits. Every single location has again shared that
Southwoods campers and staff are the most polite and respectful camp they host. Now that is the Southwoods

Way!!!
Lastly, believe it or not, camp is flying by…so we all want to make sure that we stop, take a moment, and enjoy
every second of where we are and who we are with, because before you know it, camp will be over and we will

have to wait another whole year before we all get to do it again.
Love,

Andrea & Scott

Mission Statement:
Southwoods is committed to empowering people. Our goal is to build confidence and self esteem by

reinforcing positive human values. We achieve that goal through cutting-edge programming
implemented by a carefully selected and fully trained staff whose investment in children, like our

own is unparalleled.

Page 4

Southwoods Ninja Warrior Day!

Hyah! This week’s special event day was the first ever
Southwoods Ninja Warrior Day!! In the morning,
campers went to electives and got a chance to design their
very own ninja headbands! After a delicious picnic lunch
in the Grove, we headed off to test our physical and
mental agility. On the soccer field, campers raced on an
intense obstacle course to see who would be crowned the
Southwoods Ninja Warrior Champion! We also played
some games like Giant Jenga and Giant Connect Four! In
the Grove, campers tried out different puzzles and games like Minute To Win It, Heads Up,
and more! We finished off our rotations back on the soccer field with time on the slip-n-slide
and the giant sprinkler! Everyone discovered their inner ninja at Southwoods Ninja Warrior
Day! Next we all headed down to the beach for a cookout by the water. After dinner, Lower
Camp headed to the Playhouse for a movie night and watched Kung Fu Panda! Meanwhile,
Upper Camp was competing in Rainbow Warriors, a favorite evening activity among our
Upper Campers! The first Southwoods Ninja Warrior Day was a huge success!

exciting electives!!

Did you know that we add new electives
and activities at Southwoods every
summer? For 2019, the big new things are
Fitness and Spin, Life Skills, and Drone
Racing! Campers love working out in our
brand new Fitness Studio, playing with
our Eleet of drones on the Baseball Eield,
and learning about how to change a tire or
address an envelope in Life Skills! There’s
always something new to learn at camp!

Page 5

Camper Contributions

What Is It About Southwoods?

By: Alexa Citron

A question I always wonder is, why do people come back to camp? I decided to
go around camp and ask campers and staff why they come back to
Southwoods every year. I got a lot of different answers. Here is what people
said.
“There’s always something new to do!” said Bailey Ralls, a Lower Senior Girl.
She said that she likes trying new things and seeing her friends again.
Carley Schor, the Arts and Crafts specialist, said she enjoys meeting new people and building friendships that
last outside of camp. “I don’t just come back because it’s a job. I come back because of the Southwoods
experience,” she explained.
“All of the memories I’ve created and all of the friendships I’ve made,” said SoLia Nossel, a Lower Senior Girl. She
likes being at camp with her camp friends.
Evan Heidel, a Lower Senior Boy, enjoys being at the waterfront. “That’s probably my favorite place,” he said. He
also likes seeing his friends and being at camp with them.
Ali Passarella, a Lower Senior Girl, said that she loves the activities at Southwoods, such as basketball which is
where I interviewed her. “My camp friends are also really important to me.”

“Southwoods is just like any other camp, right?” a parent might ask Scott or Andrea. To some people, sure. But I
know that to every camper here at Southwoods, it’s a safe and fun place like no other. I have asked myself, “Why
do I come back? What is so special about Southwoods?” After four years of the best summers of my life, I know
that I wouldn’t be the same person if I didn’t go to camp. I can’t imagine my life without Southwoods.

Page 6

Camper Contributions

Interviews with Southwoods Staff

By: Sophia Huang
What do all of the staff at Southwoods do at camp? What do
they think about their jobs? As the campers are enjoying their
busy day, the staff members are helping to make it perfect.
There is just something special and unique about the
Southwoods staff. I interviewed several of them.

“My girls are some of the wackiest, high energy, goofy, and fun
people I have ever met. There’s never not a smile on my face,”
said Emma Ralls, a cabin specialist for the Upper Inter Girls.
“I’m constantly entertained by their silly antics.” Emma has
been at camp for 13 years, and this is her second year as a counselor. “It’s hard to imagine my summer
without camp, because I have been at camp for as long as I can remember. It’s my second home.”

Wen Yu is a photographer at Southwoods, and this is her Lifth year at camp. “I miss seeing the kids here,
and I have a lot of friends here too,” she explained. Wen Yu found out about Southwoods through her
sister Wendy. “Southwoods is a very good camp. It’s easy to Lind out more about Southwoods,” she said.
She is part ofLice clerk and part media team, and she also enjoys getting to know the campers at
Southwoods.

Susan Albow, a doctor at the Safe Haven, emphasized that she loves to see the campers smiling. “My job
is special because I get to see, talk, and treat the kids to make them feel better. I like taking care of other
people,” she said. “I found out about Southwoods from another doctor, and his kids are at Southwoods
too!” She also talked about how her son Shai loves Southwoods, and so she decided to come back every
year too.

“I get to help the kids have the summer of their lives, and I get to play all summer too,” Cole Everett
answered. “The campers are pretty cool.” Cole is the head counselor for the Upper Camp Boys, and also
gets to talk to parents. “Every day my job is different,” he said. When asked why he came back to camp,
he responded, “I came back to continue working with the upper camp boys that I’ve worked with for
the past two years. And also to enjoy the fresh air.”

I think the Southwoods staff are pretty awesome. We should all get to know the counselors, they are
not only hard working, they are also amazing to talk to and have fun personalities.

Page 7

Camper Contributions

Going Caving Next we went down this downwards slope

By: Alexa Citron into a body of water in the cave. We had to

I was pretty nervous to go caving. I had done it last slide down straight into the water. It was so
summer, but that felt like years ago. My cabin of Upper cold! We swam for a minute or two with the
Inter Girls put on our swimsuits, sweatshirts, water up to our chests. We came out
sweatpants, and back up sneakers. We got in the van for shivering but smiling. About twenty minutes
an hour and a half ride and then we were at the caving later we were done with the cave! We came
site. We were all kind of worried. We got some chips and out and went to change into our clean clothes
waited for the Lower Inter Boys to Linish their trip. and eat sandwiches. Then we got back into
Finally they came out of the cave and it was our turn to the van and got to go to Stewarts Ice Cream
go in wearing our helmets and Llashlights. The entrance for a post-caving treat! I got Fireworks ice
basically looked like a hole in the ground. None of us cream which has pop rocks in it. It was
believed that was actually how we were going to get in amazing!! Back in the van we go to drive back
but it was. One by one we lowered ourselves into the to camp.
dark cave.
Even though sometimes it was scary, and it
The Lirst room we went into was called the “bedroom”. was dark and cold, I’m proud of myself for
Once everyone was in, we all turned off our Llashlights going. Me and the other Upper Inter Girls
into pitch darkness. You couldn’t see anything. If you conquered our fears together. In the end, I’m
waved your hand in front of your face you couldn’t see really glad I went caving.
it. We were preparing our eyes to be in the dark. Once
all of the Llashlights were back on, we climbed up onto a
platform to go through “sardines in a can”. We had to
army crawl all the through and it was kind of
claustrophobic. Once we got through we crawled and
climbed for a while through a few more tight squeezes.
Then we got to the “nostrils”. The nostrils are like the
halfway point of the cave. We had to crawl and squeeze
and even climb backwards at one point. It was stressful
but we all helped each other get through it. We were
relieved to all make it through.

Sunday Summaries

Tribal Track and a Classic Campfire!

This Sunday was our Tribal Track competition! Iroquois, Navajo, and Mohawk
battled it out in an incredible display of athleticism. The main track events like
the 100 yard dash and the 4 by 100 relay were happening on the Soccer field,
while the main field events like softball distance and long jump were happening
on the Baseball field. After all of those events finished, we gathered on the soccer
field for the all-camp events: the Dizzy Izzy, the Scooter Race, and the Great
Adirondack Shoe Hunt! Campers from all three tribes fought and cheered as
hard as they could! In the afternoon, everyone split up for Group and Individual
games, followed by Tribal meetings. At the end of the day, Iroquois emerged
victorious and kept their flag at the top of the flag pole! Tribal War 2019 is really
heating up- what will happen next week at Tribal Swim??

After the Tribal day concluded, we rounded out Sunday in the classic
Southwoods tradition: with an all camp campfire! Scott reminded campers that
we’re now halfway done with camp, and encouraged them to take advantage of
all of the amazing things that Southwoods has to offer. Every week has the
potential to be the best week of camp! The Lower Camp Girls hosted this weeks
campfire with the theme of Confidence, and all of them displayed great
confidence while performing in front of camp! We also had some favorite
campfire songs like the Moose Song, the Bazooka Bubblegum Song, Little Cabin
in the Woods, and Three Neon Buzzards! Campfire was closed out by Lucas and
Taz, who played some camp favorites like Stand by Me. What an incredible
Sunday at Southwoods!

Page 9

This Week in Photos