Session 1 Week 1 Newsletter Summer 2019

Sothue thwoods Way

Issue 137 Summer 2019 July 4, 2019

Welcome Home to Southwoods!

Can you believe it’s already been attended the Activity Fair, and
a week since the buses arrived at gone on a camp-wide scavenger
Southwoods? Campers flocked to hunt that ended in Tribal Break!
camp from all over the world, and
the excitement to be back together Week 1 has been full of the best of
at Southwoods was contagious all what Southwoods has to offer! All
week long! Campers new and old of our campers have participated
have made new friends, tried new in a variety of activities with their
things, and learned how to live the bunks and discovered new
Southwoods Way together! passions at camp! We’ve also
started electives, which are
Since last Wednesday, we’ve sent activities where campers get to
our Upper Seniors Boys and Girls choose what they want to do! You
to hike Cascade, we’ve sent the can look forward to some camper
Upper Inter Girls and Lower articles in our upcoming issues of
Inter Boys on caving trips, the The Southwoods Way, written by
Lower Inter Girls and Boys both members of the Newsletter
faced off against Echo Lake in elective! After such an incredible
intercamps, and the Upper Week 1, we can’t wait to see what
Juniors have gone on their trip to new adventures our campers will
the Fun Spot! We’ve also all taken have during Week 2! We are so
our skill checks at the Waterfront, happy to have everyone back
together at Southwoods!

In This Issue: - HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS
- WELCOME HOME TO SOUTHWOODS! - Sunday summaries
- FUN IN THE SUN - CAMP friends are the best friends!
- STAFF MEMBER OF THE WEEK - the week in photos
- A Letter FROM Andrea AND Scott

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fun in the sun!

The Southwoods Waterfront is one of the most beautiful places
on Earth! Since arrival day, all of our campers have been down
at the waterfront to take their Skills Check, which helps our
amazing Waterfront team know where they’ll be safe to swim!
Everyone at Southwoods (both campers and counselors) takes a
skills check, and receives either a red, blue, or gold tag.
Red tag swimmers can swim in the shallow end, blue tag
swimmers can swim in the shallow end and lap lanes, and gold
tag swimmers can swim in the shallow end, lap lanes, and deep
end! At Southwoods, we encourage campers to try their skill
checks again, after some swimming lessons from a member of
the waterfront staff. Some of our campers have already worked
hard with the lifeguards and moved up a tag level! No matter
your tag color, everyone can have a wonderful time at the
Southwoods waterfront!

Staff Member of the Week:

John is our Staff Member of the Week! John is a first year Lower Inter Boy
counselor who is doing an amazing job helping our campers to be their best at
tennis! John is always friendly and ready to help out whenever needed with a
smile on his face.

Full Name: John Irving Payne III
Nickname: John
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Role at Southwoods: Tennis Specialist
Years at Southwoods: 1st summer!
Favorite Activities at Camp: Teaching tennis electives and kayaking
Favorite Event at Camp: Apache Relay
Hidden Talents: Picking things up with my toes
Favorite Campfire Song: Moose Alpaca
Favorite Canteen Snack: Skittles

SoTuhethwoodsWay
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A LETTER FROM ANDREA & SCOTT

Dear Southwoods Campers,
It is very hard to believe that we have already been here for EIGHT days. The ownership and
excitement you have all shown in creating the most amazing, welcoming atmosphere here at
Southwoods this first week continues to make Andrea and I very proud of you. The way each
group has welcomed our new campers truly reminds us that it is you, our campers, who make
The Southwoods Way work. How exciting and fun it is going to be to have a front row seat as

we watch what you create during the rest of the summer.
As far as the action goes here at camp, the pace has been fast and furious. Let’s think about all
that has gone on since you got to Southwoods: Arrival Day, the fun and crazy get to know you

welcome games, Welcome Campfire, Tribal break, Halloween and Trick or Treating, an
amazing Fireworks display, Trek trips – Caving, Biking, Camping overnights, Canoe

overnights, Hiking trips, Upper Senior 3 day trip to Boston, Upper Senior Boy and the Upper
Senior Girl Cascade Mountain hike, Lower Senior White Water Rafting Trip, Upper Junior trip
to The Fun Spot for Roller Skating and Laser Tag, Lower Junior overnight at the beach, Lower
Camp Air-band, Group campfires, Tribal Tug of War, Upper and Lower camp Play Auditions,
horseback riding trips, swim skills assessments, plus our regular daily schedule. WOW! Can
you believe that we did all this in just the first few days? If you think that is a lot, hang on as

things just get crazier...
Camp has opened to a wonderful start, due in no small part to the great job our Upper Seniors

– 2019 Tribal Chieftains – have been doing. You have been everywhere pumping excitement
and spirit into all of our camp events. Well done gang. Go Iroquois, Go Mohawk, Go Navajo,

Go SOUTHWOODS!!!!
Love,

Andrea and 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.

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Halloween Happenings

Boo! This week’s special event day was Halloween!
We celebrated everyone’s favorite fall holiday
Southwoods style! We started the day with a Fall
Festival, featuring inflatables and a hayride around
camp! Campers also got to have fun down at the
Waterfront, and get ready for trick-or-treating at
Arts and Crafts! Head Staff members were
stationed around the bunkline in costume to hand
out tasty treats.
Afterwards, we headed to the Rec Hall for our Halloween Dance Party! Everyone put on
their Halloween best and danced the night away to their favorite songs! We finished the
night with fireworks on the Lacrosse Field to celebrate the 4th of July! We wish it could
be Halloween every day!

CAmP fRIeNDs ArE tHE BEsT fRIeNDs!

SUNDAY SUMMARIES

Tribal Break, Tribal Tug, and Campfire!
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Tribal Break happened on Saturday night! Following a camp wide
scavenger hunt, each age group found a clue directing them to the Upper
Courts, where a massive box was waiting with several combination locks.
After each group shared their number, the box opened to reveal a huge
bunch of balloons and- TRIBAL FAKE!!! During the mayhem, Scott
reminded the campers that Tribal could still break at any moment, at which
point… TRIBAL BREAK!!!!! Everyone jumped up in excitement to grab a
colored paper and Lind out which tribe they’d be cheering on this summer.

On Sunday morning, Iroquois, Navajo, and Mohawk faced off in a Lierce
Tribal Tug battle, followed by group and individual games in the afternoon.
After an intense day of competition, it was Iroquois who raised their tribe’s
Llag at evening lineup! There’s tons of Tribal War left to go- who will come
out victorious? We’ll just have to wait and see!

Every Sunday night at Southwoods features our traditional all-camp
campLire. This week, the Upper Inters hosted with the theme of
Perseverance! CampLire also included some camp classics like the Penguin
song, the Milk song, and a new favorite from Lauren Hohman called the
Chicken song! Upper Junior Boy Group Leader Lucas Sidle closed out
campLire on the guitar, playing songs such as Old Town Road and Take Me
Home, Country Roads. We can’t wait for the next campLire!

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This Week in Photos