The Alvernian

Session 1, Week 2 Recap: Spotlight on Our Aquatics Supervisors & Junior Counselor/CIT Supervisors

Dear Parents,

Week 2 has arrived, bringing with it plenty of exciting summer adventures here at Camp Alvernia! This week, we’re thrilled to bring you a special recap from some of our amazing Aquatics Supervisors and our Junior Counselor/CIT Supervisors.

Our Boating, Waterfront and Pool Supervisors are essential members of the Camp Alvernia team. They play a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of your campers each day. Working closely with our Group Supervisors and Counselors, our Junior Counselors and CITs provide an extra layer of supervision — and of course, help bring even more fun to each camp day!

We’re proud to shine a light on their hard work and dedication this week, and we’re excited for you to learn more about the impact they make.

Pool

Hello from the Pool Directors, AJ and Tom!

Being a lifeguard at a summer camp is the epitome of being “professionally silly”, one of our staff’s mottos every summer. We specialize in training our lifeguard staff to take on an enormous responsibility while also recognizing the importance of the youth development side of our jobs. Having fun, being goofy and building relationships with campers helps us take on the most important part of our job at camp: maximizing safety.

Safety can be fun! Our swim lesson instructors have been doing an excellent job teaching our campers how to be safe in and around the water through games that not only teach safety, but also build camaraderie.

Amelia and Ephesian are Water Safety Instructors on our staff, and Amelia is also one of our Team Leaders. They led a swim lesson with the Herons on Wednesday that ended in a fun relay race.

It was awesome to see the teams cheering on their teammates right until the end! We could feel the sense of accomplishment in the campers by the end of the lesson, and all the smiles and laughter was a reminder of why we love what we do.

Looking forward to the rest of the summer!

-AJ & Tom

Pool supervisors

Waterfront

Lifeguards at the waterfront have worked hard getting training and certifications in the off season to be ready to teach and have fun with all campers when they arrive down at boating. All that hard work has paid off as we’ve gotten off to a great start!

Our youngest campers, the Ducklings, Sandpipers, and Plovers, have been loving their time in Power Paddler Cove! Not only have they been learning how to use the power paddlers and kayaks, but the lily pad has been a favorite on these super hot days. Earlier this week, we even had a race between two Plover campers in kayaks. We loved how all the Plovers down at the waterfront were displaying the Alvernian Way - cheering for each other and showing good sportsmanship.

Osprey, Heron, and Eagles have access to more of Centerport Harbor when they go out on kayaks or stand up paddle boards. They are supervised by a certified waterfront lifeguard on the stand and lifeguards in a chase boat, who ensure that everyone is following rules and are there to assist if necessary. Especially popular has been double periods of sailing. If the wind is just right, some campers have even experienced sailing out in the bay.

While all older campers have sailing periods, Heron and Eagle campers have a special opportunity to become US Sailing Level 1 Certified Sailors. Those who decide to earn their sailing certification work hard with our sailing instructors, Brian and Chuck, during a session of camp learning knot tying, boat rigging, and how to sail. They are tested on their skills and then earn the certification. Not only do they get a Certified Sailor hat, but they are also able to take out sailboats without a counselor on board in the future. We encourage all Herons and Eagles to take advantage of this special opportunity!

We’re looking forward to a lot more learning and fun down at the waterfront this summer!

Until next time,

Bob, Erin, and Lauren

Waterfront Supervisors

Junior Counselors + CIT

CIT/JCs were hard at work this week, focusing on goal setting and creating vision quilts. Each CIT/JC wrote 2-4 goals, both specific and general, that related to their work at camp, which they added to their quilts. They also discussed what healthy groups look like, sound like and feel like. Many shared healthy groups are ones where campers are engaged and smiling, where campers laughter and giggles can be heard and where campers feel happy and have a strong sense of belonging.

CITs also focused on strategies for working effectively with campers during various daily activities, while JCs identified both their personal assets and the assets that are around them (supportive resources). It was a fabulous week of learning, connecting and growing together and we look forward to continuing to build on that throughout the summer.

Have a great weekend!

-Sarah & Anika

JC/CIT Supervisors

Eagles

The Eagles had a fun filled week of sports, sailing and team bonding. This week started off with an Eagle vs Heron Soccer game where Calder helped to lead us to victory with her two goals and an assist. The Eagles also played volleyball, knockout at basketball and of course one of their favorites, gaga. During team building, campers took part in a friendly water balloon toss with Gavin, Drew, Olivia, and Calder battling it out as they threw their balloons across the fields to each other. The water activities did not stop there…

…Eagles had their pool party, where although the rain made an appearance, campers continued to enjoy each others’ company while eating pizza and making candy salad! Our Eagle pool parties are a special event open to Eagle campers only after camp and help to build relationships while swimming and laughing with one another.
Catch us next week as we head out on our second trip to go horseback riding!

Eagles out!

-Claude, Kierstin, & Erin

Eagles supervisors

Herons

The Heron age group at Camp Alvernia had an exciting week 2 of camp, spending their days cooling off in the sprinklers, pool, and at the waterfront. Campers have been doing an incredible job during swim lessons, where they’ve been learning and improving their breaststroke, backstroke and diving skills.

Outside of swimming, the Herons have been full of spirit and teamwork. They played an epic soccer match against the Eagles and participated in a massive game of kickball against the Ospreys. At the waterfront, campers are picking up new sailing skills and having a blast on the water. Campers Lily, Gio, and Dante are working hard on their sailing certification.

To wind down, they’ve been getting creative at Oasis, where they’re making some of the coolest bracelets around!

-Jack

Heron Supervisor

Ospreys

Week 2 of camp has been an eventful week for the Ospreys! They have been sailing, swimming, playing sports, eating ice cream, and so much more. Every group got the chance to sail this week and many showed off their paddling and kayaking skills. We played an intense game of Heron vs Ospreys kickball and the Ospreys came out on top. All of the Ospreys got the chance to tie-dye their own Camp Alvernia shirts and they experimented with different patterns like the swirl, stripes, and bold color combos. As always, we jumped right into classic camp activities. Gaga was in full swing all week with competitive but friendly matches. We hope everyone is excited for our “In The Game” special day next week and we hope everyone has a great weekend!

-Juliet

Osprey supervisor

Plovers

The Plovers are still trying new skills every day. We are especially proud of the campers who went on power paddlers for the first time this week! Way to go! The pool staff were graciously accommodating this week during super hot days, and were able to give the Plovers extra pool time! They loved splashing around with their friends in the wadding pool. Plovers have enjoyed hanging out with the camp dog, Fiver! He’s visited many groups on the playground, baseball field, and by the dance stage. The Plovers love giving him cuddles! We look forward to our special day “In the Game” next Thursday!

Have a great weekend!

-Brianna

Plover supervisor

Sandpipers

Sandpipers had so much fun this week! We saw crazy hats on Wednesday, tie dyed on Thursday, and cooled off with ice pops all week long! The sprinklers were a big hit for all Sandpipers.

They especially loved the one on the baseball field! Don’t forget your bathing suits, sunscreens, and water shoes as we enjoy another fun filled week on Monday!

-Talia & Brad

Sandpiper supervisors

Ducklings This week was super exciting for the Ducklings! They got to try lots of new things and have new experiences! At Arts & Crafts on Tuesday, they learned how to tie dye shirts, gaining creativity, artistic, and independence skills by choosing their own colors and patterns to use on their shirts.

When the Ducklings went down to the waterfront, they tried out the powerpaddlers and learned how to maneuver them through the water! Gianna, Zach, and Giavanna tried using kayaks, using the paddles to propel themselves!

On Thursday, they were able to utilize one of the bigger pools, where they practiced swimming, floating and holding their breath. Leo, Theodore, Edward, and Carter went down the waterslides! This week was full of firsts, new experiences, and getting out of their comfort zone! Each and every day, the little Ducklings are growing and blossoming into confident, kind, and independent people!

-Matty & Linda

Duckling supervisors

We’ll leave you with Badyr’s Quote of the Week: