If you see your son making a hand symbol with his index and ring finger down, know that it’s a good thing. It’s sign language for an “I”, “L” and “U”, meaning “I love you”. It’s a reminder that it’s cool2care.
Another reminder were periods of "Porch Time" with Shep. It’s hang-out time, where Shep brings up a topic to discuss, Scooby Snacks are shared, and then it's question time. Today’s discussion was about ok vs not ok. If you’re not sure if it’s appropriate, ask yourself if you’d do or say it in front of Arleen or Shep. At the end, the questions are always interesting. Sometimes they’re about “the old days” when Shep was a counselor. A lot of times they ask about his hair: "Did you ever have any? If you did have some, what color would it be?"
At "Gentleman’s Academy", there was lots of discussion as well. That’s when you have a period with this camp director at a pretend “restaurant”. You learn about setting a table, how to be a waiter (serve from the left, clear from the right), napkins on laps and wait till all are served, etc. What’s the proper way to let a waiter know you’re unhappy about something? What do you do when going out to dinner with a friend’s family and the parent insists on paying even though your mom or dad said to use the money they gave you?
"Gentleman’s Academy" usually starts with a walk-through of the big kitchen. The guys are amazed by the giant dishwasher. It’s always cool (literally) to go inside one of the walk-in freezers on a day like today. Today we ended up selecting Ed’s Maintenance Barn for the restaurant. A round of "Thorns & Roses" (when you name two things that you like and one that you don’t) always gets us talking. "Would You Rather" questions and answers are really fun (and funny) too.
It was "Tie Dye Factory" at Chilltop today! All ages love to make these shirts. It’s a laid-back project for the campers, but anything but for Mary Beth. She has to twist, rinse, wash and dry each one of them. Thanks for making it look easy, MB!
At Bruce’s "Cool Tools" some fantastic projects are being made. Check out the wooden games that the boys built.
The 13U lacrosse team had an awesome day at the Hejduk field today. The team showed up with over 30 guys, a great sign for the future of Skylemar lacrosse. The boys impressed in a pair of games of intercamp contests coming away victorious in both. Aidan R represented us well in net, with brother Jared alongside as one of our toughtest defenders. TI helped control the faceoff X, while the Snyder brothers produced well on the offensive side of the ball, and the energy remained high on the sideline throughout.
Spirit Night began with Cool2Care honorable mentions, which included Jake M, Ollie R, Eli D, Nico PH, Dash H and Diego. The chain went from Jacob N to Dylan S, who was described by others as “a hall of famer when it comes to kindness and good manners”. Dylan was awarded a jersey representing one of his counselors' colleges, which symbolizes how a counselor helps to mold you into a man of fine character. Tonight he wears a University of Maryland shirt with the name Butler on the back. Well deserved!
