Hi my name is Sara Keller and I’m one of the tutors. I’m originally from Alaska but have lived in NC for the past five years. This is my first year at camp, and I look forward to many more. I can’t believe how time flies, that the first four weeks are over and we are saying goodbye to so many wonderful kids. Every day is an adventure at camp from the moment they get up to the time their heads hit the pillows. At the start of week four we learned that the adventure can continue even after their eyes are tightly closed. We had a huge thunder storm that came through on Sunday night. Since I’m the one writing this, I can say that I was the first one up and knocking on someone else’s door. By the time we all settled back in for the night we had no power and the rain was still falling with rapid force. The girls all piled in for a sleepover just to make everybody, including myself feel safe. As for the boys I heard the next morning that most of the junior boys slept right through the whole thing, and the senior boys braved it out in their own beds. How anybody slept through the crashing of thunder and the buckets of rain I’m not sure, but I guess they were just that tired. All in all it is never a dull moment at Camp Spring Creek even when the lights go out. Last weekend we took a trip camping and to the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. Everybody had a great time even though we had to walk a mile to our campsite with all of our gear. The next morning we packed up and headed to Charlotte for a day of rope climbing, kayaking, zip-lining, and the most sought after event of the day-- rafting the same waters where the Olympic tryouts take place. It was a day filled with laughing, helping, team-building, overcoming fears and enjoying everybody.
Tuesday night brought our second dance for the summer with a Salsa theme. It’s very rewarding to see the kids trying new things and letting their free spirits take them. Earlier in the day everybody learned a few moves for the dance floor in their outdoor class, which also included the polite way of asking a lady to have a dance. That night the young men did a nice job of using there manners to get everybody up and moving.
Next came the Fourth of July and the much anticipated Penland parade. The kids spent the last week in art class getting ready to walk in the parade. They painted a bacdrop that told part of a story, and the rest was the kids telling the story… not just by speaking, but acting out characters. There costumes were wonderfully sculpted balloon animals to represent the characters. They did such a wonderful job that they won most inventive. Following the parade we had some ice cream while waiting for dusk and the fireworks. Another very full day but it was full of love and laughing.
Thursday brought, yep you guessed it, another busy day with tutoring, swimming, art and woodshop. It also brought us to our last night for eight of our campers. We had fun acting out skits, giving awards, and having a few last laughs. Some tears were shed as all of the kids have made such wonderful friends and truly have come together and supported one another.
After a jam packed week Friday finally rolled around. We had a wonderful day and when 6th period rolled around everybody was more than ready for the weekend. After everybody said goodbye and eight wonderful kids drove away, camp was very quiet. With only ten left we enjoyed a lazy night by watching a movie and an early to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep. The girls had a cozy sleepover which brought many giggles.
As for Saturday we went hiking at Linville Falls and stopped for some ice cream on the way home. We had a night of swimming and a campfire. I can’t believe that a month has gone by, and we are halfway through our summer. Sunday brought us ten new campers, and the adventures will continue. Stay tuned to see what next week will bring… I doubt it will be any fewer adventures than the last.
