In case you missed this series of "sneak peek" videos from our first half of summer,
we thought we'd share them here on the blog. We're always a week or so behind with our photos on Facebook,
because we live without Internet at camp (yay!). These videos should tide you over until next week. Enjoy!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90f6S4PzSB0?list=UUTBl6_O5vTjJeQPlcoeAJaA]
View 4 more clips by clicking the "playlist" option in the upper left, or right here on our YouTube Channel.
As we recap on last week at Camp Spring Creek, we find that the time is flying by because of all of the fun, studying, reading, playing, friend-making and good old camp activities! These good old camp activities include archery, paintball, free swim, creek walks, learning to build shelters in nature, visiting the public pool in Spruce Pine, and going to the lake Sunday morning. On Wednesday July 2, Camp Spring Creek was involved in Penland's annual parade. Camp Spring Creek decided to show-off famous people who have dyslexia. The campers and counselors made signs and face masks. Some of the famous people with dyslexia included Vince Vaughn, Leonardo da Vinci, Cher, Orlando Bloom, Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, John Lennon and Whoopi Goldberg. There was free ice cream after the parade and award ceremony. The campers did an awesome job preparing and being in the parade and they even won an award!
When it became dark, we all stayed for the fireworks show.
Fortunately, those were not the only fireworks we witnessed. On the Fourth of July, Camp Spring Creek went to Bakersville for the Independence Day event. There, we played on the playground, listened to a live band and, once it became dark, watched more fireworks! We're having a bit of trouble getting pics from camp into town, where there is Internet, so please stay tuned and thanks for your patience!
It has been a jam-packed, fun-filled first week here at Camp Spring Creek. The campers have all settled in just fine and there have only been a few mild-cases of homesickness. So far, the activities during this last week included: free swim, kickball, volleyball, capture the flag, creek hikes, dodgeball, water polo and a balloon scavenger hunt. On Friday night, there was a big campfire and we made s'mores. Saturday, we hiked in the Lost Cove (Wilson's Creek). The campers had a great time swimming in the creek and hiking. Sunday, we are going tubing on the river.
When the campers are not doing fun activities, they are busy working with their tutors. The Trail of Pages, the total amount of pages read by campers during the morning reading hour, this week has a total (all campers) of 2,937 pages read. Check below for the whole chart!
It has only been the first week and there have already been some great experiences! 
Check back for more updates!
Here's a group shot of our camp counselors during lifeguard training, which began June 5th and continues
with general camp training right up until the last minute, when the campers arrive on June 15th.
From near and far, we're overjoyed to have a stellar team this summer and can't wait to kick things off!
"When people come together for meals there is more than nourishment for the body," says local potter and friend Shane Mickey. "There is nourishment for the mind and heart."
We feel the same way, and when we asked Shane if he would make serving dishes for our family-style meals at camp, we were touched by his response. "Susie worked with my son while he attended Montessori and that work enabled him to learn at a higher level," recalls Shane. "When I was approached by the camp to make the serving pieces, I considered it an honor to have my work be the presentation platform for all those fortunate campers and caring tutors and camp counselors." Shane says that family-style meals allow for more sharing, because people can gather and discuss the day's events, triumphs, and failures and therefore gain a deeper understanding of one another. Understanding yields support, and for children with dyslexia who may have self-esteeem issues due to struggles in the classroom, that support is a balm. Slow and steady, this adds up to happier children that grow into successful adults who contribute to society--most often through the innovative thinking that dyslexics are known to achieve.
"To me, Camp Spring Creek is a wonderful asset to our community because it not only adds to the diversity of businesses, but what it's mission entails and what they accomplish is heart-warming and incredibly important to the broader context of our society."
Thanks, Shane!
We're delighted to announce that this summer we're offering 5 scholarships to campers through our partnership with OpenDoors of Asheville. The 5 campers will have 4 weeks as boarding campers, fully funded. These scholarships will go to children living in multi-generational poverty as a joint effort between Camp Spring Creek and OpenDoors to make positive, life-altering learning experiences accessible to children of any economic means in Western North Carolina. Last year's scholarship recipients from this partnership had moving things to say after their camp experiences. You can read excerpts from their letters here. We were also able to offer 2 scholarships at 50% to local children and are aspiring to raise another $7700 to support one more scholarship to give a local child 4 weeks of boarding at camp.
If you missed our demographic breakdown by age, gender, and location for this summer season, you can check out who comes to Camp Spring Creek. Suffice it to say, we have a waiting list for the first time in 10 years and we're taking names for early registration for 2015 right now! Please be in touch if you have questions, would like to be considered for a scholarship, or feel inspired to donate money to help us bring one more local child to camp this season!
Ladies and gentlemen, we're pleased to announce that for the first time in Camp Spring Creek history, we are full to capacity with a noteworthy waiting list! Three cheers! Who comes to Camp Spring Creek? We have 19 new campers and 26 returning this year, for a total of 199 camper weeks. Here's the breakdown of our 29 boys and and 16 girls across the summer sessions:
And here's where everyone is from:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkzZ0XipFxM&w=640&h=360]
We're in need of several Certified and Associate Level Orton-Gillingham tutors for the Camp Spring Creek 2014 season. We only have a few openings left, but if qualified applicants are interested in working at camp from June 10 to August 10, please send your resume to our general email inbox: info@campspringcreek.org. Applicants may also contact us at the office by calling 828-766-5032. OG Training with us in advance of employment is sometimes an option, so don't hesitate to inquire. We also have a few tutor positions for half the summer. Applicants to these positions that are not returning staff will need to attend staff training at the start of the summer. In general, we prefer individuals that have already been through training via the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Pracitioners & Educators, but we can provide practicum observations. For example, if an applicant is hired and works the entire 8 weeks, he or she can use up to 5 observations for their practicum. Please be in touch!
This week, Co-founder and Co-director Steve van der Vorst is in Krakow, Poland for the Camp America Camp Director's Fair, where he will get to hand-pick some of our counselors for this summer!
"Our counselors have to be able to show initiative," says Steve. "That’s one reason we conduct many interviews...I can usually get an idea for how energetic someone is, and also, how enthusiastic. A lot of young people want to work at a camp, but most camps in America are large and hire counselors that focus on one specialty. We look for people with skills across the board and we're a small camp, so we want someone comfortable with our family-style dynamic."
In addition to hard skills such as a background in art our outdoor activities, Steve also looks for a sense of humor, experience traveling and being away from home, and a willingness to work hard. Safe travels, Steve, and come back with lots of top picks!