Camp Arowhon

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September 30, 2013

Why We Don’t Sugar Coat

The hardest part of my summer job is supervising the LIT (Leader In Training) Program. The mission of the program: to grow our oldest campers into capable staff members. Arowhon’s mission of social and emotional safety depends entirely on the staff’s ability to make it real, so we hire very selectively. Most of our LIT’s […]

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September 27, 2013

Letter from a camper mom

Hi Joanne, Somehow I missed opening up one of our recent envelopes from Camp A until last evening…. out tumbled a swimming badge, some awards and an extraordinary letter from Adam Ruzzo. We know that Elliot (Schrider) is very musical and, although he only started playing guitar at the end of January, his progress has […]

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September 26, 2013

Why we don’t let campers sneak out at night

I’ve had a few parents calling me in the past week about campers sneaking out of their cabins at night at other camps. Apparently it’s the cool thing to do at some camps. Which makes me sad. I know what kids do when they sneak out to visit the opposite sex in the middle of […]

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September 25, 2013

Camp Has a Lot to Teach the World

There are many things I do at camp that are unacceptable elsewhere in the world (burping competitions at the dinner table, wearing socks and sandals, shoving cake in people’s faces to name a few), but there are some things I think the rest of the world ought to learn from camp. Last weekend my brother […]

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September 23, 2013

Letter from a new 2013 Arowhon parent

BTW, one other note for Joanne and all the staff.  We rented a cottage in August and each night Adam (AGE 9!!!!) built the camp fire based on what he learned at Camp Arowhon.  On top of that, he also went kayaking with me for about an hour a day in separate kayaks and we […]

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September 19, 2013

Extra Curriculars: Whose Choice?

There was a period, during each of my children’s early adolescence, when I fantasized that they would go to Harvard. This bit of maternal foolishness was a way of expressing two things: Wow! My kids are so smart! I’m so proud of having smart kids. Yes, it does reflect on me (despite my protestations to […]

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September 13, 2013

Arowhon paddlers enter the longest single day paddling race in the world

Representing Camp Arowhon in the longest single day paddling race in the world – Assistant Director Max Muszynski and former Head Canoeing Instructor Ben Kates. The race starts tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 7 am and goes from Huntsville to Bracebridge and back – 130 km with 19 portages. There’s no stopping on the race, so […]

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September 12, 2013

The Red Gods Live!

It’s been a tough few weeks here on Teepee Lake. First the Main Lodge was emptied out. Once the plaques and the chandeliers and the sinks were all gone, our beloved ML looked almost dead. Then, on Tuesday of last week the “big claw” destroyed the ML. Mara and I stood there all day, in […]

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September 11, 2013

A camp director’s thoughts on sexting

Sexting is bad. Our kids know – because we’ve told them –  that any image they transmit over the internet will take on an uncontrollable life of its own, may go viral, and could do them irreparable and lasting harm. This is old news – so old that we need to figure out another way […]

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September 5, 2013

The Main Lodge is down

and the good news is…. that camp really DOES change children’s lives for the better. A new study from the University of Waterloo found as follows: WATERLOO, ON – The positive development that children and youth experience at summer camp results in sustained behavioural changes at home, school and in the community, says a new […]

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