Director's Corner - Tuesday, July 23
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Fun, Fun, Fun
And she'll have fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the T-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun, 'till her daddy takes the T-bird away)
Today was a great day! Although we had a bit of rain this morning, we were well-prepared to maintain the same level of fun and experience our campers are accustomed to. Our many indoor facilities allowed us to smoothly transition activities indoors. Once the weather cleared, we quickly resumed our scheduled programs.
I had the opportunity to visit the farm during hobbies today. I'm amazed by our productive facility, which includes an organic garden, sheep, bunnies, chickens, goats, and ducks. Our friendly cow Amy, nicknamed Big Butter, joined the family farm during Maccabiah. The farm also features a classroom for farm education and creative nature projects, along with both indoor and outdoor kitchens for preparing farm-to-table dishes.
This afternoon, I visited our rock band hobby, where the well-established band "Pickle Slay" was busy filming their "rocumentary" about their journey from startup to today. It's fun to see a group of kids start in Makor, learning instruments and creating music, and now, in Kesher, still going strong. I’m looking forward to their performance at the Fine Arts Fest and the presentation of their "rocumentary." As you can see from our Maccabiah theme, music is an important part of what makes Beber so special. Supporting campers in these creative endeavors is truly special.
Here are a few more area director introductions:
Maddie Bird
Hello there, my name is Maddie and I am the Music Area Director this summer. I just finished my sophomore year at George Washington University in DC. I am a third generation (14th summer) Beber staff member as I am the daughter of Kym Bird and the granddaughter of Ron and Cheryl Kaplan. It is an honor to be able to bring music into the lives of Beber campers. Teaching campers how to record music, play an instrument or sing on stage in our Glee Club just “rocks”! I am looking forward to preparing the campers to showcase their talents in the Fine Arts Festival at the end of the session. Rock on!
Russell Wiener
Russell Wiener is a musician, producer, performing artist, and music educator celebrating his 20th summer at Beber Camp. Based out of Los Angeles, CA he has toured the country and put out many records with his bands The Nextdoors and The Title Trackers, and has engineered recordings and managed tours for luminaries such as Alan Parsons and David Pack among others. He is proud to say he has played many shows, and produced many recordings, with and for so many talented former campers and staff of Beber. Russell is our music AD emeritus and provides important technical guidance to our music program.
Ciara Cunningham
Hi everyone, I'm Ciara Cunningham from Ireland, and I've just wrapped up my first year as a Maths and Science teacher in Dublin. Since 2019, I've been a dedicated staff member at Beber Camp, taking on roles like PIO Leader and Senior Ramot Counselor. This summer, I'm excited to return as the Fine Arts Director, continuing the role I loved last year. Fine arts covers a broad area of hobbies including indoor cooking, newspaper, dance and the musical.
Freya McDowel
Hi I’m Freya and this is my 3rd year at Beber! I am a Sailing and Windsurfing Area Director. I learned how to windsurf while working on a French island and then went on to instruct in Greece for the next 3 years. Now I’m the Sailing and Windsurfing director at camp! I love the water! There is nothing better than hopping on a board and feeling the wind take you across the lake!
Alice Leng
Hey everyone, my name is Alice and I’m from London, England! This is my second year at camp, and this year I am the Aquatics Director. That means I oversee the programming that happens at the pool, which essentially means I get to spend every day in the sunshine at the best location on camp. My favorite part about camp has to be free swim, when campers from all divisions come to the pool to chat and play games, and of course to jibit trade and play mahjong. Back at home I’ve just graduated university and for the past year I’ve been interning in events management, as well as working part time as a swimming instructor. I am so excited to be back at Beber, and I am looking forward to another summer of learning new things, meeting new people and, of course, lots of fun!
David “Swany” Swanson
My first summer at Beber was 1998! To say that my time here has built me into who I am today would be an understatement. I have had the privilege for the last 11 summers to be the Waterfront Director where I have worked alongside exceptional staff as well as spent time with an uncountable number of cool campers. The energy and culture on the Waterfront is the place to be and I look forward to all that I share time with.
You can check all the Area Directors here.
Today’s Meals
Breakfast: Eggs and hash brown potatoes
Lunch: Hotdog bar
Dinner: Pasta with alfredo or marinara sauce, garlic bread and mixed veggies
Tonight, Kesher exploded with talent on the Beber stage as campers sang, danced, and performed skits for their friends and counselors in the Kesher talent show. There was no shortage of acts, and performances were met with standing ovations, cheers, shout-outs, and "oh snaps"! I love the confidence that exudes from the campers when they get offstage to such adoration from their peers.
Makor had their turn with an Olympics-themed evening program. They played a rock-paper-scissors battle, created an Olympic ring chain in arts and crafts, played gaga, and had a rousing game of tug-of-war.
Ramot enjoyed a night of games, playing everything from Twister to Rummikub, Headbands, and ping pong. They were so involved and had a great time playing with their staff and friends.
Our CITs took a trip to the University of Wisconsin at Madison for a tour led by one of our own Beber alumni. They spent the day hanging out and exploring Madison. Meanwhile, our PIOs visited the University of Iowa for a tour led by another Beber alum who is a member of Hillel. These college campus tours serve a dual purpose: they allow our campers to explore potential places for higher learning and see how their Judaism can connect them as they further their academic careers.
We celebrated several birthdays today at camp. It is a special tradition for the entire camp to sing "Happy Birthday" in both Hebrew and English, followed by a chant about “skipping around the room.” Campers celebrating their birthday get a frosted cookie cake to share with their bunk as a special treat!
At Beber, we strive to give campers a life-changing, memorable summer experience where they are free to express themselves, learn life skills, have fun, and build strong bonds and friendships.
P.S. Congratulations to the following who knew that The Bangles sang "Manic Monday!"
Jen P
Wendy E
Amanda S
Brian B
Amy B
Ronit R
Jessica F
Jill R
Nancy Z
Dennis P
P.S. - Today’s question: Who sang “Fun, Fun, Fun” Email your answer to trivia@bebercamp.com for a shoutout in tomorrow’s blog!