week 8 - Beth Tfiloh Camps

summer: 2015 - newsletter for week 8
BETH TFILOH CAMPS
a great place for kids to grow.
color war results
august
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MON
office closed this week
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TUE
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WED
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THU
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FRI
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SAT
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august
SUN
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office open with limited hours
this week
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TUE
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The competition was fierce… but friendly… and over
the last few days the campers have learned cheers,
songs, and chants galore. It was still anyone’s game
going in to Thursday, however, in the end, THE WHITE
TEAM came away victorious ending the Red Team
Dynasty of three years. Congratulations White Team!
from the director, david schimmel
Week 8 - no way! YES, it is true, this week brings to a
close our 2015 Beth Tfiloh Camps season. And what a
great last week we had! Maccabiah/Color War was
absolutely insane this year with lots of fun, new
activities and great songs, cheers and banners! In the
last few years we have made a lot of changes to the
week-long fun and the campers have benefited from
the changes with great activities and lots of Ruach! A
great time was had by all and CONGRATULATIONS TO
THE WHITE TEAM! We also finished the summer with a
fantastic tradition, our B.T. CAMPS Dance Party! A great
ending to a great summer!
While week 8 was fantastic, the whole summer was a
true success. Beyond our new facility upgrades at the
camp, including our 90-foot water slide, solar heated
pools, HOT LUNCH, etc., this summer was just
wonderful in every way you can imagine. Wonderful
weather, great programming and excellent staff made
this a memorable year. Speaking of staff, NOTHING
would be possible without their amazing efforts day
after day. As parents, we recognize how hard a job we
have, but just imagine how much fun, yet challenging,
it can be for camp staff to do as great a job as they do
every day of the summer. So a huge thank you to all of
our great staff and we hope to have all of them return
to B.T. next year.
With that, we appreciate all of our camp families for
being part of our family for another summer and we
hope that all of you join us next year, which will, of
course, be the best one yet! WAIT TILL YOU SEE WHAT
WE HAVE PLANNED NEXT!
happy retirement, Sara Levine!
Summers at Beth Tfiloh Camps are filled with great
excitement, enthusiasm, and happy memories. Sara
Levine, one of our Assistant Directors has been a part
of these memories for 28 years.
Sara’s involvement at camp runs deep and her
principles, values, and genuine love for children is
woven deeply into the fabric of how we operate. All of
the year-round staff in the office, David, Ryan, Melissa,
and Gary, all rely on Sara as the calm voice of reason
and trust that as she listens to us kick around ideas, her
input is purely unbiased. It is not easy to find someone
who is able to step back and view a situation as
effortlessly as Sara.
Sara has also proof read nearly every document that
has left the office in her 28 year tenure. In fact, this
article, written completely without her knowledge, will
be the very first item she hasn’t proofed in 28 years.
Sara’s involvement in the Beth Tfiloh community
extends well beyond just camp. Sara is a committed
supporter of the very fabric of the Beth Tfiloh Dahan
Community School. We consider ourselves lucky and
honored to have worked with such a loyal, kind,
caring, and dedicated individual.
Happy for Sara, but sad for us, Sara has chosen to
retire. By sad, that’s not to say we aren’t happy for Sara
as she can now dedicate her time to the most
important thing in her life: her family and especially
grandchildren. The sad part for us is camp will never be
the same without Sara here.
In honor of Sara’s retirement, the Congregation will
honor Sara this Saturday, August 15th during Shabbat
services. We invite everyone to attend and help show
Sara how much we appreciate everything she has
contributed to camp for these nearly three decades.
Now, please permit us a publicly personal moment to
say happy retirement, Sara! We will miss you.
- David, Ryan, Melissa, Gary, and the entire camp staff.
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summer: 2015 - newsletter for week 8
- dex miller, j.v. sports Welcome to our final newsletter of the
2015 season! It’s hard to believe that this
is our final newsletter of the summer, but
we have reached the end. What a summer
it has been with our J.V. Sports campers.
This week was perhaps our most exciting
of the entire summer due to our annual
“Color War”. This year’s theme featured
classic Disney characters, which also had
Jewish symbols assigned to each
character. The Red Team featured Mickey
Mouse with the Jewish symbol, Kippot.
The Blue Team featured Goofy with the
Jewish symbol, Chanukkiah. The Gold
Team featured Pluto with the Jewish
symbol, Chamsa, and the White Team
featured Donald Duck with the Jewish
symbol, Star of David.
The week was action-packed with
exciting Maccabiah games, and our J.V.
Sports campers tried to earn as many
points for their respective teams by
competing against each other in a wide
array of sports. Some of the sports that
were played this week included: Tennis
Racquet-Baseball, Nucomb, Swim Meet,
Soccer, Track and Field, “Battleball”, and
Tug of War. As our campers competed in
each event, their Color War generals and
fellow teammates were cheering them on
with great enthusiasm. Maccabiah came
to a close on Thursday afternoon with the
presentation of the winning team, and
then it was right back to sports for our
campers.
The week came to a close on quite a high
note, as our campers were able to play in
one final game of “Battleball”, participate
in Shabbat, and let loose during our
farewell party. During our end of camp
party, our campers displayed plenty of
impressive dance moves, and had one
more opportunity to hang out with all of
their camp friends at B.T. I must say that
this has been quite a summer to
remember. We were able to meet some
exciting athletes from the Ravens and
Orioles organizations, take a trip to see
the Frederick Keys and watch a minor
league baseball game, as well as learn a
wide variety of sports each and every
week. This has certainly been one of the
most memorable summers with J.V.
Sports, and I am truly excited to see what
next summer brings! Take care, and on
behalf of everyone at J.V. Sports, have a
great year, and hopefully we get to see
you again next summer!
kindercamp@btcamps.org
stacy crain | kinder camp
It's hard to believe that camp has come to an end and
summer has gone by so very fast,
We have truly had so much fun at Kinder Camp, having
fun and growing, it's been a blast!
This week in color war, each bunk worked hard to earn
points for their team throughout the day,
Cheering each other on, singing cheers and chants, GO
team is what we did say!!
Thank you to Ali, Emma, Lisa, Kathia, Aviva, Jamie,
Shaina, Daniella, and Karla for making sure we were
safe and our summer was so much fun!
We will truly miss you all over the winter and can't wait
until next summer where we will see everyone!
Thank you for entrusting us with your most precious
little ones and we hope that they have had a blast,
We participated in relay races at sports and in the pool,
It was a fun competition and everyone was smiling it
truly was quite cool!
They have all grown and learned so much so very fast!
A special thanks to our amazing directors David, Sara,
and Ryan who worked so hard to make this the best
summer yet,
As we remember Kinder Camp this year I will look back
and hear,
I know next summer will be even more amazing, and
the best one YET!!
The boys laughing at hockey, the splashing in the pool
and in the stream and the girls dancing at cheer!
aleph@btcamps.org
jessica layman | unit aleph
It is hard to believe that the 2015 camp season has
come to an end. All the campers in Unit Aleph have
had an amazing summer. We have grown so much
and learned so many things all while having fun with
our counselors and friends and this week has been one
of the best yet!
together! We sang songs and said good bye to our
summer friends. After Shabbat we had an awesome
dance party! All the kids had a great time dancing
with their friends and counselors. Some of the
campers in Unit Aleph even won prizes for their great
dance moves!!
This week the campers in Unit Aleph had a chance to
participate in the camp with Color War. The campers
has a BLAST dressing up in their red, gold, blue and
white and cheering on their teams. During sports we
participated in wacky relay races and got to play
hockey and soccer to earn points for our color teams.
At swim we had a swim meet where our campers got
to search for color rings in the pool and race to see
which bunk could kick it across the pool the quickest
while holding onto a kickboard. On Thursday we
joined the rest of camp to listen to the team songs and
cheers!
It is time for us to say goodbye to our summer home! I
would like to personally thank all of the campers in
Unit Aleph who make me smile every day! I have had
such a fun summer at camp and your kids are the
reason why! Thank you so much for sharing them with
us for the summer. I would also like to take a minute
to personally thank all of the amazing Unit Aleph staff.
The counselors and L.T.s have worked so hard to make
sure that every day is special for all of the kids in Unit
Aleph. They have enjoyed spending their summer with
your kids as much as I have. I would like to wish
everyone a happy and healthy school year and look
forward to seeing all of the kids in Unit Aleph back at
camp next summer. Take care, be safe, and be sure to
have a GREAT DAY every day!!
Friday was a great day. We celebrated our last Shabbat
at camp. This week the whole camp celebrated
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summer: 2015 - newsletter for week 8
Beth Tfiloh Camps
rivka bresler | unit bet
bet@btcamps.org
I can't believe that, as I write this, the summer is
coming to an end. It has been an incredible eight
weeks, thanks to our fantastic counselors and
instructional staff. It was so much fun for all of us here
at camp to spend our summer with your children.
Thank you for sharing them with us!
This week, Unit Bet participated in Maccabiah/Color
War with the rest of the camp. We had so many fun
opportunities to play as a team and earn points for our
color.
On Monday, the campers started their day with a Swim
Meet. Despite the cool weather, almost every single
camper got into the pool to swim in relay races and
collect special bands. Those who didn't swim helped
their team out by cheering. Following that, we ran
around the camp during Puzzlement, a game in which
campers and their counselors read clues that led them
to find puzzle pieces around camp. After finding all
eight pieces, the teams had to bring them back and
put together the puzzle. After lunch, the campers
participated in a scavenger hunt, finding items such as
a four leaf clover, a camper-made picture frame, a bag
of chips, and Ryan's favorite ice cream flavor. Our final
Color War activity of the day was Flat Schotula, a game
in which teams had to take a picture of themselves
holding a picture of David and Doug at different
locations throughout the camp.
Tuesday began with a Gold Rush, during which the
campers had to find gold coins and special beaded
necklaces hidden on a field. Later in the day, we all
played a fun game of Kickball. Even the rain didn't get
us down, as it allowed us to have more Team Time, to
learn our songs and cheers.
On Wednesday, campers enjoyed playing GaGa and
Neucomb in the morning, followed by Lake Games,
which included relay races in paddle boats. In the
afternoon, our unit was treated to snowballs. It was a
nice, refreshing treat!
Color War ended on Thursday morning, and we then
enjoyed a regular afternoon with our unit. On Friday,
camp ended with a camp-wide Kabbalat Shabbat and
an awesome dance party. I wish all of our Unit Bet campers good luck in first
grade. I can't wait to see them back next summer!
a great place for kids to grow
*
David Schimmel
director
Sara Levine
assistant director
Ryan M. Cohen
assistant director
Melissa Puritz
registrar
*
main office
Jenn Bloom
Beth Gleitsmann
bus changes
bus changes
gate house
Jodi Cohen
Jill Suffel
Laurie Schimmel
greeter
greeter
greeter
health suite
Eileen Caplan
Lisa Brodman
r.n.
r.n.
unit heads
gimmel@btcamps.org
stacy lunenfeld | unit gimmel
It is absolutely amazing how time really does fly when
you are having fun. This has been such a wonderful
summer for Unit Gimmel counselors and campers. We
have had so much fun getting to know each other,
participating in activities together and simply enjoying
our time together. This week was color war. The kids
had an awesome time cheering, competing and
playing new games. All of our campers were divided
up between red, gold, blue and white teams. One of
their favorite activities was the puzzle scavenger hunt,
where they had to read clues to find puzzle pieces and
then put the pieces together. They also really loved
the track and field competition as well as the swim
daled@btcamps.org
hay@btcamps.org
meet. It was great to see so many of our campers
participating and cheering each other on. Of course
the best day was Thursday when each team performed
their song, march and cheer. They also each got a
chance to display their banners. Tug of War was
intense and exciting. Ask your child what his or her
favorite part of color war was. Friday was a bittersweet
day. It was so much fun to be together with our bunks
again and to dance the afternoon away with the DJ,
but when it was time to go to buses we were all sad to
leave camp. I wish each of my campers a fabulous
second grade school year. I hope to see all of my
friends back at camp next summer!!
melyssa perman | daled and hay
Can you believe summer is close to an end? Although
our time at BT Camps has ended, we all filled our days
with fun and friends. With the amazing staff in both
units Hay and Daled, the campers were able to truly
enjoy their summer. This was evident as everyone
showed their color war spirit this week.
With track and field races, Puzzlement, Scavenger
hunts, and boat races at the lake, everyone had that
competitive spirit. Our favorite moment was when the
colors came together for the final presentations. The
Tug-O-War, songs, cheers and posters showed the unity
of each team and was wonderful to watch.
Today, our last Shabbat was camp-wide and filled with
BT joy. Although our summer is coming to an end, we
enjoyed singing camp songs and celebrating those
children that have been a part of the camp for 5 years
and more.
Let me take this moment to thank you for sharing your
children with all of us at BT Camps. It has been a true
pleasure. With an amazing staff and enthusiastic
campers, coming to work every day has been a joy. As
we all move into a new school year, I wish everyone a
successful year! I look forward to seeing all of you next
summer. Enjoy the rest of your summer with family
and friends. Have a great Shabbat.
Stacy Crain
Jessica Layman
Rivka Bresler
Stacy Lunenfeld
Melyssa Perman
Doug Kotula
Tracey Robbins
Dex Miller
Chris Malone
Doug Kotula
Lindsay Silbert
Ydna Moolb
Rebecca Siegel
kinder camp
aleph
bet
gimmel
daled and hay
senior camp
art camp
j.v. sports
survival camp
theatre camp
travel camp
varsity sports
l.t. program
department heads
Stephanie Ziman
Melanie Ruston
Ashley Himelfarb
Ashley Beemer
Carol Sommer
Bryna Bernstein
Vivian Callis
Erica Diener
Ashley Himelfarb
Diane Paterline
Kori Snair
Helena Fernström
The Jenna Marcus
Elaine Hercenberg
Jennifer Postal
Natalie Pilcher
arts and crafts
boat lake
campcraft
cheer
“fun time”
games
lead bus driver
lifeguards
nature
pool operations
pool program
yuck, steelers fan
ruach
singing
sports
theatre
grounds and operations
Gary Swan
Larry Brash
Aleah Disney
property manager
we love you, Larry!
operations
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summer: 2015 - newsletter for week 8
BETH TFILOH
a great place for
kids to grow.
CAMPS
410.517.3451
Phone
410.517.3454
FAX
mail@btcamps.org
email
52-0592126
Taxpayer ID
400 Delight Meadows Road
Reisterstown, Maryland 21136
- variety show video Both the Early Show and Late Show
were recorded and will be available
on our website, btcamps.org two
weeks after camp ends. The
recordings will be available to view
for about a month from the day
they are posted.
seniorcamp@btcamps.org
When last we left Senior Camp, they were searching for
their “eye-of-the-tiger” as they extensively trained for
B.T. Color War 2015. They weren’t necessarily fighting
large cuts of beef in a freezer, or running up an
overabundant amount of steps, but they were
practicing their cheers, learning their songs, getting in
step with their marches and going overboard with
spirited participation. This year’s Color War, Classic
Disney, was filled with some awesome new games and
some traditional favorites. Campers had fun running
around camp taking pictures with David and Doug in
“Flat Schotula”, a game that combines discovering
locations with picture clues and mini-challenges to
earn bonus points. The campers loved this game, and
who could blame them, they were pictured with their
two favorite Color War Coordinators. Another game
new to Color War this year was “Counselor Hunt”. Teams
received a detailed list of staff members and had to go
around B.T. Camp gathering their signatures.
Signatures were valued at various points depending on
the ease of finding that individual. Unfortunately, just
before this game was to end, we were stopped by the
Tuesday afternoon rain storm. No worries, most teams
scored over 30 points by almost completing their
entire score card! Among some of the traditional Track
varsitysports@btcamps.org
Bus change Bob
- office hours Summer is over. It’s hard to believe
that eight weeks can fly by so
quick. We hope you’ve enjoyed the
summer as much as we enjoyed
working to make certain Beth
Tfiloh Camps is a great place for
kids to grow. We’re going to take a
break next week. The office will be
closed and we will not have access
to email or voicemail until we
return with limited hours on
August 24th.
- lost and found By the time you read this note, the
lost and found items not claimed
might be on their way to a
donation center. Since the office is
closed next week, contact us when
the office re-opens and we’ll let
you know if your item is here at
camp.
doug kotula | senior camp
ydna moolb | varsity sports
It’s hard to believe that this is our last newsletter for
the 2015 camp season!! This week Varsity completed
two camps: Golf and Basketball.
The Golf campers went off campus to Woodholme
Country Club. The golfers spent the week working on
skills such as putting, driving, and chipping with Holly,
an instructor through the club. They campers also
played mini games to work on their skills and wrapped
the week up by playing a round of golf.
Monday morning’s weather delayed the start of
basketball for the campers. Gaga, ultimate frisbee,
wiffleball, and knockout were completed while the rain
passed through and the courts were given some time
to dry. In the afternoon we began our regular season
ltprogram@btcamps.org
and Field games, campers participated in a Senior
Camp favorite, final event, B.T. Amazing Race. Campers
were strategically placed around camp and each ran a
leg of the race that took them across the Horseshoe
field, Ropes, down the new Lake slide, across the big
pool, in to Archery and finally to Camp Craft to be the
first team to burn through their three ropes. This race
always has a dramatic finish and this year was no
different. Color War came to a close on Thursday
morning with the presentation of march, banner, cheer
and song. All teams were very creative as they
incorporated an array of classic Disney music to
springboard their team past the others. In the end, the
best color did win. We ended camp on Friday with a
visit from DJs and dancers from Lime Light. Campers
celebrated the end of a fantastic summer by dancing
to a mix of great dance songs. We love it when Lime
Light visits camp because they are always so
enthusiastic and entertaining. Now I know that giant
goldfish from the lake never attacked the Art building,
but much like this article, camp has come to an end.
The adventures of Senior Camp have concluded. Until
next summer when the adventure is sure to begin
again.
of the Canadian B.T. Basketball League. Tuesdays
weather pushed us off the court a little early, but after
the storms rolled through we were able to provide
some elective time to end the day. Wednesday and
Thursday the regular season was completed with the
two lowest seeded teams competing play in the game
for the playoffs Thursday afternoon. Friday morning the
playoffs were completed, with campers that have been
eliminated from contention being provided with
elective sports. Friday afternoon was highlighted by
the amazing end of year dance party!!!
Thanks for another great summer and best wishes to
everyone for a great school year!!
becca siegel | l.t. program
It’s hard to believe that we have finished another
season of camp! I have had a wonderful summer
getting to know each and every L.T. and look forward
to seeing many of you back next summer as a second
year L.T. or a newly hired staff person! The Leadership
Training program is very unique in that it helps prepare
you for any leadership role, whether it be a counselor
position, a role in a club at school, or a captain of a
sports team. Each teen has hopefully gained many
skills that will help them blossom into amazing leaders
in whatever role they hope to take on.
Our fun-filled summer came to a conclusion this week
with Maccabiah (Color War) 2015. From lake races to
gaga competitions to cheering and singing, the L.T.s
helped to earn their team points while always showing
good sportsmanship. The competitions kept the
scores close throughout the week, but at the end, one
team held up the spirit stick as our 2015 winners!
Following the conclusion of Color War, the whole camp
had a great time dancing the day away with our
closing celebration to end an absolutely amazing
summer!
Have a wonderful school year and I can’t wait to see
you all back next summer for an even bigger and
better B.T. Camps 2016!
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