This summer of 2014, the Sisters Academy Camp celebrated ten years of fun and service! The camp was designed to provide encouragement for the middle school students at The Sisters Academy, and to create long lasting bonds between the NDP student counselors and the campers. Students from grades six to eight at the Sisters Academy attended the week long camp at Notre Dame Prep. Different activities were provided for each grade level throughout the course of the week. The sixth grade participated in basketball, outdoor games, badminton, and origami. The seventh grade had a blast playing badminton, learning the techniques of volleyball, practicing and choreographing a dance, and making crafts in art. The eighth grade played badminton, volleyball, and dance as well, but they took the field playing field hockey rather than participating in art. All three of the grade levels participated in swimming, learning and discovering different skills in the pool, such as floating and kicking.

Throughout the week, the counselors encouraged their camper, and the other campers as well, as they went from station to station, learning different skills and activities. While a variety of activities came easily to some campers, others found it difficult to catch on to some that were introduced to them. Emma Blanchard (’16) said, “My camper, Trinity, had trouble serving and passing in volleyball. Although I am not the best at volleyball either, Trinity and I worked together to get better at it, and by the end of the week, we were ten times better than we were on the first day of camp!” Many of the counselors who volunteered at Sisters Academy Camp were also challenged at times. Their job was to encourage their camper to keep trying, even when they became frustrated and conflicted. The support and guidance of the counselor helped the campers to know that they had someone who wanted to help them.

At the end of the week, the whole camp came together for a closing celebration. Each camper filled out a chart of what her best skill was in each of the activities that she participated in throughout the week. After charts were filled out and decorated, a cake was served with a picture of the campers and counselors on it. The eighth grade then performed their final dance in front of the whole camp before pins were presented to the third year, second year, and first year counselors who spent a week of their summer volunteering at the camp. Before saying their final goodbyes for the summer, counselors gave their campers a letter and a decorated picture frame with a picture of them inside. The eighth grade class of Sisters Academy had a tough time saying goodbye to their counselors, as this was their last summer of camp before they completed their final year of middle school and headed off to high school. However, the sixth and seventh graders were happy that they had the opportunity to form bonds with their new counselors, who they would be seeing when they return to summer camp next summer for another summer of new bonds and fun with the girls from NDP!