Camper Journal

Editor: Kelsey Weaver

Camp Inter-Actions By Sean MacInnes Campfires Activities Meals Pals Interesting Nutritious Snacks Trails Entertainment

Recreation Adaptation Cabin Together Incredible Outstanding Never Ending Swimming

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the opportunity for all of us to enjoy this amazing Camp Inter-Actions. We enjoyed goalball, the water carnival, swimming, boat building, and fishing.  The talent show was amazing and we also enjoyed arts and crafts and soccer. Many of us do not have the chance to do any of these things at home. We completed challenge course activities and got to meet new and old friends. 

We hope you get to read our newsletter that we all put together.  This camp is so important to us all and we are grateful to be able to come back year after year. 

Sincerely,
Pluto Cabin (younger boys)

The S.S. Inter- Actions
By Kelsey Weaver

Even in March, Andrew Crook had camp on the mind. As part of a program offered to sophomores at Souhegan High School,   he was given the chance to build a wooden canoe with instructor Chris Balch. Drew didn’t just see this as an experience to learn but a chance to teach.  Shortly after Drew called Debbie and received permission to do the same project with the campers here at Inter-Actions.

They embarked on their mission the first day of camp. With help from Chris the wood was cut to size and the building began.  After explaining the basics Chris left the mission in the hands of the campers and counselors. But all of us agree none of this would have been possible without the help of Glenn Gunn. As both an experienced woodworker and mobility instructor Glenn was able to work with each child individually.   Constructing the boat did not only allow each person to learn a bit about carpentry but also the importance of teamwork. One of the steps involved in building the boat consisted of sanding; each person was responsible for sanding a certain space. The campers also helped add ties to the boat that temporarily held it together before it was epoxied.  Kyle Rock, Drew Crook and I took a certain interest in the building of the boat. Together we would spend extra time working and teaching others. Each person left their own mark by putting their signature inside the boat; some in print others in braille with puff paint. 

Once the boat was complete it was christened the “S.S. Inter-Actions” the winner of the campers name the boat contest. It was then successfully taken out onto the lake by Drew. Every camper and counselor took pride as the boat rowed out into the lake knowing that “They” were what had made this possible.

 

“Camp is a good balance of friendship, trust, leadership, and fun. 
 -Drew Crook

 

Arts and Crafts
By Kayla Bentas

There aren’t many places where you can see clay being shaped, the pottery wheel being spun, gimp being stitched, and cards being made all at once. However, the arts and crafts cabin at Inter-Actions is definitely one of them. So far, we have made animals, faces, and name tags out of clay. Other things that we have made include magnets, masks, and nature mobiles. 

On the fourth of July an arts and crafts festival was held.  One of the best crafts we did at this festival was making boats out of sticks and leaves. Later in the afternoon everyone got to launch their boats watching them sail off into the sunset…
 

 

“The kids do such a great job with arts and crafts.  It’s fun to teach them new projects”
-Julie LeBlanc

“We all learn so much from each other, kids and counselors”
-Ali Diamond

 

The 4th of July at camp
By Luis Raymundo

We have never had camp on the fourth of July before.  So we decided to do something special. All day we had a water and arts and craft carnival. During the carnival we were with people that we didn’t really know because we were divided into different groups. We were able to make new friends. As a group we had to think of a name that had the name of an animal and something from space. We named our team the Nova Nemo’s. During the carnival there was a variety of activities. We made stress balls out of cornstarch, built sand castles, played with clay, and had different relay races in the water. 

Thank you to Julie and Ali, and Bridgid and Sean for planning a fun fourth of July at camp! 

The Rhythm of Camp
By: Jammeyanne Fuller, Alex Krauth, and Brittany Weaver
      
The leaves rustled as The Moons of Jupiter stood quietly in the woods listening to the sounds of nature.  This was the first music class led by the wonderful pianist, Duy Bui.  The sounds of the wilderness they heard that day were used to compose a song.  Duy expected these girls to come up with a calm and peaceful song representing the woods, but the girls of Moons of Jupiter had other plans!  At the talent show on Friday night the girls presented a loud and rhythmic rap.  This rap included many “yo yo’s” and some beat boxing by the group, and let us not forget the break-it-down by Carey Scouler.

Though the rap called In the Woods was one of the more creative acts at the talent show, many other campers of Inter-Actions showed off their artistic skills.  The show was sprinkled with singing, instrumental acts, comical theatre, and garnished off with a fabulous rendition of The Dance of the Gnomes by Duy on piano, ending with the traditional Time of Your life lead by Drew on Guitar.

The talent show is the perfect representation of how much the campers and counselors here at camp enjoy music class with Duy.  Each cabin has music most every day.  Duy encourages everyone to be creative and show their true colors through the art of music.  Duy led the girls of Moons of Jupiter cabin in Home on the Range, and the boys of Orion in Oh Danny Boy and My Heart Goes on in Endless Song. The Pluto cabin of younger boys delighted us with Aaron Copeland’s I Bought me a Cat.  Who can forget Sean’s Honeeeey!   By leading these songs Duy helps the campers develop their vocal skills and build a higher appreciation for music. 
All that can be said is that music is a huge part of Camp Inter-Actions and that we are all blessed to have Duy Bui to lead us.

 

"Being part of Camp Inter-Actions has been so important to me.  I've learned so many valuable lessons. “- Duy Bui

 

Inter-Actions Talent Show
By Cody LaPlante

One of the things I look forward to at camp is the talent show. In the talent show many people do hilarious skits, play wonderful pieces on the piano, or breath-taking poems.  We are all supposed to present a talent as a cabin.  If you hate performing in front of people just think, everyone is performing no matter what and you could do a funny skit so you could laugh with the audience and keep your mind off stage fright. 
The whole point of the talent show is to have fun.  Also don’t forget that you can show everyone your individual and unique talent.  For example many people play musical instruments, sing, or even read a poem written by them.  The Inter-Actions talent show is a great part of everyone’s camping experience and is something every camper and counselor will look forward to throughout their time at camp. 

The Camper and the Counselor Talent Show Act

Adapted by Brittany, from the Farmer and the Cowman-

Brittany:

I’d like to teach you all a little saying
Remember this when you come here next summer
No person here is better then anybody else
But let’s be clear that we are just as good!

All:

No person here is better then anybody else
But let’s be clear that we are just as good!

Inter-Actions folks should stick together
Inter-Actions folks should all be pals
Counselors sing with Drew and Duy
Campers sing with their pals

 “Camp Inter-Actions has been 8 years of having an extended family I only get to see during the summer.”
-Brittany Weaver

Camper Quotes:

• “I like volleyball and swimming” - Bobbie

• “This year is awesome, the cabins are great!” - Luis

• “That’s nacho cheese” - Tom

• “Cleaning the cabin is hard work” - Josh

• “The counselors are the best!”- Nick

• “Camp rules” – Mel

• “Solar Winds are the volleyball champs” – Dylan

• “The staff makes everything adaptive for the campers” – Michelle

• “The people here are like family” – Jessica

• “Who’s F.E.Z?” – Carey
                                                       
   “Camp gets better and better each year” – Alex

• “I love the talent show” – James

• “Goalball is a fun sport, it’s something that everyone here can play”
     -Cody              

• “The acts at the talent show are awesome and really funny” – Shane

• “So far we all agree French toast is our favorite breakfast. As far as lunch goes the traditional burgers and dogs just seem to hit the spot. And for dinner fried chicken mashed potatoes and corn wins by far!”
  -Carey Scouler and the Moons of Jupiter Cabin  

• “Fit club is fun! You do a lot of cool stuff like push ups, sit-up’s and jumping jacks My favorite thing to do is jumping jacks, and I find push-up’s to be the hardest. 
  A great way to get into shape for all our fun camp activities!”
  - Dylan Catino

 

Goalball
By Adam Mullen and Cody Laplante

One great sport that has great modifications for the blind is goalball. To play goalball you need three players on each team. Each player has their own position on the court. Each team takes turns rolling the ball across the court trying to get it past their opponents in order to score.  This year we were fortunate enough to have Jen Armbruster from the United States Association of Blind Athletes, come and teach the campers the game of goal ball.
Goalball is also a great game for the visually impaired and blind because you have to be blindfolded when you play.

 

The Camp World Cup
By Sam Robson
Casey Preyer-Blakney and Kelsey Weaver

As you already may know, the Word Cup was held on Sunday, July 9th in Germany.  In honor of this Inter-Actions hosted their own game. With the help of Jen Armbruster, we created our own Italy and France teams. We were able to adapt the game by putting the soccer ball in a plastic bag and using guide runners. My guide runner was Drew. He helped me by directing me towards the ball, telling me when to kick, and making sure that I didn’t crash into people.  During the game I played striker, helping assist goals and defend my side.

In the beginning of the game France was leading three to nothing with two goals by Mel and a penalty shot by myself.  But with the help of Casey, Italy came back with a vengeance.  Casey’s defense was almost impossible to defeat.  France was up by one with thirty seconds to go when Italy scored to tie the game at four. When time expired the tie led to penalty shots.  Five shots were taken by each player. Only one player from each team scored, putting them once again at a tie. This meant sudden death shootout. France took the shot and missed, and then Italy scored the winning goal!  

Sports
By Nick Taurasi

At camp we play different sports such as volleyball, adapted ping- pong, soccer, goalball, beep baseball, kick ball, and fit camp.

Volleyball is so much fun because we play with a giant orange ball. There are two different teams. We have a lot of fun laughing and making new friends. It is fun to hit the ball even if you don’t score a point. We also work as a team, when you score a point everyone claps for you.

Soccer is the best when you have a ball with bells inside. What I really like about playing soccer at camp is that it’s not competitive; we just play to have fun.  People always tell you that you do a good job when you make a good move or score a point. 

Goal Ball is one of my favorite sports because it is meant especially for visually impaired people. During the school year Debbie sends us invitations to play Goalball with other people from camp. 
I am excited to see Jen Armbruster. She came to camp last summer and taught us goalball.  I look up to Jen because she is an amazing athlete, and has been to the Paralympics in Athens, Greece.

Beep Baseball is fun.   In this sport the ball and the bases both make sounds so you can hear them. There are only two bases and you never know which one is going to beep. This is also a very fair sport because all of the players are blindfolded.

I like to play kickball with a ball that has bells inside.  When we use this ball we can hear it coming.  When we play kickball everyone is able to work together as a team.

Another sports activity that we do at camp is fit camp with Haley and the counselors. During fit camp we do different exercises and learn how to eat healthy foods and stay in shape- also hiking with Tom and Christine, and the team building challenge course with Kelly!   

 Poetry Corner

The Wire
By Eddie Tabor

Easily broken
But not easily put back together
Once broken is broken
When put back together
The connection is different
And more fragile than before
Never properly put back together
Always different

So friendship is fragile
A bond that will remain
As long as the hearts stay true
If the bond is broken
And then repaired
The bond will be different
Whether weaker or stronger
But still there

The heart is merely the filter
Through which the mind can act
Creating bonds to last a lifetime
And breaking weak bonds
Either to be repaired later
Or to be destroyed for good
Without a heart
The mind cannot act
And so all were given hearts when born
Each differently used
Depending on the strength of the mind
It is not a person’s heart
that should be loved by others

But the mind
And soul
And the power of the mind

For without the mind
Where would friendship exist?
Where would love exist?
And where would happiness and sorrow exist?
To know happiness
One must know sorrow
To know sorrow
One must know happiness
To know love one must know hate
To know hate one must know love
To know friendship or love
One must know compassion
For it bonds everyone together
Through varying degrees
Friendship
Love
Hate
And sorrow

And so all must walk the wire
The intertwining wires
Through love and hate
Through friendship and sorrow
Learning all the while and teaching others
Helping others and caring for others
For without love none would exist
All would have slain everyone else

And so as long as all have strong minds
And open hearts
Peace shall fly feely though all the minds
As an eagle soars across the sun
And none shall ever truly be
Broken hearted

The Things I Love About Camp
By Hunter Rouillard

Art is very neat
It keeps me on my feet

Musical Instruments are fun to play
Here at camp everyday

Sports are a lot of fun too
I’d love to play some goalball with you

The food here is so yummy
It stops the rumbling in my tummy

I love to build special boats
Then send them off and watch them float

We are surrounded by nature here
And I sure hope I don’t see a bear

I love swimming it’s so much fun
Playing in the water underneath the sun

The volleyball net is very tall
Be careful when you play you don’t fall

When hiking in the woods gets long
We just sing a cheerful song

Debbie is the sweetest girl I know
She brings a smile wherever she goes

Debbie I owe you the worlds biggest thank you
For everything that you do

At camp you make so many friends
Sometimes I wish it would never end