By:Devin Varsalona
Aside from the usual dress-up days, sprinkler days, scavenger hunts, sports events and talent shows, each camp site hosts events relevant to its theme. This year, The Rec Center program is themed around childhood board games, and both the Hewitt and Wilson programs are centered around the 2004 Summer Olympics. Campers at Hewitt and Wilson will celebrate different Olympic events, such as sports competitions for Olympic medals. A torch relay from Wilson to Hewitt was held on opening day.
The Summer Playground staff stresses that every daily event, themed or not, is important to teaching the values they believe are important for children to hold on to all throughout the year.
"We want the children to value being part of a group," said Ginger Creegan, supervisor at the Rec Center site and head of the Summer Playground program. "We want them to learn teamwork and sportsmanship and know their responsibilities-to learn to be a member."
One new way the staff of Summer Playground enforce values is through rewards. Creegan said at the Rec Center site campers are now recognized by her at the end of the day for doing reported good deeds, like having great sportsmanship or cleaning up completely after snack. At Wilson, Supervisor Amy Brady occasionally hands out free snack time ice pops to campers she has noticed doing similar good deeds.
Brady added that in addition to learning group values, she wants her 110 campers to "gain more self confidence than they came with." Karen Wansor, supervisor at the Hewitt site, said she hopes her 100 campers can also return home with a little knowledge about the Olympics.
Above all, Wansor said that Summer Playground is about having fun, which is why families like the Muratores keep coming back year after year. The Muratore family has been with the Summer Playground program for seven years and has a child at every level from camper to staff member. Loramarie, 17, is a group leader at Wilson, Christina, 15, is a volunteer leader-in-training (LIT) at Wilson, Ben, 13, is a branch-off Middle School program camper, and Meredith, 10, is a camper at Wilson.
"When our family moved here when I was in sixth grade, we joined Summer Playground and felt very welcomed," Loramarie said. "We just learned to love it very fast."
Creegan stressed that giving campers and families a community feeling is essential to the program, especially at the Rec Center, which has 525 campers from different schools in town.
"Kids get to see friends and neighbors they always see and form new friendships with kids they wouldn't otherwise meet," Creegan said.
The Muratores can attest to that. "We grew up here and had a lot of fun," Loramarie said. "We've been able to meet the community and see RVC at its best."
Perhaps it is the community feeling that has driven families like the Muratores, who are one of over 30 to have children at both camper and staff or LIT level, to continue with the program for years. Christina Muratore said that as an LIT, she gets to experience the same memorable camp summers that she had as a child, and Meredith said that she wants to be a leader one day so she can keep having fun.
"I love seeing [the staff] develop since most were part of the Summer Playground program as campers," Creegan said.
Wansor added that with such a staff, another important part of the program is to keep reinforcing the values that leaders learned as campers, helping them to be role models for the kids.
In return, not only do supervisors come back year after year to watch the growth of campers and staff but teenage staff leaders do as well.
"Being a leader at Summer Playground is a great experience for a teenager," Loramarie said. "It's great seeing the kids I had in first grade going into fourth and knowing that I am part of their childhood memories."
For veteran staff members that have traveled through the ranks, like Brady, her campers' childhood memories have become her own summer memories.
"I love watching the children have fun - watching them in their element," Brady said. "It's a great experience for them, and their priceless expressions keep me coming back - it's already been 16 years."
As for memories from this year's camp season, all three supervisors hope that they will be filled with good fun and good weather. Creegan hopes that the new leaders will continue introducing exciting games, making each day continue to be a different experience. Brady hopes that the campers and staff at the smaller Wilson site will continue to stay a cohesive bunch. Wansor said that she wants to ensure that the kids are in safe environment, as well.
"I hope I keep seeing those smiling faces day in and day out," Wansor said. "It's only the second week of camp and already they're pumped to come."
