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Light Drizzle Making the most of a pandemic summer
Teens make alternative choices for camp and trips
Although it seems like a lifetime ago, just back in December, children across the country were sitting on one of the hardest decisions of their young lives: summer plans. The application process, interviews, receiving acceptance letters, planning, and finally being able to look forward to the summer.
This is what everyone expected their summer process to be. But then, the coronavirus pandemic struck, and turned the world upside down. Of course when quarantine started, no one thought their summer plans would be ruined.
However, as time progressed, and the number of cases quickly spiked, the majority of camps decided it would be best for everyone to stay home with their families. This left children with the realization that their summer of 2020 would be stuck in isolation and monotony -- not what they had originally planned. However, with all the extra time to think and plan at home, the young Long Islanders have come up with some amazing alternatives to occupy their time and be productive.
In speaking with teens, it is evident that children can still make this summer fun, while staying safe.
Jeremy Haviv, an incoming senior at Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School, typically works at Avnet Day Camp in Woodmere, and last year attended Mach Hach Ba’Aretz. He originally applied to the Garcia summer program at Stony Brook University, an intensive science research program, but after learning this would now be by means of virtual learning, he decided he would rather work at Avnet, which he attended his entire childhood.
Haviv said he thought he would miss out on the full in-person experience of the program and opted for the local day camp and earning money. He noted the different precautions Camp Avnet is taking in order to keep campers safe and healthy, while still having an enjoyable summer. All staff members are required to wear masks and everyone must remain socially distant, while requiring that every camper and staff member must be tested before camp started on July 6.
Campers will also be required to have their temperature taken every day before entering the camp. “Although these precautions might seem inconvenient, it is the only way that we will be able to have camp and ensure the safety of the children and staff,” Haviv said.
Rachel Wenger, a HAFTR High sophomore, was looking forward to a once in a lifetime trip across the West Coast. In previous summers, she was a private shadow, mother’s helper or camp counselor. This summer she would have been on an amazing teen tour called Achva West.
Because of the pandemic, the program was unable to continue as planned. With the abundance of children that intended on going and the constant travel across a multitude of states on the West Coast, they were unable to run a safe program.
Not discouraged from making her summer memorable and maximizing her time, Wenger took a hobby and developed a small business. Her cakes are personalized for individuals as well as their specific occasions. She is not only able to make peoples’ events a little bit better, but she is also able to make money. Although she was undeniably “looking forward to meeting new people and seeing new places,” she will be staying safe in her own home, but is still doing something she truly enjoys.
Rebecca Linder, a rising senior at Hebrew Academy of Nassau County High School, typically attends sleepaway camp during the summer. “Last summer I went on Mach Hach Ba’Aretz, and before that I went to Camp Shoshanim for two years,” the West Hempstead resident said.
Her original 2020 summer plan was to work at Camp Moshava as a lifeguard for two months. After Moshava released a statement stating that camp could not proceed as planned, she decided to make the best of her summer. After applying to multiple camps, Linder landed a job as a lifeguard at Camp Seneca Lake, which is one of the few sleepaway camps open during the this summer.
She noted the precautions the camp is taking to keep everyone safe and healthy. Not her first choice but she is “still going to camp, but will miss her friends and community,” at Moshava. Linder realized that flexibility and compromise would be key to making the best of this summer. In the end, she will still be able to have the summer camp experience most children are longing for.
