Week 1 - Daily Hye Life - Friday

Hello Camper Families and Friends! 

We can’t believe how fast the week has gone by and how many new friends have been made at Hye Camp.

Today we kicked off the day with Badarak followed by breakfast.  It was a beautiful morning and we were lucky to have a cool breeze flowing through the forest.  After morning sessions including the Quiz Bowl, a class on Philanthropy, and the Hye Cake Wars, campers broker for lunch followed by a rest period.

The afternoon was filled with a lot of activities and all hands were on deck as our campers lined up to compete in tournaments for archery, tavloo, basketball, and ping pong.  Non-competing campers participated in sports and arts and crafts.

Our last evening chapel of Week 1 was followed by dinner and another dance.  This evening, we held an Armenian dance where our campers were able to show off the dancing skills they have been learning this past week.  After our dance, the campers headed over to the Lion’s Den for the Super Campfire where campers and staff performed numerous skits and musical numbers, drew the audience in a number of sing alongs and classic Hye Camp chants.  The evening wrapped up with the campers heading back up to camper hill to get some much needed sleep.

It has been a fun filled, exciting and meaningful week with our campers.  As we prepare to send our campers home, we note that they have increased their knowledge of our religion, culture and heritage.   Our campers have made new and meaningful friendships and further cemented friendships that were begun in prior years.  We have been honored to share Hye Camp with your campers this past week and look forward to seeing you next year!

To the next 50!

Week 1 - Daily Hye Life - Thursday

Hello Camper Families and Friends! 

We had a great day today filled with classes, activities, and a talent show.  Our day started with each cabin having its own morning devotional surrounded by the peace and beauty of the great outdoors.  After a breakfast featuring French toast and sausage, our campers proceeded to their morning classes in Armenian dance, Armenian music, our Armenian Church, and Bible study.  After a hearty lunch followed by a rest break, our campers headed to the lake, field, sports areas and arts and crafts pavilion for an afternoon filled with swimming, canoeing, archery, volleyball, basketball, soccer and arts and crafts. 

After taking some time to rest, campers gathered together for chapel where Der Sarkis discussed the importance of not judging or condemning others.  He explained that those who judge will be judged, and those who condemn will be condemned.  We can redeem ourselves by offering others forgiveness, for in doing so we will be forgiven by God. 

All week, campers have been listing their names on the sign-up sheet for our talent show.  After dinner, campers headed down from Camper Hill to the Lion’s Den and gathered around in anticipation for the evening performances.  The show kicked off with various acts including guitar playing, piano performances, a jump rope routine, an escape artist routine, and a stand-up comedy act.  We incorporated a short campfire with the talent show and included cabin skits and our favorite campfire songs.  The evening concluded with the campers heading back up to their cabins for a night of much needed rest after an eventful day.

To the next 50!

Week 1 - Daily Hye Life - Wednesday

Hello camper families and friends! 

It is hard to believe that week one is half over.  It has been such an exciting and fun filled week so far.  Today, our campers started the day off with chapel before heading up to breakfast.  Morning classes in Armenian music, our Armenian Church, Armenian traditions and customs preceded a hearty lunch.  Afternoon activities followed a rest period and included swimming at the lake, canoeing, archery, volleyball, baseball, soccer and arts and crafts. 

At the conclusion of another rest break, campers attended chapel where Der Sarkis discussed a fundamental tenet of Christianity – the importance of forgiving others as God forgives us.  He reminded us that as we go to God seeking forgiveness for our sins, so God expects us to forgive others and let go of our anger and resentment. 

Throughout this week our campers have been thinking of the upcoming “Blast from the Past” dance.  After dinner, everyone retired to their cabins to get dressed and ready for the dance.  As each group of campers appeared at the Arbor, an amazing plethora of costumes representing various eras appeared.  Some of our girls were dressed for a sock hop in their poodle skirts and others represented the peace and love of the 60’s.  The disco era was represented with some groovy costumes and we saw that the 80’s were a popular era amongst our campers and staff, with many memorializing the fashions of Madonna and Flash dance.  We even had a few costumes representing the 90’s, and had our own Beastie Boy look alike taking the floor.  It was a great time and in between dancing under the lights, campers were able to take a break and do some arts and crafts.

To the next 50!