Summer 2024 is officially underway and we couldn’t be more excited! The spirit is high and the kids and staff are psyched to be here! Everyone is unpacked, swim tests are done and all activities are in full swing. We hope you’re checking out our daily pictures on Bunk1 to follow along with what’s going on in camp. As a new addition to camp, each Monday you can expect a blog with details and information about our week. Our blog will also include some photos and a weekly recap video captured by our photographer Celina Bailey and videographer Josie Gold.
Some other things you can expect are; a recap of the big events of the week, Leagues updates and wrap-ups by the section heads with some details of what their section did that week.
We will be sending you an email on Mondays with the link to check out the weekly blog.
We hope you enjoy!
The Wingate Team
Inside This Issue
Our first few days of camp were busy and filled with tons of great activities and camp wide events. On Thursday night, we gathered in the Wingate Hall to welcome everyone to Summer 2024! Our amazing staff surprised everyone with a flash mob and a variety of skits. The show’s theme this year was a look back at some of the highlights of the first 10 years of Wingate. The show was super fun and the kids loved watching their staff perform!
Friday night marked the first Friday night program of the summer. Dressed in white, we gathered at the outdoor bleachers to reflect on our camp core values and theme of the summer; kindness. We were very proud of our 3 CIT’s who spoke in front of the camp on what kindness at camp means to them. The highlight of the week was Saturday night Sing Song. It was absolutely incredible to see the Wingate Hall packed with kids and staff singing their hearts out. On Sunday we held auditions for the camp play and dance team and drafted teams for sports leagues. Tonight we are looking forward to fireworks and a dance party on the beach for Canada Day.
It’s been a great start to Summer 2024!
Weekly Video
Our First Sing Song of the Summer!
There are so many things that make Camp Wingate special but nothing comes close to our Saturday Night Sing Song. This week 400 people packed the Wingate Hall to sing Breakin' Up is Hard to Do, Piano Man, House at Pooh Corner to name just a few. This year we added Sweet Caroline which brought the house down!
Juniors this Week
Welcome to the Junior Section! We’ve had an amazing start to camp so far! We’re so proud to see that so many of the junior boys and girls are coming out of their shells, getting comfortable in camp and making new friends. We’ve all been having so much fun getting to know each other these first few days! Campers are getting used to the camp routine, including clean up, milk and cookies at night and bed time. They are participating, laughing and smiling at their activities and have particularly loved going out to play on the blob on the lake. Even the rainy day on Saturday didn’t stop our Juniors from enjoying a full day of indoor activities and some fun splashing in the puddles! On Sunday, bunks 3 & 5A enjoyed a cookout lunch on a campfire by Spike with hotdogs, hamburgers, veggies and of course S’mores! Saturday night we got to experience our first Sing Song of the summer with many campers singing their hearts out, laughing and dancing with each other. Overall, we’ve had a great first few days here at Wingate! The camp is full of people ready to help, support, encourage and love on these kids so they can have the time of their lives this summer! We are so excited to share with you all the amazing things coming up for the juniors in week 1!
Conor & Scarlett
Inters this Week
Our first half week at camp has already come and gone and what a week it was in the inter section! It was great to see our new campers integrate successfully into our “wacky way” of life at camp and our returning campers reconnect with old camp friends. The boys have been loving their activities and have been busy at free play playing some intense games of Around the World. We are very fortunate to have two pro basketball players all the way from Israel running the program and show off their skills. The girls have been so happy the last few days, from swimming in the lake to doing some amazing A&C projects, there is a constant smile on everyone’s face and we can’t wait for what the rest of the summer has in store! Our brand new cooking facility run by Islay has been very popular with the Inters. From chips and guac to fully-loaded crepes, there is no shortage of food and good vibes. One of the highlights of the week was our first Saturday night Sing Song of the summer. The entire camp had a blast singing some of our classic sing song favorites as well as the introduction of some new songs. It’s been an incredible start to summer 2024 and we’re looking forward to an amazing first full week of camp!
Ryan & Hallie
Seniors this Week
We had an awesome kick-off to the summer this week at camp in the senior section! All the kids were ready and excited the second they stepped off the bus. They brought such amazing energy and enthusiasm that set the perfect tone to start off camp. For the boys in this section, we started off by drafting teams for our leagues and with the camp growing we now have 6 teams instead of 4 which is incredible to see! Both the staff and the kids are ready and looking forward to the start of the season today. We also had an amazing first section wide activity, our version of “RuPauls Drag Race” with the bunk 18 girls winning with their character Diamond in the Ruff making a very memorable start to the summer for the seniors. The laughter, new and old friendships, and the participation in all the activities have been incredible to see and we can’t wait for more to come as the summer continues!
Adam & Michelle
CIT's this Week
The CITs are off to a great start this summer! We are so happy and excited to have such an amazing group of CITs this year. They started off strong with being the first ones to kick off a new tradition which was setting up and running the Friday night program this week. They decorated the dining hall, lead the service and had 3 amazing speakers to talk about our theme of the week which was kindness. They did an great job and really set the tone for the rest of camp this summer. They have also been hard at work planning the break for an exciting camp-wide event that is coming soon. Today was their first day of placements on bunks, and they already have already started forming connections with their campers. They are all participating in activities, boosting the energy of all the campers, getting the kids more engaged and excited. We’ve had such an amazing week and we can’t wait for more to come next week!
Adam, Michelle & Josh
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