Topic: Getting ready for Camp! With newspaper story!! 10/7/07

[Cheesemaker]

Well, I'll be gone for the week!    I'll miss ya guys, and like the Rubicon there is no computer or cellular connection!  And I'll be amongst 200 6th graders and some 40+ counselors!  And the best and most loved people in camp is the kitchen staff!  I'm a volunteer at our local Outdoor School Program!  It's the same one that I went to when I was in the sixth grade!  I'll miss ya guys and will be sporting the Marlin shirts and hats!

Here's the link to our site!
http://www.oregoncoast.com/tcods/

My camp name is Cowboy, and I fill the part!  Hat, vest, boots and duster.  And the kids love it!

We rent the local Boys Scouts camp which is right next door to Sandlake ORV area!  On the weekends we will be hearing the sound of rails and two strokes day and night! 

And one of my duties at camp is doing cabin checks, since I know every square inch of camp, if any two or more counselors come up missing in the middle of the night, I will be there to catch and find them!  That's my favorite thing at camp!  Busted!!     And yes I've caught some in the action!    And I love to make calls at 2 AM to have family members come and get their teenager that was caught!  And there are the kids that try to sneak into camp to "hook up" with somebody into camp!    And I get to call the cops on them!   
So, I will miss my online family and will be seeing ya'll as soon as I will get back home!  Gotta go and pack, I leave tomorrow and will be back next friday!  See ya soon!!  And you all be safe. 

Later for now Cheesemaker!  Cheese out!

[Rockcrawlintoy]

so your the guy that ruined all my fun and 

[Tallchevy]

Have fun ruinning the fun 

[abnormaltoy]

Nevermind what the others may say...remember how you were at their age! Rain on every parade you can find!

It's a good thing you're doing...I wish the Queso Cowboy well! 

[Lady Di]

wow, you're mean! 

[abnormaltoy]

wow, you're mean! 

No...I'm a parent. Worse still...I'm a parent that remembers!

[79coyotefrg]

Happy trails  cowpoke

[Lady Di]

No...I'm a parent. Worse still...I'm a parent that remembers!

 

[abnormaltoy]

I ruined an awful lot of father's dreams for their daughters. There were a lot of off-white wedding gowns because of me.

[kneedownnate]

Have fun!  This isn't one of those camps that fills their heads with false environmental bs is it?  We have one of those nearby, and some of the crap they tell the kids is so far off base

[Rockcrawlintoy]

we have one too it sucks

[AaronB]

I ruined an awful lot of father's dreams for their daughters. There were a lot of off-white wedding gowns because of me.

I went to a camp like that! I think thats why the good lord blessed me with a Girl.

[abnormaltoy]

I went to a camp like that! I think thats why the good lord blessed me with a Girl.

Yeah, God could have given me a crappy assed kid like I was...but He took it easy on me!

[Lady Di]

Yeah, God could have given me a crappy assed kid like I was...but He took it easy on me!

I would think it would be easier to have a crappy assed kid like you were then trying to keep your daughter away from crappy assed kids like you were.

[Cheesemaker [OP]]

Have fun!  This isn't one of those camps that fills their heads with false environmental BS is it?  We have one of those nearby, and some of the crap they tell the kids is so far off base

Well, I got five minutes from packing, so I'm checking posts! 
Nate no it's not one of those type of camps!  WE teach kids that there are other things than computers and TV's!  We teach them what it's like to have a disability, (blind walk, asthma, no hands or legs) and we have two guest speakers that have disabilities, and their talks opens their eyes, we have Lloyd Scudder who has no hands, and Brad Crume who is a quadriplegic.  We also teach them about water and the things you can find in water, (bugs, silt, ph factor and etc) teach them about team building, and survival.  There is alot that we also do that is really hard to explain!  But we also teach them about table manners, and giving people respect for other people!  Plus we have the traditional stuff like archery, olympics at the lake, games, and various activities.  And this is just for the 6th graders!

Then the high school students, we teach them about trust and bonding as a team!  And various other team building and trusting activities!  Most of them do a 180* turn around by the end of the week!  The experience we give them has opened alot of emotional and personal issues.  Alot of the counselors open up about abuse and rape and bad things, that they felt it was all their fault but we help them to trust one and another to get the help they need to get through tough times!  We had a student a few years ago that was planning out his suicide.  Because of camp, he realized that life wasn't that bad and there are people that are willing to help and listen.  And some of us got him the help he needed!  He is in a better place now, and is in college studying  to become a high school counselor!  Our camp is more than just a ordinary Outdoor school!  It can be very emotional at camp at times!  We had a 6th grader that it came out that he watched his father beat his mom to the point that she is a quadriplegic now!  Its sad to see kids go through things like this, but we can help them realize that their is good in the world, and that they can make positive choices!

I will link an article that is being written in our local paper when I get back!  See ya!

[kneedownnate]

That sounds pretty cool

[Cheesemaker [OP]]

Well, I got home last night at midnight.  And I got to get ready for work right now!  Will give more detail how my week went later!  It was a good week!  I'll post a picture of the view of the cabin area I was in charge of, as soon as I get them loaded to Photobucket!

[Cheesemaker [OP]]

Here is the article from the local newspaper!  We have had many reporters try to put the experience down in words, but it is really hard to do that!  This article comes really close in some places.  But it is something that you truly have to experience!


~By Kevin Cummings
Headlight-Herald Staff

Camp Meriwether - The smell of chocolate chip cookies wafted through the kitchen filling the rest of the lodge.

Hawk, the ever-present crumpled cowboy hat on his head, moved supplies, while Pawn and Gemini repaired a door. The Fantastic Four? They were busy washing dishes.

Above in the woods and below at the ocean, about 130 sixth graders from all three county school districts were learning about more than trees and tides.

Mason "Under Dog" Ireton, 19, is a member of the Fantastic Four, and was in his fourth year on the staff at Tillamook County Outdoor School, a week-long camping experience for sixth graders at Meriwether-Clark Scout Reservation, better known as Camp Meriwether.

"The joy I see on the kids' faces when I explain my story to them," he said, is the reason he keeps coming back.

What's Under Dog's story? It's the story of an underdog, of course.

Diagnosed with autism, Ireton is a well-spoken, constant grinner with the super power of telekinesis. That's right, telekinesis. He said he's very perceptive of other's hidden feelings, and like each member of the Fantastic Four, he has a chosen special power.

The Fantastic Four was a quartet of select staff members who had various duties, including clean-cabin checks, washing dishes and sharing stories of inspiration.

Sitting across the table from Under Dog, clad in blue overalls, was Dean "Moses" Bones, Fantastic Four's captain and Outdoor School director. All of the counselors and staff members have camp nicknames, and Moses is a fitting one for the bearded man who has been a leader at the school for 30 of its approximate 40-year existence.

Outdoor School, which started last week and concludes this week, has some focus in science but the bigger picture is about relationships, trust, self-worth, understanding, respect and love.

"A lot of outdoor schools are solely science," Bones said. "Science is good, but you can teach someone to get along with a tree and a bush but if they can't get along with each other it's kind of a problem."

Bruce "Yogi" Cardin is a sixth-grade teacher at East Elementary. This was his 21st Outdoor School.

He said he's seen the camp be a major catalyst in redirecting kids headed down a troubled path, and some even end up going to college or achieving a master's degree.

In addition to all the activities, such as archery, boating, water games and the like, another huge facet of the experience is instilling empathy for those with disabilities.

The camp offers activities that simulate blindness, deafness and other challenges. Bones said the asthma drill is a particularly powerful experience. The activity is basically plugging your nose and breathing through a straw while you walk. He said one boy couldn't wait to get home and apologize to his brother, who had asthma, for all the times he had made fun of him.

Carl "Hawk" Hadermann played baseball, basketball and football at Neah-Kah-Nie High School. He was later diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, a fact he uses to inspire the students. Hadermann, in his 17th year at camp, said, "It's all about giving back."

Bones said Hadermann has a gift for connecting and conversing with people.

Hadermann said one little boy told him in confidence that he was afraid his parent's were going to get a divorce.

"My heart just sunk," he said.

Kids have a tendency to reveal those kinds of truths here in the woods and there were many to help, such as Jerry "Griz" Nutt, 67. He is a member of the Grandpas and Grandmas, whose only duty is to love and listen - they are banned from disciplining the students.

"A lot of kids are really starved for personal attention and don't live near their grandparents," Bones said. "Who better than a grandma (or grandpa to give them that)?"

"Griz," a retired teacher, said the camp is all about the kids.

"The positive, emotional atmosphere that's around here is just unbelievable," he said.

One of the main rules of camp is "Put-ups, not put-downs."

The homemade food is a big attraction for students.

Robin "Noodle" Richwine was head cook, and Laurie "Zippy" Bones, wife of Moses, and a slew of others also helped in creating rib-sticking meals for the kids.

"Once we move in (to camp), we kind of drop off the world for two weeks and then we're here," Laurie said.

Leaders go to great lengths to make sure it's a tremendous time for the students, especially those dealing with disabilities, allergies and even bed-wetting.

If a child wets the bed, the Fantastic Four swoop in and change the bedding very discreetly that morning while all the students are doing activities, and when they return to their shelters that evening, everything is back in its place.

A positive cycle

The business community, parents and volunteers, young and old alike, all drop what they're doing for two weeks each year to make the school possible. Many even take time off from work.

Bones said he asked one staff member why they keep coming back.

They answered, "Several years ago, I went to Disneyland in Southern California and it was fun, but I came back empty. I come here empty and I leave full because you focus so much on what is important and right," Bones recalled.

"Go 4," also known as Wally John, teaches survival to the students. John spent 22 years in the Coast Guard and grew up as a Boy Scout. He shared rescue stories from his Coast Guard days as part of the survival class.

It's not just the younger folks who benefit from the experience. Bones said the high school counselors and adult staff members also reap rewards, both from the students they mentor and from each other.

During a daily meeting of counselors, teachers and staff, they are encouraged to be open about their lives, inspirations and struggles.

He said powerful stories, tears, hugs and forgiveness are all common inside this secluded area a few miles from Cape Lookout.

Bones said he encourages teachers and students to carry on what they learn.

"You can go back to school and you can be a power in your school for caring," he said.

The hundreds of people powering Outdoor School believe they are changing lives for the better. That's why Lavonne "Radar Mama" Mullet flies in from near Wichita, Kansas each year to help her longtime friends, the Bones family.

The rules of camp are very specific and that structure is a huge part of the success, she said. "What the sixth graders find is an experience that is so packed with newness and fun and relationships," she said.

Six String, who borrows the name from the instrument he plays, attended his first camp last week. Outside the camp, he's known as Jeff Blakley, a 35-year-old teacher at Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School.

"It's action packed from breakfast on," he said of the experience. "It's just go, go go. There are some good learning opportunities."

It's a challenge for some kids to spend a week in the woods away from parents, he said, but after this camp he expects to see positive changes in his students.

New friends

Cassie "Crash Test" Malmquist is a senior at Tillamook High School and a camp counselor.

"I learned a lot about myself and how to interact," she said as her group prepared for a test run at lowering the camp's American flag after dinner.

Among this group are Lindsey Rieger and Alexis Hilby, both from East Elementary School.

They spoke of how they enjoyed the games, but what they talked about most is making new friends with the kids at Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School. Two of those new friends were in their group - Tasha Lopez-Deroest and Libby Eckstrom from Neah-Kah-Nie.

As the sun began to set and the campers sat down for dinner, Moses led the group in "You Are My Sunshine." A follow-up song greeted visitors to Outdoor School.

The chorus goes a little something like this: "We're glad you're here at Outdoor Schoooool," followed with a little shimmy dance and other swingin' words sprinkled in the middle.

Thursday always marks the final night of Outdoor School. This last night was capped with a candlelight walk of reflection to the fire bowl. When the last candle was extinguished and the kids prepared to return home the next day, Moses and crew hoped the candle inside each student would burn a little brighter.~

[Lady Di]

I don't see anything about the Cheesemaker in that article

[Cheesemaker [OP]]

The article was wrote during the first week of camp, and I went second week!  I would have loved to done first week, but I'm very much needed second week, I really bust ass to get everything loaded in the u-haul so we can get out of camp at an decent hour!  I got home at midnight! 

[Lady Di]

But what we really want to know.. did you get to do any hosing down?