We are so ready to have campers! Staff week means a lot of meetings about everything from ADHD to Gender to Emergency Action Plans. It’s all important, but involves a lot of sitting down and we are ready to be up on our feet doing things with the campers at Timberlake.
Timberlake now has three Water Safety Instructors and Nineteen Red Cross Certified Lifeguards. We also have three Senior Climbers with a fourth on the way. The Barn and Gardens staff have been at the Farm at 6:00 AM every morning doing chores, the Outdoor Living Skills group have been learning stalking, camouflage amongst other skills, the Work Projects team have been building composting toilets. The cooks are working together to increase their knowledge, baking bread and sharpening knives.
The full training time before campers arrive is almost three weeks, with every day being over eight hours, but the atmosphere has been joyful. We had a staff open microphone, and the Timberlake performances ranged from Woody Guthrie to blues/rock violin solos to beautiful original piano compositions.
NEW HIRES
Jonathan Schoder is now a full season staff for July and August. I believe this will be his 10th consecutive summer at Timberlake.
Joining us in the kitchen in July will be Todd Schmelling (Lumberjacks counselor 2008)
From Earlham colledge come Brandon Budd, who sat in the seat next to Micheal “Woody” Wood (TL Staff 2005-07), on a bus from Ohio. Woody might be paying us a visit in July as well!
Gabe Gao (TL camper 1993-98 and cabin mate of Head Cook Ben Kruse) is making his staff debut this summer.
FOOTWEAR AT TL
Some parents have emailed me about sandals and Crocs. Both are fine and will give feet a chance to breath. A good sole on sandals is recommended
KNIVES
This is a small but important policy that bounces back and forth from YES to NO on pocket knives.
I am saying “yes’ this summer to Swiss Army and Leatherman style knives, and we will evaluate that decision as we go through this summer. It is undisputable that lock blades are safer, but I am willing to allow small knives without locking blades at camp.
I am making this decision based on the fact that most pocket knifes are smaller, lighter and generally less intimidating than your weightier standard single blade lock knife. While the possibility of injury is increased by the lack of a lock blade, the level of injury, should it occur, will be lessened to that of smaller cut. Also, many campers already own pocket knives and are familiar with their use.
All campers must pass a knife test to use a knife. Improper use can result in that privilege being revoked.
CAMPER LIST
There have been several request for knowing who will be joining us this summer. Here is the complete list.
Abrams Jacob
Agramonte Juan-Manuel
Baker Alexander
Baker Daniel
Barber Duncan
Barker Cole
Bartholomew Peter
Becker Austin
Benton Michael
Bishop Derek
Blauner Mose
Bohen Jack
Boyd Emerson
Bradley Christopher
Bresee William
Brown Adam
Brown Martin
Brown Silas
Bruni Matteo
Cangialosi Massimo
Cheng Noah
Choyt Tobias
Chung Kevin
Clark-Jones Mateo
Cleary Brendan
Cochran Daniel
Cohen-Corbett Noah
Cohn Jethro
Connor Christopher
Coon Aidan
D’Anna Charles
Dechert Booker
Dee-Rakower Samuel
Devereux Matthew
DiGiovanni Amariah
Diprinzio Charles
DiPrinzio Harry
Doiron Christopher
Dowling Quinn
Downs Evan
Drebber Jason
Drislane Willy
Drooker Rain
Dupont Ian
Edelman Benjamin
Edgerton Julien
Engstrom Dawson
Ewing Caleb
Finamore-Rossler David
Findley Alden
Fish Joshua
Fontaine Khayden
Forgeois Luca
FoxTree-McGrath Dakota
Frantz Nathaniel
Frantz Noah
Friedland Ethan
Friedman Oliver
Gardner Samuel
Ghebreyesus Simon
Ghebreyesus Solomon
Gibbons Shamir
Gibbons Sidney
Goldberg Jonathan
Goodman Clement
Grattery-Musinsky Alexander
Heald Lucas
Hecht Benjamin
Henderson Theodore
Hersh Eli
Hoffmann Dylan
Hofmann Sebastian
Hollinger Benjamin
Hook Peter
Hopwood Bo
Hopwood Kellen
Hopwood Quinn
Iarussi Jacob
Infante Gabriel
Irby Darien
James William
Jenulevich Vincent
Jubak Finn
Juma Eric
Junceau Roman
Kahn Ethan
Katz Jeremy
Kennedy Vincent
Kiryk Jack
Kohn Jason
Korein Dorian
Landman Isaac
Lewis Julian
Lewis Samuel
Lipnick Noah
Listokin Jonah
Longenecker Ethan
Love-Webb Caleb
Macaulay Sander
Mackillop Somer
Maheu Julian
Marcellus Cameron
Marxuach Guillermo
Maxson Paul
Mayer Samuel
McAllister Rowan
Meeks Amistad
Melamed Christopher
Menken Max
Menken Oliver
Mitchell Asher
Monahan Silas
Money Hartley
Morehouse Henry
Morganstein-Foley Jake
Muhlhahn Liam
Mullaney Jeremy
Muratoglu Ezra
Neville Bayard
Neville Lucas
O’Brien Jack
O’Connell Liam
O’Hara Robin
Oliver James
Olson Stewart
Parker Charles
Pernsteiner Elliot
Perry Michael
Peterson Thomas
Piscitello Michael
Pollak Robin
Pollard Bailin
Potter Gideon
Powers Emmett
Price Griffin
Pulak Nicholas
Quintana Miguel
Rankin James
Rechtman Yonatan
Reed Max
Reid-Klein Elijah
Ripps Max
Robel Mark
Rozanowski Emil
Rubin Philip
Ryan-Liss Timothy
Sanger Ned
Saxe-Smith Morris
Schine Charlie
Schmidt Benjamin
Schmidt Kevin
Sege Aaron
Shapiro-Barnum Julian
Sharoff Brody
Shefelman William
Sills Eli
Silverman Gus
Silverman Nathaniel
Skidmore Isaiah
Smith Caleb T.
Smith Philip
Soderquist Noah
South Ian
Stearns Myles
Steinman Tibbon
Steven Emmett
Stevenson Leo
Stillman Jonah
Taylor Azaniah
Taylor Giacomo
Ticknor-Swanson Calvin
Tomlinson Simon
Tompkins Hazaiah
Toninga Timothy
Torrijos Rudy
Turken James
Tynan Eamonn
Valerio Justin
Vulto Iskander
Walker Jacob
Walls-Tarver Clay
Warkov Ben
Warkov Samuel
Weatherstone Rowan
Weisbord Carson
Weisbord Lowell
Whalen Michael
Whalen Sam
Wigden Sam
Witham-Stevens Chapin
Witzel Adam
Witzel Zachary
Woessner Alex
Woodard Calvin
Woollen Riley
Zimmerman Jared
Zimny Noah
Zweig Nicholas