fun times H O R I Z O N S DAY C A M P
N E W S L E T T E R
WINTER 2022
Dearest Horizonites! What a supreme delight it was to be back at Horizons with you in 2021 after a summer away. What were some of your highlights, I wonder? Singing camp songs, achieving a top archery score, doing a giant splashing cannonball into the lake, and laughing with new and old friends—
these are just SOME of the great memories campers have shared with me. As we have always believed at Horizons, working through challenges helps make us stronger and more capable of navigating our way through future obstacles. We know things won’t always be smooth sailing— and that’s okay! Last summer was an example of this: we needed to
find some new, creative ways to do things at camp so we could stay safe and prevent the spread of Covid. One thing we did to adapt comes to my mind: when we needed to have fewer people accessing the lake at one time, counselors made a GIANT slip and slide to help us stay cool on hot days. What an entertaining way to adapt! I’m incredibly proud of how our whole Horizons community came together and worked hard to make magic happen. Some of the adaptations we made will likely become highlights we incorporate into future summers. Imagine having
your lunch in the treehouse or enjoying a full-camp outdoor assembly at the waterfront next summer!
This fall, I visited our new Camp Fire space many times, both alone and with some fellow Horizonites. Fond memories come flooding back, like celebrating major milestones for staff who have been with us for 10 and 20 summers (Elizabeth and Thaddeus, and Timmy, respectively)! We are what we are because of the dedication of such outstanding people. As rustling leaves mimicked the crackling fire, I thought of the wonderful stories we enjoyed, beautiful guitars accompanying happy singing, hearing of camper achievements, and overall the feeling of being together in such a special place, surrounded by friends. I am counting the days until camp 2022 and hope to see you there! In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you anytime if you want to be in touch. I wish you a splendid New Year. Love and laughter,
Stuart Fairbairn, Horizons Director sfairbairn@alohafoundation.org (802) 333-3400
greetings from 2021 horizons unit heads!
Hello Big Sky! Gen Greer I miss you and have no doubt you’re all continuing to be the amazing people you are. You never failed to amaze me with your humor, courage, and the care you showed towards other people. I feel so incredibly lucky to have gotten to share a summer of pickleball, Uno, hikes, bonding with the Horizons chickens, and laughs with you. I can’t wait to see you again!
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Hey Homestead Unit!
Shout Out to Fellow Treetops!
Heather Dexter
Merritt Campbell
I bet you have all been busy with school and other activities! I have been busy with my first year of teaching. If I ever get overwhelmed and tired, I think about our great summer at camp together. What fun we had having the main house to ourselves and the crazy ping pong and four-square matches. I think about all of the funny stories we told and all of the laughter. The biggest thing I remember from the summer was all of your happiness, and I hope you are able to carry all of that joy with you now.
Epic gaga ball games, scaling the heights from our treehouse, creating show-stopping plays, relaxing in our cabins, and snuggling with Buttons, Molly, and Petunia —I have a huge smile on my face every time I think of these and other fun memories with our Treetop crew! Together, we faced challenges, too, like going on hikes, swimming in the lake (some of us for the first time), completing archery ranks, and paddling in kayaks and canoes! I will never forget the pride I felt watching so many of you step out of your comfort zones and having a blast while doing so!
TEST YOUR EAGLE EYE Spot the Difference
(ANSWERS ON PAGE 6)
Can you spot the 12 differences in these two photos?
Horizons Fun Times • Winter 2022
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HORIZONS PET CORNER
WOOF! SQUEAK-SQUEAK! CLUCK-CLUCK! What’s that you say? You don’t speak dog, rabbit, or chicken? No worries, we’ll interpret for you! Our new canine companions, Kenya and Bacca, have adjusted to receiving fewer friendly pats and strokes from all the doting campers. Kenya is almost a year old now, slightly larger and looking forward to more slip-and slides next summer. Bacca is considering styling options, maybe a buzz cut or a “Classic Poodle” depending on how hot it gets! Buttons (the bunny) is being cared for by our amazing arts
counselor, Evelyn. She has two other female rabbits as well and they are hopping happily together. In fact, Evelyn had a fun surprise recently – a litter of tiny Buttons! Evelyn saw the hay moving one morning and out popped three adorable bunnies, now named Poppy, Zipper, and Speedwell! The chickens Peggy, Fred, The Overlord, Honey Nut, Salt, Peppa, Cheerio, and Butter have a plush winter residence at Stuart’s house. They got a new coop made just for them and are now fully grown, two are even laying cute little eggs! They typically get to roam freely, scratching around for bugs and tasty plants–a lot of their nutrition and protein is from wild foraging. They also seem to have kept the tick population down. Very helpful!
WORD SEARCH! Can you find these Horizons words?! ARCHERY LODGE HORIZONS STUART FRIENDSHIP FIRE LAKE GAMES SWIMMING NATURE 4
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more greetings from 2021 horizons unit heads!
Meadow Friends! Aloha Benny Wagner Woodlands! Benny Shapes, anyone? This fall, I
started my time at Middlebury College (really only a short drive from that restful shade of the big pine tree), and I’ve been trying to mix in some of the same determination, enthusiasm, and kindness you all showed every day this summer at Horizons. Meeting new people is hard sometimes, but I always remember our first days at camp, playing blob-tag and just diving in. I can’t wait to return to our wonderful lake!
Dear Apprenti Fungi and Cacti!
Grace Blanchette
Arielle Drisko
Can it really be four months since we were all together, playing around on our trusty Pirate Ship? The biggest feeling I get when thinking of Woodlands is “fun and friendship.” Remembering some of the incredible chalk drawings and Legos you produced, I know firsthand how creative you are, and hope you’re still finding ways to be productive and imaginative.
I find myself dreaming of warmer weather and reminiscing about all the wonderful, ridiculous, and amazing things we did together this summer. You worked together to fit on a small block of wood, learned “hard skills” like fire building and canoe steering, worked on your “soft skills” like leadership styles and Success Counseling, helped out around camp by painting the Health House and the Playhouse (and Snoopy), woodburning new directional signs, went to activity periods, helped and facilitated Zone time, carried lunches into the walk-in, and laughed while eating lunch on the front porch. You all did so much and you did it so well!
Spot the Difference Answers
Horizons Fun Times • Winter 2022
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That’s me, Thaddeus, as a camper.
A New Horizons Tradition: Camp Fire
Nate Dimick’s Limerick Challenge
Thaddeus Buttrey
Volume 5
Thaddeus-the-Great (as our campers have appropriately named him) is a multi-talented, kindhearted counselor from the U.K. whose official job description is Head of Court Sports. As a guitarist and storyteller, he played a big part in making Camp Fire what it was in summer 2021, so we asked him to share some brief thoughts on our newest Horizons tradition.
The solution to each limerick is a word
build community and sow the seeds of reflection and empathy in young minds.
Our new activity and tradition—called Camp Fire—is a great way to expand upon this emphasis of community and reflection. Not only does the body need a moment of rest after a long day of running around, so too does the mind. It’s easy to forget how fast-paced Horizons can be, and allowing a moment of calm near the end of a session can be a truly special thing. Lest you think Camp Fire is simply sitting in silence and pondering life, there’s still variety to be had: stories, poems, songs, and camper achievements are all there too. Perhaps a porcupine will scamper up a nearby tree!
Not only is it a time of reflection, it is a time of celebration. A time when the camp can get together and honor the time we’ve shared, and express joy in a new way. A time to give thanks to our lush home state for sharing with us this little slice of summer bliss that is Camp Horizons.
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One morn I went down to the loch. What I saw delivered a shock. No longer made of timber, Now floating and limber, Swimming had an all-new___________________ ! Sometimes when things change, I feel dread. New facts clatter round in my head. We renamed some places, But left fav’rite spaces, So glad that we kept old______________________ ! We traded the lodge, tried and true. And suddenly things felt brand new. With skits, dance, and singing, A bright morning bringing, Assemblies appeared with a_________________ !
Solutions: 1. dock 2. HomeSTEAD 3. view
After my seven years as a camper and now ten years as a staff member, I’ve had ample time to reflect upon my time at Horizons, starting as a Sparrow (that’s me as a camper in the red shirt and cap above) and eventually becoming the extremely sweaty senior staff member you’ve all come to know. In all my years here, Horizons has always prided itself on its ability to
that rhymes with the first two lines.
Based on NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!”
remembering
Corinna Magalhaes horizons head chef, camp parent, and friend
We were greatly saddened to learn of Corinna’s passing in October 2021. Many of us knew her as Head Chef at Horizons for ten glorious summers and mother of Cassidy and Storm. Counselor Beth Randall spoke with staff and shares here how Corinna brightened our days at camp. Remembering Corinna elicits smiles and admiration. She exemplified the best of caring, nurturing, and a tireless work ethic for our camp community. As Head Chef at Horizons, she kept us all fed both in our tummies and our spirits. She seemed undaunted by the macro planning necessary to keep food supplies and systems in place to gracefully feed over 200 campers and counselors daily. To witness the production of a crazy amount of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup was to know she performed cooking as an art. Corinna also noticed and took the time to attend to people individually; freezing grapes as an after-camp treat for children of staff members, supplying “pick me ups” for counselors in need, teaching skills to others working in the kitchen, saving a plate of Thanksgiving lunch for folks out on a trip, adding orange zest to the frosting of cinnamon rolls because everyone loves them even more that way. Corinna took care of all of us, both on a large and small scale. Her warmth and sense of fun came through and impacted each of us daily; making sure the joy of camp was experienced both in and out of the kitchen. Both her smile and laugh were loud, and her approach playful. She often made
Corinna (right) with Jordan, one of her long-time kitchen assistants.
sure the kitchen staff had a chance to take a dip in the lake. One summer, a group of campers and counselors made a movie, solving the mystery of the missing recipe for Corinna’s delicious Mac and Cheese. Her caring also touched the larger camp community. Several counselors found opportunities to work with Corinna in her efforts to keep children and families fed during the pandemic. She worked cooperatively with other camp chefs helping with supplies or storage space. Each summer, she and her staff fed Trustees while they met over a weekend at Horizons and received many words of praise and thanks. For over ten years at Horizons, and even longer through the Aloha Foundation, Corinna was a friend, teacher, caregiver, parent, counselor, playmate, and chef extraordinaire. We miss her.
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2968 Lake Morey Road Fairlee, Vermont 05045
updates from 2021 horizons counselors
My home for this school year is Boston University and I am loving city life. One thing I do miss while in Bean Town is being immersed in the outdoors. There's nothing like the woods off Falcon Trail where we built whimsical fairy houses, precious gnome homes, and stupendous forts. The courses I am taking to achieve my elementary education degree remind me of the campers that bring me such joy, laughter, and energy. I am sending my best to all of you!
I’ve been thinking about Horizons recently, as it gets colder. Like many other counselors, I’m graduating from high school in the spring, and have to choose where I want to go to school next year. I’ve looked at colleges across the country, but I know that wherever I go, I’ll bring a little bit of camp with me. I plan to study theater and acting, so playing the drama games with you all really sets me up for success :) Wishing y’all a happy New Year and much snow!
It was great to be back at camp this summer after a year away—it was like getting a missing piece of my home back. After a lot of research over the summer and some visits to different schools, I just heard I was admitted early to St. Lawrence University! The friends we make at camp are so special, and I know the lessons and values I have learned at Horizons, as both a camper and counselor, will put me in a great position starting college next fall.
—Hannah Butterfield
—Eli Cowie
—Lily Welch
2022 Camp Dates
Enrollment begins on Tuesday, January 11! alohafoundation.org
Session 1: June 27–July 8 | Session 2: July 11–July 22 | Session 3: July 25–August 5 Session 4: August 8–August 12