HORIZONS DAY CAMP NEWSLETTER
DEAR HORIZONITES,
The summer of 2023 had it all! Classic Horizons staples such as Quidditch and International Spies lined up alongside some very unique events. Who could forget the Water Parade, summiting our first Presidential Peak, or recognizing Nate’s incredible achievement of completing his 10th summer as a counselor? It was his 147th summer in total (he was a camper for a looooong time). During Zenith Fire, when introducing Nate, I posed the question: What is a Horizonite? Six months have passed since that landmark event, and I continue to ponder.
Simply put, a Horizonite is anyone who has had the fortune to be part of our summer community, and it is an honor that lasts a lifetime. However, being a Horizonite means much more than a name on an enrollment sheet. As with a sunrise, each one brightens your day; some are understated, illuminating the world in gentle ways. Others radiate with a vibrance that stops everyone in their tracks. Just as every sunrise is unique and special, so are our Horizonites. When we are most comfortable being ourselves, allowing a little vulnerability by revealing who we really are, we become the greatest Horizonites possible. If we are honest and open, we can be free to expand in unimaginable ways, sharing our radiance with those around us.
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At Horizons, we know that mistakes happen and perhaps we don’t always act as we hope. In these moments, we ask each other if we can be honest with ourselves to reflect and grow from such moments. How would I handle this if I were being the best version of myself? I ask my fellow Horizonites to keep me to such core values and aspire to help others do the same. Doing this gives us the most incredible community and summer of our lives.
By being himself, Nate brings incredible richness no one else can goofy assembly skits and ways to consider the world that help expand our thinking. He can find fun in moments that seem mundane. Maf, our Head of Arts and Crafts, sees disused cardboard as new scenery for our shows or even as flying pigs to be attached to canoes and paddled around a lake in a Parade. According to Ellie, when two people are good friends, they can quiz one another, with wrong answers earning cream pies to the face. Chris regards huge puddles as a chance to do the longest body slides I have ever seen.
And not least of all, Lorana brought us together with her piano. When she arrived from Spain and realized she wasn’t familiar with some of the music we asked her to play, she did the bravest, most impressive thing possible. She was willing to challenge herself. She sought help and was dedicated to practicing in her spare time, although she was already a great musician. She did this because she cared and wanted to do the best job possible to help us all enjoy singing together. In her first days with us, she became one of our greatest Horizonites because she faced herself and answered, “What do I want to do in this situation?” With diligence, willingness to be vulnerable, dedication, and humor, she truly helped make Horizons the magical place it is. She modeled what it means to be a Horizonite.
Not that we all have to be great at piano; rather, we need a willingness to be honest with ourselves and bravely share as much of our own unique brilliance as possible.
Peace
and Love, Stuart Fairbairn Horizons Director
ARTS & CRAFTS JUST GOT DECKED OUT!
Have you heard the news? Arts and Crafts just got bigger and better! Thanks to the new addition of a covered porch, more campers will have space to continue crafting and creating all summer long, no matter the weather. Rain or shine, they’ll be able to work on their art in a comfortable and protected space. Even in the winter, when the building is covered in snow, you can see the space’s potential for fun and creativity! With the new covered porch on the Arts & Crafts building, there’s no telling what amazing creations you’ll come up with!
horizons fun times puzzles
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ACROSS:
3. Something we get to keep from our time at camp
4. North, South, East, and
7. State between North Carolina and Maryland
9. Big
10. The place where you live
12. A path for cars
DOWN:
1. Cedar, oak, and pine are types
2. On Friday, Thursday will be
5. On the top of a line of hills, a narrow strip of high ground
6. A way to communicate across long distances
8. Roses are red, violets are
11. Sometimes a baby’s first word
WORD SEARCH!
Answers on page 8
Are you up for a challenge? Put your problem-solving skills to the test! The answers to the clues are also cleverly hidden in the word search, giving you double the fun in finding them. If you get stuck on a particular answer, don’t worry... you might just find it in the word search!
COUNTRY ROADS
Almost heaven, Blue Mountains, Shenandoah River Life is old there, older than the Younger than the mountains, blowin’ like a breeze
Country roads, take me
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain
Take me home, country roads
All my gather ‘round her Miner’s lady, stranger to water
Dark and dusty, painted on the Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye
I hear her voice in the mornin’ hour, she calls me reminds me of my home far away Ridin’ down the , I get a feelin’ That I should’ve been home
from horizons unit heads!
Hello campers! We miss you just as much as you miss camp, especially during the cold winter months. Your Unit Heads have written some notes as a reminder of the fun times we had together this summer.
Hello to all Woodlands!
How wonderful it feels to be in contact with you after all this time. The many memories we made together last summer have fueled me in these dark and cold winter days. I often find myself looking fondly back at those warm days, remembering our water fights, pirate ship games, and adventures we would frequently go on together. I consider myself lucky that even on the most snowy and freezing days, I get to look forward to the best three months of the year, with all of you woodland creatures. Horizons is a special experience, and it’s because we have all of you to share our experiences with. You fill Horizons with love, laughter, smiles, and singing, that’s what makes it (in my opinion) the best camp in the entire world. Sitting here at my table, looking out at the chilly horizon, my gaze falls to several cans of shaving cream and a pie tin, supplies I have already started collecting for next summer’s pie-ing! I truly cannot wait for the best summer yet, see you all soon for summer 2024 at Camp Horizons!
Ellie Jacobson-Goodhue 2023 Woodlands Unit Head
Hello my wonderful Treetops!
As I am writing this during the cold and gloomy winter, I can’t help but think of the many adventures we had last summer. From canoe trips to four square, from playing cards on rainy days to swinging under sunny skies, I enjoyed every moment. I know the weather was not very kind to us and dampened some of our time at camp, but you all still arrived every morning with a smiles on your faces ready for new activities. I really appreciated the positive perspectives that each of you had, which made the Treetops family so fun to be a part of. I like to think it was the amazing friendships and caring energy that was so abundant in the Treetops that made the summer so great for everyone. I loved getting to know each and every one of you, whether it was talking in the shade of a tree on a hot afternoon, creating masterpieces in Arts and Crafts, or tumbling in Gymnastics. I hope to see you all return in 2024, but to my Treetop friends who will be too busy going on new adventures to return to camp, may the memories you made last summer give you something cheerful to look back on!
Katie Clancy 2023 Treetops Unit Head
hello meadow!
I apologize for waking you all from your winter hibernation, but I am here to remind you that despite it being cold and dreary outside, CAMP is on the HORIZON (haha, bad pun). As I look out the window at the gray frozen woods, all I can think about is how excited I am to be back in the sun, playing four square, sailing, singing, and running around with you all next summer. While it still feels far away, these few short months will go by quickly. The grass will grow back, the sun will thaw the lake, and before you know it we will be back at the greatest place on EARTH.
While we wait for summer fun, I hope you all remember that even though we aren’t at camp physically, we can bring with us the things that make camp so special year-round! Teach your classmates how to play WAH. Make a friendship bracelet. If you’re feeling down, sing your favorite camp song. Keep trying new things, keep smiling, and keep having fun! I look forward to seeing you all soon and have a great rest of the school year! Cheers!
Duncan Green 2023 Meadow Unit Head
hi bigsky!
As I stare out the window on this rainy winter day, I remember all those times that it rained at camp. We created so much fun while we played different kinds of card games, ping pong, and slid through the gigantic puddles in the field. I also look back fondly on those wet treks going to and from the Pack Out Barn where we talked about how much rain there had been, how wet our socks were getting with each step, or discussed when the next sunny day would be. Although the sunny days were few and far between, we made the most of them by playing soccer, cloud-watching, and participating in activities that allowed our clothes to stay mostly dry. Rain or shine, Bigsky was always having fun wherever they went. Whatever session you came to this past summer, you showed an incredible amount of leadership, whether it was helping one of the younger campers in the all-camp activities, helping counselors serve lunch, or putting away materials at the end of an activity period. To all of Bigsky, I am so grateful that I got to spend last summer with you. Can’t wait to see you all at camp next summer as campers or maybe even apprentices. If our paths don’t cross again at Horizons, do what sparks joy and bring a little camp with you. And maybe someday bring that joy back to camp. Can’t wait to see you soon!
Grace Callahagn 2023 Bigsky Unit Head
