The Vedette | 2021 Woodcraft Camp | Issue 2

The

Vedette

Issue 2 July 22, 2021

About Oscar the Raccoon

By Mariana Villarreal Gonzalez, C3 There are a lot of raccoons at Culver and all of them are important but I'm going to write about one of the most famous this summer: Oscar the raccoon. There are so many words to describe Oscar but in my opinion he is quiet, hungry and intelligent.

The Legend of Susan B

By Nelly Stabropoulos Castro, B1 Have you ever heard the story of Susan B? Do you think it's scary? Have you seen her? This Woodcraft legend is about a girl who got lost in the woods. Some people say they've seen her at night, on the way to the restrooms, in their dreams and in other places. The scary part of this story it's that she "GRADUATED." How could she if she was stuck in the forest, trapped, all alone, for her whole life? To have proof that she was here there's her name in the WOODCRAFT GRADUATES inside the dining hall.

Susan's story is that she was on a field trip with a friend and a lieutenant and each of them had a horse. Susan fell off of her horse and he ran away. Their friends went and looked for Susan but they didn't find her. Susan was stuck in the forest for years. One day, her parents started to worry about her so they asked her friends who became JC's. The JC's didn't know what to say. "She already graduated," they said, but she hadn't. The JC's ran to the dining hall and searched for the year she got lost. They found the name on the plaque. The JC's took a photo and sent it to her parents and there she was on the plaque.

Susan comes here every night to see who doesn't care about her. Susan B is a really famous story here at Culver because some people say they've seen her. Stay awake, maybe you will see her, too!

Culver Cubing

By Owen Nicholas, Drum and Bugle This year at Woodcraft a Rubik's Cube class was added and is being taught by Lt. David Simon.

I asked why Lt. Simon taught the class and he said that when he was at camp, someone solved the Rubik's Cube and that it was a lot of fun for him. By teaching others to solve the Rubik’s Cube, he was bringing the joy of his time at Culver to them.

Some of the things that Lt. Simon recommends in a Cube is for it to be sticker less, for it to have magnets, numerical tension adjustment, and for the inside to be lubricated.

Nate Ventura, D&B, said the class was “chill,” taught well and that most of the solving was muscle memory.

Now Ventura can solve a 3x3, 2x2, and a pyraminx!

Campers Points of View

By Ines Facha and Amelie Joffroy, C3 We interviewed Gold Cs, Silver Cs, and Bronze Cs Beavers and Cardinals all around campus to get their perspective of other campers at Culver. Here is what we gathered: Kate Stimptson, C2 Bronze "C," said she came to camp because her dad used to work here and her sisters came to camp, "Now I came here and I love it."

Valentina Madrazo, a C3 Silver “C,” said she would come back to Culver. “Even when you feel homesick sometimes at Culver, when you get home you will miss it,” she said. "Culver is in my heart."

Manolo Mariscal, a D1 Gold "C" said Culver has taught him "how to be mature."

Competitive Counselor Relay

By David Sem, D3 How fast can Cubs counselors run? The counselor relay is one of the best things about the Tuesday night Cubs track meet. Counselors from D4 are dominating the counselor relay. So far they haven't lost. At the July 13 track meet, the counselor relay was fast moving and fun to watch. Lt. Bird was sprayed with a fire extinguisher because he was running so fast.

Why You Should Sign up for "Top Notch"

By Henry Barnett (D1, Silver "C") Have you seen on class sign up sheets the initials, "TN"? "TN" stands for Top Notch. Top Notch is a special class for Gold "C" Beavers and Cardinals. There are "Top Notch" classes for Arts and Crafts, Indian Dance, Indian Crafts, Rocketry, and Fine Arts. Some of the more popular "Top Notch" classes are Indian Dance, Indian Crafts, and Rocketry. Many Gold "C"s sign up for these classes.

Major Robertson, Director of American Indian Dance and Culture at Woodcraft is also the director of American Indian Dance, which is a very popular class. There are over 1/3 of Gold "C"s signing up for American Indian Dance, or about 30 each trimester. Getting the Indian Dance TN patch is not as hard as it was in previous years but there are still some requirements. You have to take the class for four weeks in the same year and be cooperative, have a good attitude, help other campers, and have to have already had a patch in the class. Major Robertson says, "Most people do the class for six weeks, for the fun of it." There is not a minimum amount of Council Fires you have to participate in, but if you are taking the Top Notch class, you will probably be in a lot of Council Fires. Those are the basic requirements for Top Notch American Indian Dance. If you are exceeding basic expectations in class you may earn a medal. The American Indian Dance medal is not tied to the Top Notch class/Gold "C"s, anyone can get it.

You have probably seen many rockets soaring through the sky at the end of every trimester. That is the Rocketry class launching their finished rockets.

Rocketry Top Notch, directed by Major Kopp and Major Clemmons, make the class very fun. "I am very happy to teach Top Notch Rocketry successfully," says Major Kopp. There are also some basic requirements you have to meet to get your Rocketry "Top Notch" patch. Rocketry TN is a pretty loose class, in that you have to design your own rocket from scratch using spare rocket parts. Rocketeers have to use their previous knowledge from the rocket kits from taking the class before. You must be in the class for four weeks to get the TN patch. Quinn Larkin from D1 says, "Rocketry Top Notch is a blast."

Have you seen yarn squares that come out of a long porch-like building?

Chances are you are looking at an American Indian Craft project. American Indian Crafts, Directed by Major Kamero, is a class where you can make anything from a friendship bracelet to a painted shield.

In Indian Crafts "Top Notch," you can make a TN Ojo, a TN Beaded Leather Bracelet, or a TN Beaded Patch. Like all other TN classes there are some extra requirements that you must follow. You must be in the class for four weeks, work in one Council Fire (as in preparing for visitors to the Council Ring), and you must be respectful and hold up the shared values on the Honor Card. The most popular TN project is the Beaded Leather Bracelet.

"A lot of people love what they did because they put so much effort into a project," says Major Kamero.

Gold "C" Returners

By Madison Kline, B2 In this crazy year, some people chose to come back for their Gold “C” year, one person who came back was Butterfly Charlotte Hunter. She felt too young to go to Cardinals and wanted to complete her Gold “C” year.

She also wanted a good rank. Other reasons for staying were having fun and getting the real Gold “C” experience. Charlotte said she would encourage others to do the same. She said, "having three years of Butterflies is easier because you can get the hang of things."

When asked if she would be sad if someone didn't come back for their Gold “C” year, Charlotte said yes. If someone didn't come back they wouldn't get the chance to be a Gold “C” and might need more time to figure things out.

Major Ken Trikey Jr. said, "Woodcraft is the pathway to Winter school."

Woodcraft camp often prepares campers for high school and whatever you chose to do next.

From Woodcraft to Culver Military Academy

By Nate Ventura, Drum and Bugle It is likely that you know about Culver Military Academy, which is the high school that takes place on the Upper Campus from fall to spring. At CMA you live in dorms, take school classes, and are usually inside. The military aspect from Woodcraft stays the same for CMA. This year nine Cardinals and 10 Beavers will attend Winter school this fall.

I asked a Woodcraft camper, who has already spent his freshman year in CMA and he explained that parades were often done when it was warmer and nicer outside and general inspections when it was not. He says CMA can be tiring, but it is worth it and can be enjoyed. Another camper who is going into his first year explained that on most days, he had an hour or two of study time inside his dorms where he could relax and hit the books. Also at CMA, there is a gym that can be used by anyone.

Overall, CMA sounds challenging, but an experience worth having. Good luck to the 19 campers going into CMA! Favorite Classes at Woodcraft

By Parker Bird, D3 The three most popular classes at woodcraft are air rifle, water ski and equitation. Have you ever tried to sign up for one of these classes and not gotten it?

For water skiing this summer, 436 kids have requested the class, but only 216 campers will get in. Equitation only has spots for 48 campers but it gets 150 requests. The weird thing about air rifle is that it gets 377 requests, but it can fit 468 campers throughout the summer, so everyone who requests it should get the class.

Henry Barnett, D1, said, “My favorite moment in Air Rifle is when I hit a bullseye."

Noah Tomkins, D&B, said, “The best part of water skiing is going in and out of the wake."

How to Make a Bed at Woodcraft

By Jack Lyons, D4 Gold C I am writing this for the campers who don't know how to make a bed.

1. Place the white on top of the bed and spread it out so it is on the whole bed.

2. Tuck in the sheet and on the side where your head is, you will pull out on the sheet and push back behind the sheet and then tuck it in.

3. Do the same thing with the other white sheet, make sure on the side where your head is the top of the sheet is not worn you can tuck it in. Put the blanket on top of the white sheet the same way.

4. Fold the blanket back 18 inches and make the blanket 6 inches wide. do the same thing with the white sheet.

5. Tuck everything under the bed so it is tight, also look under the bed and make sure that there are no flaps.

I talked to some people in my cabin who are good at making beds and Noah Tomkins said, “Make sure that you make everything tight."

These 5 steps to making a great bed will help you pass PI's, AI's and GI's.

Theatre Arts: A Class Worth Taking Owen Easterday, D3 Theatre arts is an often overlooked class that not many people talk about, but I thought it was really fun. Theatre Arts focuses on creativity, leadership and acting. Because there is no pressure by "the norm,'' there is no one judging you and you can just be yourself. Also, Theatre Arts it is partly arts and crafts because you get to make and perform with a sock puppet. I interviewed some people to see what the thought of theatre arts I interviewed the teacher, Mrs. Barnes:

Q: Would you suggest this class to the campers A: I Think this is a really fun and important class for kids to think about who they are and what impression they have on others, which is a part of leadership.

Q: What is your favorite part of class and why?

A: My favorite part in theatre arts is when the kids are making the sock puppet. Because I love walking around seeing campers making charaures from their own imagination.

Henry Shellers, D3, said, “I like the class because most of my family likes improvisational comedy and I like it as well."

Permit Pick-Up

By Ruby Steinberg, C3 Covid has changed a number of things this year for Culver including permit weekends. After interviewing Keira Larkin, C3, and talking to other campers, it seems to be a popular opinion that permits are better every two weeks. As the returning campers know, in previous years, permit has worked differently. After two weeks of camp, permit would happen every weekend. But this year, to limit the amount of people on campus, permit is every two weeks and families are not allowed out of their car unless they are waiting for their camper.

Larkin was asked about how she thought a permit would be for campers who were homesick and said, "For the kids who are homesick it is probably easier because when kids' parents do come, they are reminded of them and have to keep saying goodbye every week." She also liked permits better this way because, "more things happen in between permits," and enjoys non-permit weekends because, "they fill time and there are always fun activities."

As we all know, the last permit pickup line took forever. The operations director Maj. Drew Thomas was asked if anything would change from last permit to this permit. He said, "Unfortunately there is nothing we can change because of covid. Saturday was our first time doing permit pickup like this. So after Saturday, we tweaked things for Sunday."

One of the changes that they made was that they started staging cars in the basketball court near the Cardinal wings so that they would not block State Road 10. Next permit will be much like this permit while using walkie talkies to call campers individually.

Preparing For the Dance

by Gage Vallery, C3 The dance. You've all heard of it, some of you have been. There are alot of Bronze C's this year who haven't. I'm here to tell you what it's like and if it's worth it to stress about getting a date.

So some things to know about the dance: You have to wear Dress A's with no sash/ coat. There is music and you get to ask the DJ what music to play.

"The photobooth is my favorite event," said Maj. Mueller, the activities director.

She said it's her favorite because you can get instant gratification with a picture of you and your friends. It has the Beaver and Cardinal logos and it says the event name

What you really want to know: Is it worth getting a date? Personally, I have a date for this year's dance. Logan Shesky, D6, and Mariana Villarreal, C3, do not have a date. Well, if you don't count Oscar the Raccoon. Dates, partners, girlfriends, or boyfriends aside, why do people wanna go so bad? Shesky said, “you get to meet new people, and you can make new relationships with people.

I think you can also just hang out with friends you already have.”

Everybody will have their own favorite part of the dance. But it's nice to know what to look forward to.

According to Villarreal, you can pass time and play with your friends. “I think it's like a big Colspan Dance party with ice cream and photos.”

How to Win the Athletic Banner

By Vanessa Fernandez and Maria Anaya, C3 Every Sunday, all of Woodcraft comes together to the amphitheater for awards. At this ceremony, many awards are given out, things like honor cabin, or banners like the marching, military, and athletic achievement banners. In this article, we will explain how to win the athletic banner. There are many things to consider when deciding who wins the athletic banner for the week. Swim-meet, track-meet, cabin games, wing/division games are all things that count toward the banner. There are only four banners, one that the Beavers fight for, one that the Cardinals fight for, one that the Cubs fight for and one that the Butterflies fight for. We interviewed Maj. Johnson, the boys athletic director, and Maj. Lynch the girls athletic director to learn more about the athletic banner.

Maj. Johnson said the number one thing that led to winning the athletic banner: "Even though all four categories count equally, I would say that succeeding in cabin games would give you a better shot toward winning the athletic banner.". He also explained how points are added. All events that happen for the athletic banner are all worth 30 points each. Swim and track meets are won by the places each division gets in three groups: juniors, intermediates, and seniors.

The division with the best places in the meet will win the most points. If they win first place in the three groups they will get 30 points. If not, it will come to a percentage depending on the places in each race that they got. For cabin and division games, the division with the most games won will get the full 30 points. At the end, the division with the most points wins the banner for the week.

Maj. Lynch said the key to winning the banner is having a positive attitude and playing together. Girls points are added up similarly to the boys, but instead of winning 30 points, first place gets 3 points, second place gets 2 points, and third place gets 1 point. The boys have two cabin games but the girls only have one. For the girls, C1 has one less cabin, so one game between C2 and C3 always doesn't count.

Nicole Mogollon, C3, said, "I think everyone tries their best because the whole unit wants to win the banner."

Junior Counselor Lt. Margaret Baxter said, "Everyone was motivated and we demonstrated good sportsmanship and everyone worked as a team."

It is one of the best feelings when your unit gets called for winning a banner, but when you get called for winning the athletic banner, everyone can see all the effort that was put in by the unit.

All About Circle Ikwe

By Sophia Bernstein, B2 Drum drum drum you hear the beat of the drum it is Indian Dance! I am going to write about Circle Ikwe, what it is, who can do it and some special things about it.

Circle Ikwe is a society for really good Indian dancers who are girls. Each year, nine to 12 girls are picked.

Maj. Robertson, who runs the dance program said, "We pick the best of the best people in the Indian dance class to be in Circle Ikwe" How can you get in it? Maj. Robertson says, "You have to be respectful, dance well, teach others, take class and follow with the moves."

Who can do it? Most people think Circle Ikwe is just for Cardinals, but really you can get it from when you are a Bronze C Butterfly to when you are a Gold C Cardinal.

Some special things about Circle Ikwe are that you can be a counselor for Indian dance, you can beat the drum and you can sit on the counselor bench. Lastly, Circle Ikwe is special because it makes you a better person and a better dancer!

Now you know what Circle Ikwe is, who can do it and some special things about it. So now if you are a girl, take indian dance so you can become Circle Ikwe.

The Chicken Catastrophe

By Melissa Flores, C1, and Vera Lozano, B2 Things in the Dining Hall could be better. We get chicken almost everyday, and the campers are not satisfied with their food standards. We interviewed 14 people, including staff members and most of the responses were negative. We think that the food here could be better. We understand that the staff at the Dining Hall work really hard, and there's also fewer of them than normal. But we also think that more food variety can be added, for example: more vegan and vegetarian options for vegan and vegetarian people to enjoy.

We asked and interviewed campers and staff here at Woodcraft about their experience at the Orthwein Dining Hall. Many said very similar things, for example: "Do not give us chicken almost every day."

"Get less chicken, and more options."

"More options in the salad bar."

We also wanted to know the point of view of the plastic trays, forks, spoons, bowls, etc.

"It's very excessive, but necessary."

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Then we asked more people if Flik should consider not using Styrofoam, and instead use the hard plastic that can be reused. (We know that we can't always use them because of Covid-19 sanitary precautions.)

"Yes, because if we all work together we can solve the world's problems."

"Yes, but since there's a short staff, it works better.”

We know that sometimes our standards can't always be reached and we're a lot of people here at Woodcraft too and most of the time, kids can be picky about the food and complain more than usual. But we do think that some things can be changed and improved anywhere, and in the dining hall, there's always room for improvement.

Upper Camp Health Center Could Use a Sprucing Up

By Aryl Stimson, B2 Have you ever been to the Upper Camp Health Center? Did you find it creepy or plain? Do you think it needs improvement? Well, I have a solution!

I didn’t know much about the history so I went to the Woodcraft Health Center where I interviewed nurse Michele Meccia. She told me that the walls used to be plain white and boring. Dick Waterfield decided that he would put the money into decorating it. He and his workers decorated every last bit of it, using different materials that ranged from clay to plastic animals.

She took me to the Upper Camp Health Center where there is a waiting room, a check-in room and bedroom. The bedroom has three beds and the roof leaked. How pleasing!

I have personally stayed in the Upper Camp Health Center for two days and it is not the prettiest or the most exciting to see.

Cardinal 3 Gage Vallery said, “I got in late at night and I couldn’t really see because I had sunscreen in my eyes. The lights were flickering like in a horror movie.”