Jean showed me a picture of two boys preparing to throttle each other with boxing gloves on. No head gear, no mouth guards and no staff in sight. This brought to mind that some things have changed in 56 years.

In 1957, a two week camp session was $20, which included transportation and milk. In 2013, a two week day camp session is $875 which includes transportation and lunch (no milk though).

Although there are some serious differences since RICHILDACA was established, it’s more surprising how much hasn’t changed. Canoeing, swimming, climbing, camp craft and archery are still mainstays of the camp program.

RICHDACA also offered an integrated program for children with exceptionalities – one of the first programs of its kind in Ontario. And the goal of developing a sense of independence and confidence among children is also a common thread between 1957 and now. Summer camp remains an experience that children love and remember well into their adulthood.

Peter

I realize that education is an important part of our lives. But in some cases, these folks are giving up their chance to work at summer camp to improve on grades that are already over 80%. In at least one other case, a candidate is taking summer school to get ahead by a grade.

I’m sure it’s true that somewhere down the line, a great mark in grade 12 calculus will matter to a potential employer when these folks are looking to start their careers. However, I also think it’s true that employers look for more than just grades when they’re hiring someone.

Working at a summer camp provides so many skills, both tangible and intangible. Over the years, I’ve watched some staff members who are reserved and uncertain quickly grow into outgoing, self-confident contributors. These staff members have described the lasting affect that working at camp has meant to them. Knowing that you’re having a positive impact on the experience children have at camp builds poise. And this affect spreads to other aspects of life of life, including school.

I know that there are circumstances where summer school is necessary. However a balanced set of experiences seems to be grossly undervalued by some. When the goal is advancement and self-improvement, students shouldn’t underestimate what they can accomplish by working at summer camp.

Peter

Ace was a staff member at Kettleby Valley who passed away unexpectedly the night before staff training began in 2008. Of course, it was a challenging time for his family and friends. We wanted to do something at camp that would ensure people would remember Ace, his contributions, and all the connections had he made. It was agreed that planting a tree would be an appropriate symbol.

I didn’t want a seedling. I wanted a modest sized tree that would be noticeable and would stand out. I also wanted the tree down in the valley and access in those days was very limited.  I chose the tree from the local farm that seemed to fit the bill. It was a sizable maple, but not overwhelming. I made the arrangements for delivery for Thursday at 6:00 am. This would give me, and anyone I could rope into helping, plenty of time to get the tree into the valley and planted before the day campers arrived.

The tree was delivered strapped to a 40 foot transport trailer. It was bigger than I’d remembered. Chex was my designated helper and, when he saw the tree, the look on his face was a little more defeated than usual - I assumed it had to do with the hour of the day. He operated the camp tractor while I drove the ATV and trailer. We both watched tentatively as the massive mechanical spade on the delivery truck lowered the tree into the trailer. The leaf springs strained, but once everything settled the tires cleared the wheel wells by about 1/2 an inch. If I drove slow and missed the big bumps, we would be fine.

We had to drive through town to get to the valley and it never occurred to me until I was on my way that driving a two stroke engine while pulling a tree might gather some unwanted attention. I had to drive slow, so it gave people time to hear me coming, walk to their windows and still get a glimpse of me travelling past their homes with the 12 foot high maple in tow. With the occasional wave and nod of my head to the onlookers, I continued.

As I turned onto our back ‘road’ and down the hill, I remembered that the brakes on the ATV where tenuous, even when we weren’t pulling a trailer (and a tree). I quickly switched into first gear and let the transmission do some of the work. The engine whined even louder. It sounded like a small plane with engine trouble coming in for an emergency landing.

At the bottom of the hill was a foot bridge that I had navigated successfully about a thousand times in a row with the ATV and trailer. I knew the angle of the turn and the exact location that the tires needed to be. Inexplicably, I had chosen this time to miscalculate my turn, causing the right wheel of the trailer to fall off the bridge. The back end of the ATV began to lift slightly. After consulting with Chex, we decided to use the tractor to lift and nudge the trailer back onto the bridge while I drove forward. We were somehow successful and carried on to the pre-dug hole. This was taking far more time than I had anticipated.

We knew the tree was heavy – very heavy. We hooked a chain around the massive root ball and onto tractor bucket. The hydraulics strained as Chex brought the bucket up. Nothing happened. It was clear that the tractor was unable to lift the tree. However it was able to take some weight off the trailer. After another meeting, we decided that Chex would lift while I drove the trailer  away. Confident with our plan, I started up the ATV and as soon as I saw the chains tighten, I drove away, leaving the full weight of the tree on the tractor bucket. My confidence quickly turned to panic as the back tire of the tractor began to lift off the ground. I had a vision of flipped tractor in the hole that was meant for the tree. Chex managed to throw his hand in the direction of the leaver, lowering the bucket and the tree quickly, preventing catastrophe.

We managed to wiggle the tree into the hole and cover it with dirt without any further mishaps. The tree guys looked after the rest. Dirtied, unnerved and disheveled , I made it back up to the bus loop to greet the first bus of the day with 45 seconds to spare.

The tree is doing very well. It continues to grow and provides more shade each year. I remember the events of that day very clearly. I also remember Ace and every time I walk by that tree it makes me smile.

Peter

We had to fix up the shop building and make it look presentable. A big barn door had to be built and hung and the contents in and around the building required organizing.

Gates had to be built and hung to direct people and deliveries to our new location. Cedar fences and other details defines where to (and where not to) drive and park.

We’ve built a kitchen for the basement so that Chex, our Outdoor Education Director has a new home. We cleared the brush from beside the road. We installed a flagpole at the new parking area. We built a new table for our meeting room.

Of course the new office required renovations to make it more like an office than a home. A wall was removed, rooms where painted, network cable was run and some dangerous electrical work was cleaned up.

And, while we were settling into our new office and trying to complete all the projects, our registration reached new heights. With all these projects happening, we can hardly wait to show the place off to everyone!

Peter

We both agreed that if there were some way for us to share the insights that the counsellors learn about the campers with doctors or other medical professionals, it might prove to be helpful in evaluating the progress of the child.

Generally, parents spend the most time with their children and their insight is certainly helpful in evaluating a child who has been diagnosed. However, parents have an emotional investment in their child and this can sometimes make it challenging to express information in a truly objective manner.

During the summer, our integrated program could prove to be helpful in evaluating a child by gathering accurate, objective information. In most cases, our one to one counsellors spend almost 8 hours a day with their primary focus on an individual camper. This is a unique opportunity to connect, observe and understand how a child interacts in various environments.

Although we don’t always train our counsellors to formally observe a camper’s behaviour, the insight they’ve shared with parents has been both appreciated and valuable. I’m sure that if they were taught the appropriate skills, this insight would prove helpful to medical professionals as well.

With a bit of effort and guidance, we might be able to create a partnership where everyone benefits.

Peter

Allergies, vegetarians, gluten and lactose intolerance are all common dietary restrictions and we happily accommodate. After all, these substitutions are a matter of health. However, for lunch we also begrudgingly offer pasta for children who don’t like the main course. And in recent years, we’ve seen more kids eat pasta, not because they don’t like the main course, but because they simply like pasta better. What could contain less risk than a bowl of plain pasta? Developing a taste for different foods relies first on trying them. And if kids have the option, they’d rather stick with what they know.

In some cases, parents are to blame for this. For years, I’ve cooked two meals because ‘I knew’ that my daughter wouldn’t eat what I was having. Then, about two years ago I noticed the things that she was eating at camp. Lasagna laced with veggies, cooked corn, scrambled eggs, salad – things that she refused to eat on my watch and yet at camp, she indulged happily. Since then, her choices at home have been far fewer when it comes to meals.

For our residential program, we don’t offer substitutions for breakfast or dinner and it doesn’t seem to be a problem. The campers simply eat what we serve. They’re not always happy about it, but it’s very rare that a camper won’t ‘like’ two meals in a row.

I think that a little adventure when it comes to our camp menu would have a positive affect on the campers. Wouldn’t it be great if we took the opportunity camp presents to expand the child’s pallet? It would certainly make packing lunches for children during the school year a whole lot easier.

To those who are not intimately familiar with the education field, the obvious answer is, ‘they get their summers off.’ Having known a teacher or two, I can attest that the summer off barely makes up for the planning, grading and other demands placed on a teacher’s time throughout the rest of the year. Being a teacher means that you’ll have homework – for the rest of your life. There is also the responsibility that a teacher has of continuing their education, which often carves into their summer.

Another obvious answer is that they have a great pension. Well, in order to get to the pension stage of a career, one needs to first find work. And although the teacher’s pension is considered one of the healthiest plans going, Jim Leech, the President of the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan admitted the funding for the plan is broken, which makes you wonder about its long-term prosperity.

So it’s not an easy gig to get, the time off comes with some pretty big conditions and the pension isn’t as golden as it once was. What’s drawing the hoards to teacher’s college? I can’t speak to everyone trying to make education their profession, but I believe that our staff want to be teachers for the same reasons they want to work at camp – they find the development of children important and rewarding. And they’re good at it too.

If I were to open a school with all of the staff we’ve had who are now teachers, it would be a pretty great school. It’s too bad that most of them don’t have jobs teaching in the classroom.

Peter

First, the staff we had in the kitchen this year were all outstanding. Jobin, Java, Pita, Suds and Burger did such a great job with the quality and quantity of food that my stress level around meal time was (virtually) unnoticeable. They were organized, never late with a lunch, always pleasant and they kept the place impeccably clean.

Second was a standardized menu we put into place last year. Sure, it takes some creativity out of the hands of the kitchen staff, but it makes ordering food from the supplier a great deal easier. It also allows parents to see what their kids will be eating ahead of time.

We also put a concerted effort in improving the healthiness and the quality of the food. These efforts included purchasing draining racks so that the burgers were lean, using brown bread and real cheddar for grilled cheese, and purchasing better quality chicken burgers.

Finally, we began awarding a button each week to the groups in the dining hall that wasted the least amount of food and ate the most veggies and salad. On average the consumption of the healthy stuff doubled (more for some tables) and the food waste decreased by about 75%. For those of you who are visually inclined, think of a garbage bag full of half-eaten buns, apples, burgers and pasta. Now think of a small shopping bag – that’s what we got it down to.

Sure, we still have our challenges. Sloppy Joe’s are a tough sell, even when we call them Sloppy Jobin’s. So are Perogies for some strange reason. But even these meals were more popular this year then ever before.

We’ll continue to tweak our menu and look for healthy alternatives. And we will certainly continue to award that little black and white “Grub” button for many years to come!

Peter

On Open House day, we have many returning campers come by and show the camp to their families. It’s a chance for them to talk about their experience last summer and introduce their parents to the staff.

For me, meeting the parents provides a complete picture. It helps me better understand who the camper is and I think it’s also an opportunity for our staff to do the same. During the summer, it’s easy to get wrapped up with the day to day events of camp. We sometimes misplace the idea that for every camper, there are caring parents at work or at home wondering how their kids are doing. By attending Open House, our staff develop accountability – not only to the families that they meet, but also to the families they don’t meet.

Above all, the Open House is fun, so please come and join us.

Peter

All the girls cabins have received new windows, doors and flooring. The basement of the lodge has a serving wall and the floor has been painted. New and improved screen doors are being made in our shop. The stairs leading down to canoeing have been dug up and new ones have been constructed and put into place. Stain and paint on the canoe and archery buildings have have made them look better than new. And this is by no means a complete list.

Most of the spring staff have had little (or no) experience doing the things we’ve accomplished. With hard work and a bit of direction, these people have done a fantastic job. Thanks to everyone for all the effort so far.

Peter