Campers Report on Session 4

Camp is quite literally glowing; between the August sunshine, happy camper faces and excitement in the air, camp is radiating joy! Session 4 is our last session of the summer, and we’ll be leaving the summer season on a high note with such a great crew of campers. 

Over the past week and a half, campers have immersed themselves in each rung of our four-part Camp Tawonga mission: positive self-image & self-esteem, creating a cooperative community, Tikkun Olam — a partnership with nature, and spirituality and positive Jewish identity. 

“It’s been special learning to be independent and on my own away from my parents, and I’m challenging myself a lot with the Challenge Course and backpacking for the first time ever. I’ve never tried anything like that before. It’s not every day you get to see such a cool place,” said Hannah in G-5. 

Many of campers’ favorite moments this session took place in the great outdoors — the Stanislaus National Forest that Camp is nestled in, the Tuolumne River that runs through our property & the neighboring majesty of Yosemite National Park. 

“The river is really special to me,” said B-4 camper Aaron.

There are multiple river spots, from Pipeline to Lower Falls, that campers can hike to, and each is special in its own way! From sandy beaches to dunking holes, there’s plenty to explore! For river spots a little farther down the path, such as Lower Falls, the hike is a great opportunity for bunk bonding and ‘challenging by choice.’

“We were on the hike down to Lower Falls, and it was so fun. We kept talking, and our counselor Sam created good bonding moments,” said B-9 camper Jacob.

Our bunk-centric approach of supportive, cooperative family-like units is a core tenet of Camp. What’s a family unit without its relatives? Bunks are grouped together in units of 3-5 bunks, and the units have unit cheers, programming & bonding opportunities throughout each session. 

Units also have themes, which make for some very creative programming! Some highlights from Session 4 include Carmel “Melons,” Galil “Gru in Groveland” — a Despicable Me spoof — and Chalutzim “Berries and Cream” for the Little Lad internet sensation. 

Carmel hosted “Melonchella” on the lawn, which was a Camp version of indie music festival Coachella. Dancing around as the sun set, listening to live music and enjoying festival snacks, the magic was palpable! Chalutzim did a “Berries and Cream” flash mob around Camp and Galil had a special Gru in Groveland program right in Camp.

“I loved the Gru in Groveland program,” said G-3 camper Aya. “First we got milkshakes, then we did karaoke, played dodgeball and got to drive around Camp and listen to music.”

The fun doesn’t stop there — end-of-session activities are some of the best! Last night, campers cheered for talent show acts before heading to Tawonga Carnival — an all-Camp party with games, silent disco, food, face painting and lawn games. Tonight’s Closing Campfire will be a sweet end of the session before campers head home ‘on a jet bus’ tomorrow morning. We will miss this awesome group of campers and hope to see them back next summer!