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Aloha Hive

BUZZ Winter 2016

Greetings Hive Campers and Counselors!

Happy New Year! I really can not believe that 2015 is already behind us—we had such a fabulous summer! But I also know that with every new year comes new adventures and so many new things to learn. What a great opportunity we have in 2016!

I find myself taking time to reflect on what I learned last year and imagining ways to use all those pieces in 2016 in order to continue my journey to being my best self. And, in so many ways, what I learned last year didn’t end when camp ended; my experiences continue to grow and teach me important lessons even today.

I hope you all are taking the time at the start of this new year to consider how you have grown. What did you learn when you needed to do something over or to try again in a new way? How did that help you grow as a person? Remember to keep in mind that both our attempts and our failures are key steps

towards success.

For me, I think about things like how well I followed a recipe while baking a cake; the type of sister I am; what it means to be a good a friend, or even the director of Camp Hive! As I reflect, it occurs to me there were times I may not have called my family as often as I intended, or I put too much sugar in the frosting, or I didn’t support a friend as well as I could have. Those stumbles along the way are a part of growing, learning, and being my best self. Reflecting upon all of those pieces as part of my experience, owning and accepting all of those pieces, and applying them as areas where I can grow, are all key components to towards success. When I think about our summer ahead and the opportunities that await me, I can’t wait to try it all over again.

Kathy PlunkettDirector, Camp Aloha Hive & George!

Insidethis issue of the BUZZ

Aloha from Hive Campers 3 - 9

Aloha from our 2016 Assistant Director 10

Aloha from our 2015 Assistant Director 11

Aloha from our Program Coordinator 12 - 13

Greetings from Hive Counselors 14 - 22

Aloha Foundation Calendar 23

Contents Pages

To submit YOUR BUZZ, drop a line to:

Camp Aloha Hive2968 Lake Morey RoadFairlee, Vermont 05045

email: [email protected]

What’s the buzz? Tell us what’s happening!

Check out our website!www.alohafoundation.org

If you’re on Facebook, follow Hive at www.facebook.com/AlohaHive

BUZZ Newsfrom HIVE Campers


I loved my first summer at Hive, and I can’t wait to come back this summer with my three cousins! I’m loving second grade. See you all soon! Aloha, Thea Sommer

We went on our family vacation after camp. And then I went back to school. I’ve been really involved in gymnastics. We had a snow day, my first one! My friends and I sledded ALL day. We made jumps, ramps, and tried all sorts of different sleds. School is super fun, I’ve made a lot of new friends. Aloha, Lil Weinstein

I am enjoying school. I like to cook, sing in the choir and rock climb. I have been skiing with my dad on the weekends! I just got back from my first trip to Disney. I enjoyed a milk shake with Chris Clancy at a local diner. I can’t wait to get back to Hive!! Aloha, Aila Thompson

We had a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory.I hope there’s not a pop quiz.

Since camp I have done A LOT of gymnastics. I go to school with Lily Weinstein and I love seeing her every day! Miss you all! Aloha, Grace Mann

More Newsfrom HIVE Campers


2015 was a great year for me. This year is my first year in middle school. It is so much fun but comes with a lot of responsibility. I’m learning quick but am still trying to continue my advantage. I am in the same class as Julia Daitz, who we share so many memories both in Nyc and at camp. We both talk about how we miss camp so much and can’t wait to see everyone. I just received the hive calendar and love it so much! I cannot wait for hive 2016 to arrive! Aloha, Jenna Robb

P.s. Here is a picture of Julia Daitz and me at school

Belive it or not I HAVE NO SNOW IN NEWYORK. On Christmas day, I wore shorts and flipflops, but it’s okay. I got my cold for the year while we were in Russia the day after Christmas, which kinda felt like camp because I was in a tour group with a bunch of other kids who were sooooo nice and reminded me of the kids at camp. Aloha, Emma Avery Shoaf

I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I can’t put it down.

I can’t wait for next year at Hive! I will be a Hilander! I see that there is snow at camp. We have no snow in Virginia (but that might change!). See you next year! Aloha, Darcy



I auditioned for a ballet part in “Alice in Wonderland” and really hope to get a part. I’m really excited for camp! I hope my friends Ellie and Liliana come, too. I’ve already started packing for camp. I have an idea for what to do if I don’t want to go home at the end of first session: on parents weekend, I’ll ask my mom and dad if I can stay FULL! I’m so excited. Aloha, Ella Kaplan

After camp, I started playing on our soccer team. We lost most of our games but I still had lots of fun each time. I’m great in school, and my teacher is awesome! I’m going to see my dad, soon. He is in Afghanistan. I’m so excited to come back to camp! Aloha, Campbell

I have been doing tons of fun activities, including being a contortionist in a circus, being a runner, and also being on the Sarasota crew team! I am a coxswain. I have been texting with Gretchen Klotz. Love and miss you all! Aloha, Bryce Bennett

I have been having an awesome year! I started 3rd grade and it’s really fun! I hang out with friends, have singing lessons and tap practice. My most exciting news is that I performed at Carnegie Hall in NYC! It was amazing! And, I also hosted a camp reunion at our house that same weekend, so I got to spend time with my tentmate, Alden! I dream about Hive 2016, I can’t wait to see everyone again. Aloha, Ayla Schwartz



My school year has been very busy. I hope everyone’s year is going well. I have been reading some good books, and I hope all of you have been, too. It has been a warm winter here so far, in New York, and it hasn’t snowed yet, but I hope it will. I am going skiing with friends in February. I wish you all a happy winter and spring! Aloha, Dede

Greetings from Park City, Utah! I love to go sledding in my back yard. We got a ton of snow this week, and it’s still snowing right now. I traveled to NYC to see Sophie Hannah and Eve Scherer in November, it was so fun! Aloha, Katherine Sexton

Dear Kathy,A few days ago, my hamster had babies...EIGHT babies! It was a good surprise. Aloha, Molly



I love the trampoline I got this Christmas! I love being outside with it and doing lots of tricks! Aloha, Anna Jofre

I tried to catch some fog.I mist.

It’s so weird to think that I won’t be coming back to Hive this summer. But I’m so excited for ALOHA! I started dancing at Alvin Ailey’s School of Dance this year, and it’s been an amazing experience. And, in school, I started learning Spanish, which is really fun. Counting down the days ‘til camp! Aloha, Olivia Reibel

Winter is very cold in Russia. My favorite snowy day activity is skiing. And also it’s very fun. During this winter holiday, my family and I went to a big lake which is very far from Moscow. It was in the village. The life there is drastically different from the capittal. At school everything is fine. My favorite subject is English. Thank you very much for it. Camp helped me a lot! My favorite after-school activity is math. I have not seen any friends from Hive since camp ended. It’s sad. But I’m still happy, because I have received many letters.

Every day I am thinking about the camp. Because after camp I know how to swim, how to sail, and other things. I learned how to live if you do not know the language. It was the first time when I was in America. And it was my first time when I was in another country without parents and without any easy contact with them. Aloha Hive is the best camp I have ever seen!!! Aloha, Anya Revelskaya



To: Aloha Hive846 VT Route 244Fairlee, VT 05045

All four Dorions had a FUN visit with Aloha legend Winnie

Eichner (A55-58,*59-60,62-63,77-80,82,13-15) in Fort

Lauderdale to start the new year. Winnie took us “up close

and personal” with many alligators, and to a local ice cream

place that greatly resembled the Whippi-Dip!

And now on January 14 we have a Hive/ Aloha celebrity

visiting us at our house in Texas-- Gaby Buffaloe!

We are so fortunate to have camp friends of all ages in all

corners of the USA and world. Hope to see you in summer!

“BZZZzz” wishes! Helen, Mark, Amalia, Toby

Dear Hivers,

How lucky am I to be daydreaming about Hive Summer 2016? Very lucky, I would say. It’s been a few years since I was at camp full time. My trunk is still in the basement, along with those belonging to my three grown children. Soon, I will haul it up and see what’s in there. I expect I still have a warm green layer that I can use and maybe a few pairs of green shorts. Maybe I still have a nametag from the year I was assistant director with Kathy when she first came to Hive!

I will have to throw my rain boots in the trunk because I love to splash my way to the dining hall on really rainy days. I will add some new novels for rest hour and few story books for assemblies and Rainbow’s End. I might find a silly hat to bring for unit parties and I will bring some letter-writing supplies to write to my husband and two doggies that I am leaving at home in Massachusetts.

When I’m done packing, I will probably have to sit on my trunk to get it closed. I am one of those people who likes to be ready for any situation. I probably pack too much. Luckily, there are a few things I don’t have to pack because they are always at camp. I will have old friends there and the promise of some new ones. I will have adventures and play games that the other counselors dream up, and I might even sing a song that someone else teaches me.

Most exciting of all, I will get to greet each and every one of you on opening days and share the discovery and magic of our camp community in the weeks that follow. Hive memories are forever. I remember washing my hands outside the dining hall with a first-time lolander some years ago. I asked her if she was sorry she was going home after first session. I will never forget her response. She dried her hands, smiled at me, and said, “Of course not. How could I have known ahead of time how much I would love camp. Now I know!” That lolander is a counselor now. That is how many years I have loved camp too. I can’t wait to be helping Kathy and all the counselors again this summer, and I can’t wait to meet you!

Aloha,

Kirsten Kunz

(H*01-06,09-10,F*13,AP01-07,HP01-03, *08-09,11, LP01-07,*09-13)

Before you ask for anything, make sure youMake a deposit before you make a withdrawal.

Greetingsfrom our 2016 Assistant Director

Left to right: Helen Dorion, Kathy Plunkett, Kirsten Kunz, Nikki Holdaway

Alohafrom our HIVE 2015 Assistant Director

Aloha from across the

Atlantic!I looked up from my desk this morning wondering how I was going to keep warm and dry on my bike ride home from school--it is windy and rainy and a bit gloomy here in England this time of year... As my mind wandered I remembered a lively conversation

at Table 3 in which we all fantasized about a year-round Hive. How would we cope with the elements? What kind of activities and subjects would we have? Which would be our favourites? Funny how I never think of school during the summer, but I always seem to think of summer as the school year progresses (don’t be misled--I do love my teaching job and students).

Some of the greatest ideas were suggested: snow tennis, x-c skiing on the lake, snowboarding down Aloha Hill! We would keep outdoor cooking, hiking would become snow shoeing, landsports could offer skating and hockey. Performing arts, gymnastics, A&C, archery could go on as usual of course. Oh, we did admit that we’d have to throw in some academic subjects too, but that would be easy as long as we kept the fires going to keep warm. Who knows, maybe it’s not all fantasy...!

Meanwhile, 3rd & 4th Grade choirs, middle school strings, and upper school Chamber Ensemble have kept me quite busy. I have snuck in some songs we sing at Hive to help my students sing better (and also because those songs are always in my head and heart). If you have your Hive CD at home with you and you haven’t played it in awhile I heartily suggest you do so--maybe while you finish reading The Buzz you can be listening and singing along!

I miss you all of you terribly and think of Hive daily. Can’t wait to see everyone again in 2016!

Aloha,

Nancy “Nancoise” HaydenShe said she recognized me from the vegetarian club,

but I’ve never met herbivore.

Alohafrom our HIVE Program Coordinator

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went.Then it dawned on me.

Dear Hivers,

I hope you are each having a wonderful winter (or summer for those of you in Australia). Recently, I went to my parents’ apartment to go through boxes from my childhood. As I started searching, I found letters and postcards that had been sent to me over the seventeen summers I had been at camp. Two of the first letters I received at camp were from my two brothers and each was signed, “love, your favorite brother!”

These letters made me think about the first time I was at camp and away from both my parents and my older brothers. It was also the first time when I couldn’t call them to ask what they thought about something. I think one of the most powerful parts of camp for me —a youngest child who couldn’t stand making decisions— is that it gave me the space and time to make decisions on my own. Just as powerful as making those decisions was the process of reflecting on those decisions either with my tent family or in a letter home.

At camp we take risks every day and those risks are our own decisions. Whether it’s signing up to go on a hike, deciding to be in the show, or even going to an activity without a tentmate, Hivers and counselors alike get to take new risks every day with the support of friends and counselors, and do so without being able to call home. Sometimes the risks end up as huge successes. For example, a first visit to the archery department might lead to a high rank in archery a few summers down the line. Other risks may result in “failure,” like not being able to get the fire started on a tent family overnight.

While I never became an avid archer at camp, I did fail to start a fire on a tent family overnight at the tree house one year. The only thing worse than failing to start a fire in the rain and eating cold pizza bagels with my Anti-Q campers (they were all good sports), was walking to the tipi to “prank” Catherine Bleakley’s tent family only to discover them standing under a tarp with a beautiful (albeit, small) fire underneath. Not only had I failed to start a fire, but someone else had succeeded. “The weather” was not to blame. When I look back on it though, that overnight is one of the most memorable of all the ones I have experienced. In part, due to the cold pizza bagels (which are quite tasty if one is hungry enough) but also because after discovering the “creepy

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bee baby doll” that we had hidden in Catherine’s sleeping bag, she and her campers abandoned their tipi, tried to prank us back, and slept over with us instead.

I will always remember one camper who “failed” to pass her high rank in tennis. She stood out to me because she spent one of those last activity periods of the summer helping her younger sister with her tennis rank, rather than working on her own.

When I went through those boxes and boxes of letters, I threw out a couple of envelopes but nothing more. Those letters remind me of seventeen summers at camp, where with the support of my camp family, I made decisions, took risks, succeeded, and failed all on my own. I wish each of you a year full of insightful failures, fun failures, humorous failures and a few successes along the way!

Aloha and lots of love,

Margaret Pennoyer

continued from previous page, Program Coordinator...

I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.

Aloha Lolanders!Excitement still lingers in the air as I think about all our warm memories from last summer! Remember when we first introduced ourselves and our stuffed animals? So many of you were nervous, excited, uncertain and even fearful of the summer to come. I vividly remember some of you grasping your stuffed animals so tight and fidgeting with the animal fur as the nerves were running through you. This vivid image shows the strength that all of you had in that moment: feeling out of your comfort zone yet embracing it and taking a risk in doing so. You did not know what to expect, however, you were brave in trying out camp because you trusted yourself enough. I am proud of all of you for taking a big step – a risk which I know most of you felt was positive and well worth it in the end.

It was such a joy to see all of you grow throughout the summer. There were ups and downs as usual – from trying new activities and making friends, to missing home and feeling like you failed at something. The failures and setbacks did not handicap any of you from soaring. In fact, all of you learned how to bounce back from the negative feelings and moments.

I was able to see the resiliency and growth during our unit time of “paint the counselor.” The unit was full of laughter, creativity, and bliss. When we obtained water color paints and brushes from arts and crafts and gave all of you the opportunity to paint the counselors, nothing held any of you back! All of you painted counselors whatever designs or patterns you wanted to. Counselors were covered in paint head to toe, almost resembling avatar creatures. Smiles were everywhere. This heart warming experience will never slip away from my memory just as I hope it does not from yours.

This moment made me so proud since we came together as a unit regardless of our own challenges we were facing at camp. We were all in the fun together which made us closer as we formed a strong bond. We were able to support each other while having fun. I know that this energy will continue in the summer of 2016 and I look forward to it! Thank you for making 2015 so special and remember the bumps you got over, and the positive risk taking and failure resiliency you endured. The tools you have learned will help you in all the summers to come at Aloha. And watch out summer 2016, here we come!

Best and Buzz Wishes,

Charlotte Wonnel

Greetingsfrom our Lolander Unit Head

Aloha Dolphins! It is cold here in Connecticut! How I long to be sitting by the lake or roasting marshmallows around a campfire with all of you. I will just have to be patient and wait a couple of more months for that to happen.

I want you all to close your eyes and think back to your very first day at camp. For many of you that was this past summer. How were you feeling? Were you scared? Nervous? Excited? I’m sure many of you were a mix of

all of those emotions. Starting something new can be hard. It is scary to leave what you know behind and go to a new place where you don’t know anyone. Do you remember when Kathy talked about “leaning into our discomfort?” Well, I have had to practice leaning into the discomfort a lot this fall. I moved across the country to a new place where I did not know anyone. I started a new job teaching first grade. As a first year teacher, I make a lot of mistakes. There is a sign in my classroom that says “Mistakes are wonderful opportunities to learn.” Whenever I look at that poster I am reminded of camp. All of you took big risks this year, whether you knew it or not. You took a risk when you came to camp for the first time, tried a new activity, faced your fear of the lake during swim lessons, tried a new food, talked to someone you didn’t know well, went on a trip, went on an overnight, tried out for the play, challenged yourself on the ropes course, started a rank, went to an activity without your friends, milked a goat, put on a silly costume, performed an interlude,… the list goes on an on!

We talked a lot about failure this year at camp. Many people believe that they have “failed” when they do something incorrectly. I disagree. I think that true failure comes from not even trying. Everyone in our Dolphins unit is living proof of that. You may have been scared or nervous when you tried something new but you never let your fears stop you from trying. Even though you are all many miles away, you all still inspire me every day. Being in a new place and doing all these new things has been really hard and scary for me. However, when I think about how courageous and fearless you all were this summer, I am inspired to put myself out of my comfort zone and lean into the discomfort. To do anything less would be to fail you.

I hope you all are doing well and I can’t wait to see you in just a few months!Aloha,Susannah “Sconway” Conway

Greetingsfrom our Dolphin Unit Head

Hello Hilanders!Happy, happy New Year Hilanders! I hope you all are enjoying school and you’re not missing camp too much (although I know I am)! As we go into this New Year I love to reflect on all the things I did this summer especially our summer theme around failure: working hard to take risks in order to grow and knowing that failure is the first step to success.

For me, this past summer was my first summer back at the Aloha camps in 6 years and boy was I nervous for all of you crazy, lovely Hilanders to arrive on opening day. I remember each one of you 1st half and full campers moving in and then 2 days later leaving for our Hilander project! The first day we got there we learned about tying knots and building structures and it was hard work, especially because we were all still getting to know each other. Some structures worked well (others fell down in the middle of the night!) but none of us gave up and eventually built an incredible community that set us up for an unforgettable summer. As for second half campers, do you remember the hour and a half solo? We sent you all off to find your own place in the woods with only a pencil and paper! That was hard for me, being alone with no distractions except with my own thoughts and the nature around me.

I love to think about how we grew as a unit, learning how to support, be compassionate, and learn from one another. All of these lessons we take home to our relationships with our families, friends, and teachers. As Anti-Qs and leaders of camp next summer, these experiences also help us to teach the younger campers the importance of community, failure, and how you define “success.” Too often we define success as getting good grades or scoring a goal in soccer, but success can also be looked at as leaving home for 3 ½ or 7 weeks, making new friends, learning new songs, and trying something new.

I’m so excited to see you all this summer and create new fun and memories as the oldest campers at Aloha Hive. When you’re feeling cold this winter, just dream about the warm days on the Fairlee shore and being reunited a few months from now! Thanks for an incredible summer and I can’t wait to see you all again soon!Aloha, Abby Westcott

Q: What is a bee’s favorite part of a relationship?

A: The honeymoon period.

Greetingsfrom our Hilander Unit Head

Hello Hilandeeeerrrsss!I am writing this in my university bedroom surrounded by my many owls, my personalized letter from Hogwarts (I kid you not), and a whole bunch of photos and memoirs from last summer. I spend a LOT of time looking through those photos, casting my mind back to those hot summer days that we’re all too familiar with. I even miss the sound of the bugle playing reveille – although I can’t say the same for how long it took to get some of you out of bed and down the hill in time for flag every morning (you know who you are…)

Often, I think it’s the case that we find ourselves looking back on an experience by picking out the best bits. Who can blame us, right? Your favorite memories might be completing the Rainbow Trout for the first time, or racing down the hill for Hive’s Birthday, or watching the incredible fireworks explode above the lake on Harry Potter day with your tent family. Because of this, it’s easy to forget the bits which led up to those unforgettable moments, the ones which maybe weren’t so brilliant. Sometimes these things can seem small and insignificant - maybe you fell out with your tent mate over something silly, or couldn’t ever see yourself completing that rank you were working on because it was just impossible. Remember the first night of the Hilander project? It seemed like you were a zillion miles from home with only an army of bugs for company, and the one thought that kept you going was the possibility of getting a morsel of scrambled eggs and maybe some burnt bacon for breakfast the following morning. These are the parts of camp which you all really had to work for, and they sometimes meant being knocked down before you were able to get back up again. Making up with your tent mate meant having to say sorry (I know personally that can be really hard), and in order to pass that rank meant putting in every ounce of energy you could muster. It was only through accepting your own mistakes and experiencing these harder moments of camp which enabled you to overcome them, and in some cases may

have even led to achieving things you would never have thought were possible!

Hilanders, I cannot emphasize enough how proud I am of each and every one of you. This past summer proved that you can do absolutely anything if you put your minds to it – even if it means having to fail a few

I’d tell you a chemistry joke but I know I wouldn’t get a

reaction.

Greetingsfrom our other Hilander Unit Head

times first. My lifeguard whistle, name tag and a little plastic container which holds Jeffery the beetle (he’s all shriveled up now and looks a bit like a raisin) are among the array of camp memoirs which serve as physical reminders of my summer, and each one has its own story to tell. I wonder if you’ve kept your own memoirs? If so, then I hope you get as much enjoyment sitting and reminiscing about your own experiences as I do! Thank you so much for being such a bubbly, warm-hearted, loving and overall brilliant unit. I wish you the happiest of New Years and hope to see you all soon! AQ 2016!

With buckets and buckets of love,

Caroline “Carrie” Draude

I haven’t lost my mind. Half of it wandered off, and the other half went

looking for it.

I cannot believe how quickly time has gone! Are you ready for 2016!? I am. The Hilander Projects of 2015 has had me thinking about 2016 for the last 5 months. My thoughts started with how each and every Hilander Project has had its challenges, failures and successes. It’s a challenge when we start early in the summer and maybe you don’t know very many people yet, or maybe you’ve never slept outside under the stars with only a tarp for a roof before, or maybe you never knew it might just rain the entire afternoon while we’re trying to work outside. Sometimes we might even assemble things the wrong way only to have to pull it all completely apart and start over.

Each and every one of these things happened on the Hilander Project, and you know what has me thinking so much, it’s the choices you all made when these things happened. The choice to give it a go, or ask someone to sleep next to you, or even dance in the rain with a trash bag on to keep you dry. But the big one that sticks in my mind is what you do when things don’t go as planned. You pull a whole wall apart and put it back together and you move on to the next thing. You guys are the ones that inspire me to try new things and lean into things that are hard and pick myself up when things don’t work out the way I expected.

With Hive 2016 just around the corner I’m constantly thinking about what I learnt from Hive 2015 and how I can use that information to make this coming summer even better. I can’t believe I’ll see you all so soon on the shores of Lake Fairlee for another amazing summer at Hive.

Aloha,

Katrina Brown

Greetingsfrom our Hilander Project Leader

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut

off? He’s all right now.

Greetingsfrom our Anti-Q Unit Head

continued on the next page..

Aloha Anti-Qs!Happy New Year! I sit here writing to you on a balmy Australian summer evening, in my green shorts, thinking back on the amazing summer we shared in Vermont last year. For me, it was a stand-out summer for a number of reasons. It was my first summer as Anti-Q Unit Head, and it was the first time that I ‘went up’ with a unit and was able to spend a second summer with the same fabulous group of girls – all of you! It was the first summer in which I felt brave enough to perform an interlude. And finally, it was the first summer in which I found the snitch while playing Quidditch.

Now, that might not seem like a particularly big deal. I mean, the snitch is found at least 3 times during the Quidditch games on Harry Potter Day each year, right? The thing is, though, that I have been a Seeker on Harry Potter Day for 6 summers, and until last summer, I had never found the snitch. The first couple of times I played, I was disappointed when my team lost. As you know, we take Quidditch VERY seriously at Hive, and there is a LOT of pressure on the Seeker. More often than not, it’s ultimately the finding of the snitch that wins or loses the game. I desperately wanted to find it, so time after time, I kept requesting to be Seeker...and I kept leaving the field empty-handed. No one was ever disappointed or angry with me, but I was mad at myself. With each year, my fear of failing grew. I found myself almost dreading Harry Potter Day. One summer I even considered taking a day off that day to avoid it. I thought that if I weren’t there, there would be no chance of me failing and letting my team down. Imagine that! A day that all Hivers look forward to, and my fear of failure almost led me to miss out on it intentionally.

In 2014, our Hilander summer together, I thought it was my final year at Hive. Harry Potter Day arrived and I started to feel queasy. This was my final chance to find it…surely this was my year?! Well, it wasn’t, and I was devastated.

In 2015, I found myself back at Hive, and back on the Quidditch field. I felt like I was going to be sick, I was so nervous! I’ve never been so focussed in my life. I could hear the cheers of my campers and former campers as I scanned each square inch of grass on that field. They all knew how many years I’d been trying to find it. I heard the announcement that we had just 2 minutes left. And

then I saw it. I’ll never forget the feeling of spotting that beautiful, shiny snitch, or the feeling as so many of you rushed the field to pull me into a celebratory group hug. For me, that was a moment of magic.

When I look back on my Quidditch journey, my first thought is that it’s an example of how we shouldn’t give up, and that failure is just a step on our road to success…but when I think about it a bit more, I realise that there’s more to it. Success is exciting, and finding that snitch made all of those other sad times worth it, but this shouldn’t have been the first time that I actually enjoyed Quidditch. I should have enjoyed it every year, like I’ve watched you all enjoy it every year! Instead I approached it with the attitude of ‘success or nothing’, and that attitude took the fun right out of it.

It took me 6 summers to learn something that many of you had already learned, and shared with us over the summer. During Sunday Assemblies, including our special Anti-Q Assembly, so many of you shared your stories about failure or feeling inadequate, and what you did to make yourselves proud. It might have been trying again and again, or accepting things the way they are when they can’t be changed, or taking a risk when there was a chance it wouldn’t work out. These stories were inspirational because you didn’t think about sitting out due to fear of failure. You realised that trying and failing was better than not trying at all, and that failure and fun can co-exist. This, too, was magical.

Finally finding the snitch made me feel proud…but I know of something that’s going to make me feel prouder. This summer, I’m going to look forward to Harry Potter Day without any queasiness or fear, and I’m going to smile through the games from start to end, win or lose. I promise to write to you all at Aloha to let you know how it goes, and I look forward to hearing more of your stories as you take what you’ve learned over your summers here at our dear Hive with you, and take on new exciting adventures that make you feel PROUD.

With endless love & Buzz,Catherine Bleakley

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Dearest Elfins!It’s pretty chilly where I am, but when I think about camp last summer and the memories we made together, I warm right up. I hope you all are having an awesome school year and a great start to 2016! As we start a new year, I’ve been reflecting on our summer of 2015 together. I am especially thinking about our summer theme of failure, the first step to success, and taking risks. The Elfins accomplished so much and tried so many new

things, like working to complete the Elfin Rover or going on the Ropes Course for the first time!

Going to camp for the first time can be really scary—and also really exciting! I know all of the Elfin counselors were feeling similarly on Second Opening Day, but we were ready to create some fun and silly experiences together (with the Kanakas’ help!). As the summer progressed, you all tried new activities like archery and goat-milking, and worked on skills in other departments, like swimming and arts and crafts! Some of you even completed your Elfin Rover and tried each of the departments! All of the Elfins worked hard to try all the things that camp has to offer, and built some really neat friendships along the way.

Do you guys remember our overnight when we cooked damper on sticks with Katrina? And then we got to have two desserts?! That was really yummy, and we also got to see some great performances put on by the Elfins, and make friendship bracelets! And the next morning, we all had a canoe breakfast! Many of us have never eaten dinner cooked over a campfire, or paddled to the middle of a lake for breakfast. But trying new things is the first step to success, even if we fail the first time.

I hope all of you are recalling some things you are proud of yourself for trying this summer, sometimes with help from campers and counselors, and some alone. Maybe you made a great friend in the Hilander unit, or maybe you built a fire in Wilderness that you are really proud of. As we go back to school, it’s important to remember the risks we took this summer to become stronger, even if meant failing the first time. I’m looking forward to seeing what you all accomplish next summer!

Aloha,

Ellen “Babs” Babbott

Greetingsfrom our Elfin Unit Head

ALOHA, HIVE, and LANAkILA:Full Season: Wednesday, June 22 to Wednesday, August 10First Session: Wednesday, June 24 to Sunday, July 17Second Session: Tuesday, July 19 to Wednesday, August 10

Show Weekend: July 16 & 17Aloha Hive Elfin Program: Tuesday, July 19 to Saturday, July 30

HORIZONS:Session 1: July 5 - July 15Session 2: July 18 - July 29Session 3: August 1 - August 12

The Aloha Foundation CalendarSummer 2016

Would you like to help us spread the message of the Alohas? We are always looking for ways to interest families in the value of camping and in our quality programs for children. Even families with children not yet ready for camp can begin to think about including a summer at Aloha, Hive or Lanakila in their future. If you know of families who might be interested in knowing more, we can send you brochures or a video. Or perhaps you might be willing to gather interested families together; we would be happy to come with slides and stories. Please contact one of the directors or [email protected].

Camp Aloha Hive2968 Lake Morey RoadFairlee, Vermont 05045

THE ALOHA FOUNDATION, INC.Tel.: 802-333-3400Fax: 802-333-3404www.alohafoundation.org

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