Super Camper and poet Alexa with camp directors Ben Koch (left) and Justin Vawter.
As part of our NuMinds gig, Justin and I direct a mixed-age, choice-based summer camp. And, just like Justin and I don’t quite fit the norm, our camp doesn’t quite fit the mold of your everyday camp (CampPursuit.com). Not being marketing gurus, we try again and again to articulate what makes it such a unique experience for kids:
“It’s like a mini-university–students choose 4 courses from our course catalog each week, based solely on their passions, NOT on their age!”
Or
“Teachers create and teach super specific inter-disciplinary courses that THEY are passionate about, and that passion becomes contagious.”
Yes, we’ve got some descriptive and detailed marketing copy, but nothing quite captures the essence of our camp experience like the testimonies of the students and parents who have experienced it; especially when that testimony comes in the form of a thoughtful, heartfelt poem. In her words, she “woke up Monday night after camp and couldn’t go back to sleep.” She “just started writing this poem.” At Tuesday morning’s assembly, Alexa shared her poem with her fellow campers, and we now share it with the world as the perfect vindication that our mission for a real, inspired learning experience is being realized.
Here’s Alexa’s poem.
Camp Pursuit
Camp Pursuit is number one
Our day is filled with learning fun
I may have bonked my head a little
But Camp Pursuit’s not skittle dittle
From myths and tests and programming
To Egypt, sculptures, and cooking
Swing on in to learn something new
Your blood’s not red; the sky’s not blue
We’re curious we’re big and smart
Our IQ level’s off the chart
Our creativity is put to the test
At Camp Pursuit we never rest
The young ones are smart; don’t let them fool you,
And probably more creative too
From bar to bar we jump in level
We love to learn, explore, and play
I wish that I could be right here
A little mastermind like devil
I wish I could be here all day
Every hour, week, and year
Now this is the final test
To see who is the very best
And while our numbers just keep blooming
We leave our competition fuming
But although we know they try so hard
So when you need a summer camp
Camp Pursuit’s the number one champ
They miss the cutoff by a yard
PS. Curiosity didn’t kill the cat
It was probably just a rabid rat
Brilliant! Thank you, Alexa, for sharing your poem. For more information on Camp Pursuit visit CampPursuit.com. We run year-round programs and are looking to expand our summer camp to new areas in summer 2016.