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When the going gets hot, the hot go to Hye Camp!!!
The 2006 sessions kicked off with staff training on Saturday afternoon. Junior and senior staff from around the country descended upon Camp Hickory for team building exercise, safety training, camp setup and a special night out in thanks for what will surely be a dedicated week of guidance and mentoring. During orientation, Fr. Aren Jebedjian stressed the importance of caring for and loving each and every camper, and illustrated the point by referencing (Matthew 18:10-14). In the passage, the sheppard loses one of his abundant flock and is consumed by the process of finding his one lost sheep. It is not until he has recovered his lost sheep that he can feel at peace.
On Sunday we welcomed all of our 147 happy campers, first-timers and long-timers, with a cookout. With parents, campers, and counselors in attendance, the afternoon started with the opening prayer service in the Soorp Haroutiun Chapel, followed by the 4th annual open house. After lunch, at the beginning of camper orientation, parents said goodbye to their excited campers as the counselors began to get acclimated with their new cabin mates. Record temperatures in Northern Illinois required significant reinforcement of the necessity to drink plenty of water throughout the day, and Fr. Aren coined the term “Hye-dration” to help remind everyone to beat the heat.
Monday was our first full day of Hye Camp 2006. The temperatures remained high, but the excitement in the camp was even higher. A revised class schedule was explained and implemented for the first time, which featured a rotation through six classes. The classes consist of religion, Armenian language, Armenian heritage and culture, arts & crafts, and two free-time sessions. Four class periods run between breakfast and lunch, with the final two periods following lunch. Each rotating group consists of the boys and girls from a certain age group, and they attend all classes together.
Our religion classes will be taught be a large collection of Midwest priests who spend the week at the camp. Included amongst our on-site clergy are Fr. Tavit Boyajian, Fr. Yeprem Kelegian, and Dn. Levon Kirakosyan. Our Armenian language curriculum is being presented by senior staff member Talin Hitik, who comes to Hye Camp straight from our sister diocesan camp in New York, St. Vartan Camp.
Time sure flies when you’re having fun and, before we could even blink, it was time to eat dinner. After dinner, Hye Camp Olympic teams were announced and each team had time to gather and create a team name. Sitting under the hanging banners of decades of previous Hye Camp Olympic teams brings out the creative talents of everyone.
Yet, no sooner had the teams finalized their new names it was time to move on to the evening activities. A staple of Hye Camp fun over the years is Maestro Khoren, who spent some time teaching melodies of some sharagans to the campers, as well as leading some lively choruses of Armenian folk songs.
Our very own beat journalists, senior staffers Karen Dardarian and Sevan Sultanian, concluded evening activities with their WHYE Hye Camp news of the day.
Before turning in after a fun and exciting first day of camp, everyone concluded the day just as we started, in the chapel thanking the Lord for all of his gifts. The Gospel reading was from (Luke 1:26-38). Following the reading, Fr. Aren spoke about the conception of Jesus and the nature of the gifts we receive from God. He encouraged everyone, campers and counselors alike, to open our minds and our hearts and our souls so that we may all receive the perfect gift of love from God.
Following the evening service and a little bit of free time, the air began to cool and the pace of camp began to slow. All the campers and counselors retreated to their cabins to get some rest while dreaming of the many surprises in store at Hye Camp.
