Camp News

Hye Camp - Day 2

Hye Camp 2007 enjoyed the first full day of classes and activities, as our exuberant staff guided our eager campers through the daily schedule. A typical day at Hye Camp starts with a hot breakfast served by the great kitchen crew of Camp Hickory, followed by morning prayer services in the chapel. After taking a couple minutes to wash-up and tidy the cabins, the campers start the first of six class rotation periods.

The campers split up by age for the class rotation. Each class period lasts half an hour, with a five minute break in between, and each age group will rotate through four class periods before lunch and two more after lunch. The classes include; Arts & Crafts; Heritage & Culture, with Armenian dance instruction and singing with Maestro Khoren Mekanejian; Armenian Language, led by Talin Hitik; and Religion, led by Yn. Tirouhe Boyajian from the Sts. Joachim & Anne parish in Palos Heights. Also included in the class rotation are two free time periods, allowing campers a chance to spend time together, clean their cabins, and work on projects.

Following the 6 classes, the campers are split into two large groups, teens and pre-teens, and each group spends an hour at the pool and playing organized sports.

This morning, campers made lanyards during their Arts & Crafts period,

and they received Armenian dance instruction from Yn. Patty Dagley, from St. Gregory’s in Cleveland, during Culture & Heritage class.

Talin Hitik, from St. Gregory’s in Chicago, introduced campers to basic Armenian phrases during Language class and Yn. Tirouhe began to discuss our central theme of Transfiguration during the Religion period. Hye Camp Olympics teams were introduced after dinner and then everyone got to spend the evening singing along with Maestro Khoren.

We wrapped up our day with evening prayer services in the chapel.

Finally, after a long, hot, and busy day, all the campers made their way to their cabins to spend some time together before going to bed. Each cabin has a Godparent and a Priest that visits with the campers every night to discuss the day with them and talk about the spiritual and emotional learning experienced during the day. The Godparents will usually be the ones to turn off the lights and put an end to a day at Hye Camp. Every camper falls asleep knowing that no matter how fun and exciting their day was, the next day will be even better!!!

C1 - Friday, Saturday, Sunday

July 27 - 28
Friday was the day we have been waiting for all week: RODEO DAY! After another great day of sports, swim, and classes, we all dressed up in cowboy hats, boots, and bandanas for the Rodeo Dance! DJ Impossible was spinning the hottest beats, and the Sabounjian Band provided authentic Armenian music. We could also hang out in the game room and play ping pong, pool, and board games. Der Khatchadour challenged some of the campers in ping pong; he is so good! We had so much fun!

Saturday was sad because we said goodbye to our C1 campers, but five new awesome campers came in on Sunday for Session C2! This weekend was filled with worship, elective classes, swimming, movie night, and of course dodgeball. We are all so tired but can’t wait to start our regular schedule again tomorrow!

Hye Camp - Day 1

A record number of campers arrived at Hye Camp this Sunday afternoon, kicking off a week of fun, fellowship, and spirituality. When registration opened, there were already a lot of eager children anxious to see which cabin they would be in and who their counselors would be. By 4:00 the big bus from Detroit had arrived, the customary signal that the picnic was about to start.

First, everyone congregated in the Fr. Haroutiun Dagley chapel for parent orientation. The Hye Camp board of directors, the Hye Camp Godfathers and Godmothers who will be with us all week, and the staff members for each cabin were all introduced to the parents and the children.

Hye Camp Director Fr. Aren Jebejian, along with Fr. Tavit Boyadjian, Fr. Paren Galustyan, and Dn. Levon Kirakosyan performed the Home Blessing ceremony, blessing the bread, water and salt, in commemoration of the Diocesan theme of Church & Home – One In Spirit.

At last, everyone went out to the main field where Camp Hickory staff had prepared an abundant picnic.

As evening came and the sun began to set, parents tried to get in one last hug while their children were catching up with old friends. With the parents departed, all of the campers gathered for further orientation followed by some time with their cabin. One more evening snack of watermelon brought the opening day of Hye Camp to a close and everyone got some rest dreaming about the exciting week ahead.

All of the coordination that goes into running a smooth and efficient registration process couldn’t be accomplished without everyone acting as a team. To achieve that goal, the staff gathers the day before Hye Camp starts for special training and orientation.

Saturday afternoon and evening was spent getting to know each other, learning about the different roles and responsibilities everyone would have during the week, and preparing the camp for the arrival of the campers.

Fr. Aren stressed to the staff two main questions that should always be considered. How can I transform my campers? How can I transform myself? These are fitting questions, not only as motivation for the staff to be at their best every day, but also to help tie in the theme of Hye Camp 2007; The Feast of Transfiguration.

Saturday evening, the Hye Camp staff had the pleasure of being hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Ohaness Korogluyan, parishioners at the St. James Armenian Church of Evanston. The Korogluyan’s offered an extensive selection of Armenian foods, the perfect start to what promises to be a fun and exciting week.

We look forward to another successful Hye Camp season and we can’t wait to share it with you.

C1 – Wednesday

July 25
Another fabulous day at St. Vartan Camp included swimming, sports, and classes. Maestro Khoren has been at camp for every session and today we learned a little bit more about the man behind the music. We watched a DVD made on Maestro’s life and times, and of course sang lots of songs. We ended the day with an awesome campfire where we cooked apples and cinnamon for a late night treat.

C1 -Tuesday

July 24
Our second full day of Session C was full of fun and excitement. Der Khachadour taught religion today; he will be at camp all week with Yeretzgin Anna and baby Maria. The opening ceremonies for camp-wide Olympics were today. We were divided into color teams, so we wore our team colors while the counselors dressed in togas just like the ancient Greek gods did during the first Olympics. Each team created a team poster and skit. All the teams were judged based on creativity and enthusiasm. We will continue our Olympic competitions throughout the week, so every team still has a chance to win the gold!

C1 – Monday

July 23
What a great first day of Session C! Many of us are first time campers so we spent today getting used to the schedule of camp. Juniors had classes in the morning, and the teens had sports and swimming. After lunch we switched. Because it was raining, the juniors played bingo in the Rec Hall instead of swimming. After dinner we played Scattergories. The funniest answers will be printed in our camp newsletter, the Vartan Voice. We can’t wait til tomorrow!

B2 - Tues - Wed – Thurs

July 17-19

The past few days have flown by! On Tuesday we played Capture the Flag in our Olympics groups, and on Wednesday we played a giant camp-wide detective game of Clue! Wednesday was also the day of a great tradition at SVC: the CIT Hunt. After following clues hidden all over the Ararat Center, each counselor group was led to the hiding spot of their CITs. Once captured, each CIT was brought to the field and doused with water and shaving cream what is by far the messiest activity of the summer. An outdoor barbeque followed. Thursday was the talent show; everyone agrees that it was one of the best SVC talent shows in years!

B2 - Monday

July 16
After a great weekend we were ready to get back to our full daily schedules today. We started the day as we always do, with exercises at the flagpole to get our blood pumping for the day. Today was the first day we had our classes in the new pavilion. It was great! We had enough room to dance during heritage, and the classrooms were perfect for Armenian language. The religion room is cozy, with carpets and couches, and it’s a great place to have in-depth conversations. In the evening, the oldest teens planned “Singled Out” for the rest of the camp. We ended the day as we always do, with vespers before bed. Can't wait til tomorrow!

B1 - Friday, Saturday, Sunday

July 13-15
What a busy weekend! Friday the 13th at SVC meant a Halloween-themed dance. We danced all the shoorch bars we learned in our heritage class this week. The Sabounjian Family Band provided authentic Armenian music.

On Saturday we said good-bye to our B1 campers during the closing ceremony. We spent the morning recapping the week and singing our camp songs to visiting parents and friends. Congrats to all our campers of the week who received their awards! After the closing ceremony, we rested and relaxed. After dinner we enjoyed an outdoor movie in the brand new pavilion which is finally ready for our use!

Badarak on Sunday morning was also held in the pavilion. Being able to worship God outdoors in such beautiful surroundings was a great new experience for many of us. In the afternoon we welcomed new campers for Session B2, who traveled from as far away as Texas! The new campers joined us during our electives classes, which included hip hop dance, drama, and instructional dumbeg. After dinner was the annual camper/staff dodge ball game. The staff wore blue and campers donned red to represent their teams. The campers made a valiant effort but it the end the staff emerged victorious. We are exhausted after such a busy weekend but are looking forward to starting our regular schedule of classes, sports and swimming tomorrow!

B1 - Thursday

July 12, 2007
Tonight was the first talent show of Session B and it sure didn’t disappoint! We have an extremely talented group of campers here at St. Vartan; singing, dancing, acting, and playing the piano were among the talents showcased this evening. The hosts were two puppets who kept us laughing all night. Afterwards we had a special surprise – a campfire complete with songs and stories. What a fun day!

B2 - Wednesday

July 11
Another fun day at SVC! In Armenian class we learned key phrases to use during conversations with our medz-mayrigs and hayrigs. Today was a scorcher! Lucky for us, swim time was extended so we got to spend extra time cooling off in the pool. Tonight’s evening activity was “Hot Topics.” The juniors did some role-playing with the counselors to discuss what they would do in as Christians in difficult real-life situations that sometimes arise. The teens got to ask Der Krikor and Der Mardiros any questions they wanted about the Armenian Church, its teachings and beliefs, and anything else we can think of about being a Christian. We learned a lot today!

B2 - Tuesday

July 10
Religion class was awesome today! Der Mardiros, who is visiting from New York City, taught us all about baptism. We got to act out a real baptism and play the roles of parents and godparents! We also held our opening ceremony for Olympics today. We divided up into color teams and showed off our creativity and enthusiasm with team posters, chants, and dances. We ended the day as we always do, with vespers and quiet time before bed.

A2 - FRIDAY/SATURDAY

July 5-7
The end of Session A2 flew by! On Friday we had our farewell dance and campfire. It was a lot of fun but also sad because it was our last night at camp. On Saturday our parents came to pick us up. Most of us didn’t want to leave! Though another session at SVC is over, we will keep in touch with letters and phone calls. Only 11 ½ months left until SVC 08 Session A!

A2 - Wednesday

Happy Independence Day! Though it was rainy day here in Greenville, the weather didn’t stop our celebrations. Each Olympic team created their own “float” and the rain stopped just long enough for us to hold our parade outdoors. After a traditional American dinner including a delicious holiday cake, we winded down with a movie before heading off to bed.

A2 - Tuesday

Today we participated in one of the oldest and greatest traditions of SVC: the CIT Hunt. After following clues hidden all over the Ararat Center, each counselor group was led to the hiding spot of their CITs. Once captured, each CIT was brought to the field and doused with water and shaving cream what is by far the messiest activity of the summer. An outdoor barbeque followed. After our showers we all still smell like shaving cream but we don’t care; the CIT Hunt was awesome!

A2 - Monday

We had lots of fun this weekend but were glad to get back into the weekday schedule today. In heritage class today the teens learned about church etiquette while the juniors learned about St. Vartan and the Battle of Avarayr, as well as the words to our national anthem, Mer Hayrenik. Our evening program, “Singled Out,” was lead by the oldest teens. They were able to show off their leadership skills and get an idea of what the CIT program will be like next year. The teens did such a great job that afterwards they had extra free time in the rec hall. My favorite part of the day was when the whole camp got to eat ice pops after the evening program!

A1 - The Weekend

June 30-July 1

This weekend was filled with fun activities and plenty of free time to wind down and relax. On Saturday we said goodbye to our one-weekers at the closing program. Congrats to all the campers of the week who were presented with their certificates at the program. Great job, guys! Head Counselor Arthur showed us a video he’s been working on all week about what’s been going on, and all the campers sang their favorite camp songs. In the afternoon we had free time until it was time for hiking and swimming. We saw a lot of cool stuff on the hike and got to experience nature first hand. After celebrating Badarak on Sunday, we welcomed three new campers who joined us for A2. In the afternoon we were able to choose two electives classes to rotate Armenian dancing, tae bo, instructional tavloo, and traditional music. Our evening activity was a round of camper-staff matball games. The campers had a good showing, but the staff emerged victorious 5-3. After a busy weekend we were glad to get to bed and rest for another awesome week at SVC.

A1 - Friday

Today was so much fun! The highlight of the day was the Rodeo Dance. We showed off our dance moves to Armenian and American music, and there were plenty of games and activities for the kids who didn’t dance as well. After the dance we had a campfire. We sang songs, told scary stories, and hung out with our friends.