We just wrapped up another incredible week at camp! It was a busy one filled with beautiful weather, lots of great activities, and tons of special events. We started the week on Tuesday with an exciting afternoon of intercamp with Camp B'nai Brith. We sent several teams to CBB to play ball hockey, football, whiffle ball, and pickleball, and we hosted their teams in soccer, ringuette, volleyball, and basketball. It was a fun afternoon of friendly competition! That night, the Juniors and Inters celebrated Halloween in July, complete with trick-or-treating and a costume party. The Seniors enjoyed their night at our annual “Senior Prom”. On Wednesday, we welcomed campers from Trails of Summer for their annual visit to camp. On Thursday, we said goodbye to our starter camp kids. We were sad to see them go but wish them a great rest of the summer and can’t wait to see them again in Summer 2025! The Super Seniors and CITs enjoyed a fun day at LaRonde on Thursday.
Friday was a busy day at camp! Bunks 2 and 19 went to CBB to represent Wingate at an intercamp Glee competition, the Juniors had a challah bake, and we finished the day off with our Friday night program. This week we talked about Tzedakah and giving back to those less fortunate.
Things did not slow down on the weekend as we had our camp-wide annual carnival day on Saturday filled with carnival games, inflatables, cotton candy, snow cones, and a giant shaving cream fight for the Seniors on Upper Field. On Saturday night, we had our second sing-song of the summer, and the energy in the Wingate Hall was incredible! We finished off the weekend on Sunday with an amazing foam party on the beach!
It's been a fantastic week, and we are just getting started!
Looking forward to seeing you all this Sunday for Visiting Day!
Inside This Issue
Weekly Video
Trails at Wingate
On Wednesday, we were thrilled to welcome campers and staff from Trails of Summer, an annual tradition that is one of our favorite days of camp. Our campers prepared welcome signs for our guests and spent the morning hanging out and playing with their campers. It is always heartwarming to see how our campers interact with our visitors. Trails is such a special organization and we are incredibly proud to help them in any way that we can. We will be doing a water relay/regatta fundraiser this week and want to thank everyone who made a donation by sponsoring their children. We have raised just under $2,000 already, truly amazing! Trials will be using the money raised by Wingate to buy adapted sports equipment. It's never too late to make a donation.
Glee Competition
This week we were very excited to have Bunk 19 and Bunk 2 represent Wingate at an intercamp Glee competition held at Camp B'nai Brith. The girls worked hard all week to prepare a song and dance based on the theme of the competition, Israeli resilience. We were incredibly proud of their performances!
Bunk 2 Song
Bunk 19 Dance
Cooking with Islay
The new art center, located next to Bunk 19, is home to our amazing cooking and baking program. We aren't surprised that it has been one of our most popular activities this summer! Meet Islay, our amazing cooking specialist, and take a peek inside!
Leagues
The season goes on! With so many exciting things going on in camp, our athletes still found time to perform and impress in this past week of leagues. As we get closer to the playoffs, the grind continues with so many exciting games… Check out some of the highlights and season standings!
Game #1 - Ohio Gyatts 2 vs Heroes 5 - Soccer on ET
The match was hanging in the balance until Jaxon Kahan rose high above the defenders, nodding in a powerful header from a pinpoint corner kick, putting the Heroes ahead early. Jordan Pollack then took center stage with a remarkable hat trick, showcasing his lethal finishing skills.
The Gyatts tried to respond, managing to score twice, but each time they inched closer, the Heroes counterattacked with precision. It was a relentless display of offensive prowess, with Pollack's third goal sealing the victory and confirming his status as the hero of the day.
The final whistle blew with the scoreboard reading 5-2 in favor of the Heroes, sending their fans into jubilant celebrations. Coach Twik and Kisber could hardly contain their pride as the team celebrated into the night, having fulfilled their promise of a memorable victory.
Game #2 - Ghostbusters 19 vs Gooners 3- Basketball in Skydome
Ghostbusters topped the Gooners in basketball which ended at a score of 19-13. Stars, Ethan Blatt and Rafael Akerman absolutely put on a show with each of their excellent performances. Ethan Blatt, shooting nearly perfect from the field with amazing court vision and excellent leadership. Another key player, Jack Schwartz asserted dominance in the point with his staggering rebounding ability. Small forward, Charlie Asseraf was a diverse court manager who aided in all components of the game. Shooting guard, Ryder Nayot hit a momentum swinging three point shot with 3 minutes to go which put the team on a run. Overall, the Ghostbusters simply outplayed the Gooners, thus handing them a victory bringing the Ghostbusters to a unideal 1-3.
Only the top 4 teams will make the playoffs, let's see if the Gooners and Ghostbusters can rally back into playoff position. Stay tuned for updates next week!
Adam & Jared
Current Standings
Team | Wins | Losses | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
Heroes | 3 | 1 | 6 |
Ohio Gyatts | 3 | 1 | 6 |
Skibidi Rizzlers | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Lebrons | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Ghostbusters | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Gooners | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Juniors this Week
The Juniors were able to experience so many fun activities this past week! We just had the camp carnival, and all the kids, even their counselors, had a blast! We surprised our campers with a snowball fight at the snow cone area, and it was a blast! Bunk 5 & 7 had a blast at the dunk tank, trying to dunk as many staff as they could. One of the highlights of the week for Bunk 14 was the blob! We were so proud of them when they jumped off the highest point of the blob together! The Bunk 6 girls loved frog catching with Spike and can’t wait to go again this week. Rehearsals for the camp play, High School Musical, are underway, and our campers from Bunk 6 have been working super hard on their dances! They are so excited to perform! On Friday, the Juniors had a great time challah making for Shabbat. They got really creative with sprinkles and chocolate chips on their challahs! We had some amazing evening activities this week, including Halloween in July, a “spoons” tournament, sing-song, and a special ice cream sundae bar!
It was an amazing week, and we’re super excited for what’s to come next week!
Conor & Scarlett
Inters this Week
Our second week at camp has now passed, and we are in full gear! The Inters proved victorious against CBB at our first Intercamp of the summer. There was Wiffle Ball for the Grade 4 Boys and Ringette for Grade 5/6 Girls, where uber-talented Sofie Priston stole the show with an incredible 11-goal performance. A new addition to Intercamp showcased Wingate’s excellence in the Performing Arts. The Bunk 2 and 19 girls competed in a Glee and dance competition respectively. One of the highlights of the week for Bunk 12 was when they joined Spike in one of his specialty activities, frog catching. They did not disappoint and came back with 11 frogs, establishing a new summer record. On Wednesday, we welcomed Trails of Summer, a camp for kids with special needs, to come play, laugh, and enjoy all that Wingate has to offer. A scorching July Saturday lined up perfectly for our annual Carnival Day. There were inflatables set up on the lower field, skydome carnival booths run by CITs, cotton candy, snow cones, a dunk tank, and even a massive shaving cream fight. We capped off the week with one of Wingate’s most beloved camp-wide activities, singsong. A ton of fun was had by all, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for next week!
Ryan & Hallie
Seniors this Week
What a busy and exciting week the Seniors had at camp! Some of the highlights included a visit from Trails of Summer, a camp for kids with special needs. It was heartwarming to see how our campers interacted, engaged in activities, and hung out with the Trails of Summer campers. It was so natural and incredible how all of the kids really came together. On Friday, CBB hosted a glee competition where the Inter girls and Senior girls participated, showcasing their talents through an amazing dance and song. Their hard work and dedication truly shone through in their performances, making it a memorable event for everyone.
Another highlight of the week was the Senior Prom. Each person was assigned a character and had to find their corresponding partner. The event was filled with great music, prizes, and endless fun. Saturday afternoon brought even more excitement with a camp-wide carnival. We had a variety of stations set up throughout the camp, including bouncy castles on the lower field, snow cones, cotton candy, and other snacks at the picnic area. The Sky Dome was filled with amazing booth games, and the highlight of the day was a shaving cream fight for the Seniors on the upper field. After the messy fun, everyone ran to the lake to wash off, marking the end of an incredible day. The Super Seniors and CITs enjoyed a trip to LaRonde amusement park on Thursday. They returned with huge smiles, having had a great day filled with rides, games, and more. All in all, it was a week packed with unforgettable experiences and lots of fun memories. We can’t wait to see what’s to come next week!
Adam & Michelle
CITs this Week
The CITs have truly outdone themselves this week, putting in tremendous effort during their placements. Their dedication and care for the kids has not gone unnoticed, and it’s heartwarming to see the strong attachments that have been formed. The campers genuinely adore their CITs, and the feeling is mutual. This week marked the end of their first placement and all the kids were sad to see them go, but we can’t wait for the next round of placements starting next week. In other news, the CITs did an amazing job this week as they helped in setting up and running the carnival booths on Saturday. Their hard work and enthusiasm brought the event to life, creating a great experience for everyone. The carnival featured many different games, including pop the balloon, face painting, glitter tattoos, finish the lyric, and many more. This week a special shoutout goes to James Leon, Jake Lubarsky, and Chloe Isenberg for their speeches during our Friday night program. They spoke about our theme of the week, Tzedakah, or giving back. Their words inspired everyone and highlighted the importance of generosity, giving back to the community, and how it could really impact someone. We had some fun this week in the section as we went on an exciting trip to LaRonde amusement park for the CITs and Super Seniors. They returned with lots of prizes, so many stories, and most importantly, big smiles on their faces, and it was clear they had an incredible time. The CITs have been amazing so far, consistently demonstrating their commitment, enthusiasm, and kindness. We are excited to see what they will achieve in the coming weeks and are confident they will continue doing a great job!
Adam, Michelle & Josh
In Other News
Only a few of our campers might know that the term "wall time" - free time before curfew - originated from campers actually socializing on the wall between milk & cookies and curfew.
This week, Ellen, one of our fantastic camp moms, gave the wall a makeover. She not only restored one of our beloved spots in camp but had the best time hanging out with campers who cheered her on. She even enlisted some to help with the renovation!
Thank you, Ellen! We absolutely love it, and we love you!