Welcome, 2011 Counselors!

The final team of counselors for Camp Siberia was selected at the end of November. The applicants this year were truly outstanding and the Board had a tough job selecting from among them.  After a rigorous selection process, in which applicants submitted written essay applications, withstood personal interviews with Board members and former Counselors, and had their references checked, 18 terrific Bainbridge teens were selected to conduct Camp Siberia’s final summer camp for Russian orphans.  They will join one other Counselor who was selected last year, but at the last minute, was unable to travel to Russia. 

Between now and July, the team will be busy with community service projects and fund-raising (each Counselor has taken on the task of raising $4500 of the total $82,000 it will take to get the team to Novosibirsk and to conduct camp.)  They’ll also be learning crafts, songs and games and, by July, will be a terrific team. 

The 2011 Camp Siberia Counselors are:

Ali Blake

Carly Burt

Kore Busath-Haedt

Michael Crowley

Kelsey Gonwick

Skylar Horner

Will Houser

Katrina Kerrigan

Colin Lea

Dylan Lehotsky

Maureen McCormick

Cali Moore

Chloe Pinto

Emily Schneider

Rachael Self

Bea Sheffer

Mary Stewart

Casey Taylor

Isabel Vassiliadis

Welcom aboard!  It’ll be a great year!

Safely home

Notwithstanding unbelievable hassels with airlines, the group made it home on schedule on Saturday evening.  They arrived home to absolutely perfect Seattle summer so we know they’ll be happy to be back here — their own beds, hot showers and the beautiful summer activities of Bainbridge Island.

As we get photos from the kids, we’ll try to post them here so you can have a tiny glimpse of the happiness and joy they helped create in Russia this summer. 

Otherwise, a bit of a break….the new Camp Siberia year will begin in early October with the start of the recruitment process for the 2011 team!

A break in Novosibirsk

We have completed one session of camp and it was a great success. I think it was the hottest on record with more biting bugs than I have seen in my lifetime!!!!! We have used most of the insect repellent, for what use I have no idea, I think the bugs like the repellent better than bare skin. However, great fun was had by all, and Natasha purchased a plastic swimming pool and we all took turns sitting in it. The little campers especially loved it. We came back to the VERY hot city today, visited the orphange, which I think made a great impact on your kids, had pizza and then went to Natasha’s theater to watch an award winning Russian documentary about Camp Siberia. Old, but interesting – made in 2002. It gave the kids a chance to see how far we have come with the facilities at camp and the program, however, the love and camper-counselor interaction was absolutly there from the beginning. Robbie Spenser and Michelle Strickland were stars and I hope that we will have a CD made from it so you can all see the beginnings of our project. Tomorrow, we are on the way to our Riverboat trip, truly a highlight of camp, but after all this HOT weather, it is supposed to rain and hail tomorrow and be cold. So what can you do, just make it work, and that is the story of this year – so many unexpected surprises, but somehow we make it through them.

The kids send you all their love and are creating magic here in Siberia,

Janie

Last year's group with a statue of Lenin in downtown Novosibirsk

Arrival in SIBERIA!

Just a quick post to let you all know that the group arrived safely in Novosibirsk on Sunday.  They arrived early in the morning and spent a few hours with their host families.  We are fortunate to have some wonderful friends (and friends of friends) who open their homes to our team a couple of times during the group’s stay in Siberia.  This first time, they don’t stay overnight, but arrive in the morning and take nice long naps before jumping on the train and heading out to the countryside and to the real work of Camp Siberia.

We will probably not hear from them while they are out in the countryside.  But if we do hear anything, I’ll try to post it here so you can all follow their progress.

And “progress” seemed a rare commodity on Sunday:  apparently the Russians decided that some of the kids’ tickets from St. Petersburg to Novosibirsk were not valid.  Janie spent two hours (and a lot of money) buying new tickets for those Counselors.  We’re confident that the original tickets (which were just like everyone else’s) were perfectly fine, but one never knows in Russia.  It seems that different rules apply and if there’s one thing we’ve learned in ten years, it’s to expect the unexpected.

That said, we do still expect the group to have a fabulous time.  Their campers arrived earlier today and the real magic of Camp Siberia should be beginning right about now !  Keep the team and the campers in your thoughts and keep fingers crossed for a smoother experience at the airport on the way home!  I will post again when the group begins its trip home (or maybe sooner if I get any other news).

Update from St. Petersburg

detail of a gate at the Hermitage

Sorry I did not post  the updates as the group arrived in Moscow and then took the overnight train to St Petersburg.  No excuses, just apologies. I hope many of you are on the email distribution list.

That said, we did get an email last night (Saturday) recapping what’s happening now.  Today the group will conclude its visit to St. Petersburg and fly to Novosibirsk to begin the real reason for this journey — camp!  Following is last night’s message from Janie, but first, some of the sights they’re seeing in St. P (photos from previous years.  

“We visited the Hermitage yesterday and had a tour though the amazing palace and collections of art,  Our guide was brief but very knowledgeable and we made it through the whole incredible place in about 2 1/2 hours.  I heard things like “Wow, I saw a real Rembrant” or “Can you believe we saw a Monet in person!” and on and on.  The kids loved their shopping adventure and will be coming home with wonderful treasures, but I think the highlight was the boat trip through the canals.  It is INCREDIBLY hot here and the breeze off the water as we toured the canals was so welcome!

 

“Today we visit St. Isacc”s Cathedral, an enormous church and then on the Peter and Paul’s fortress for an afternoon of touring and relaxing in the park, one more hour of shopping, to be sure we have purhased all the best “stuff”, dinner and then bus to the airport and off for our real purpose, Camp.

 

“We are hoping the temperature will be a bit cooler in Novosibirsk, but we cannot count on that.  Everyone sends their love and all are excited to get to camp.

 

Thinking of you all,  Janie”

Moscow, here we come!

They’ve made their connection in DC (apparently, with not a moment to spare) and are truly on the way now.  Here are some photos:

They’re off to Russia!

Well, the 2010 Camp Siberia team is on its way!  The group left Seattle this morning for Moscow (with a very short stop-over at Dulles Airport in our nation’s capitol.)

Because today is a legal holiday and the normal early morning ferry was not running (ah, the joys of Island living!), one enterprising mom chartered a Kitsap Airporter bus to take the group to its 5:45 check-in time at Sea-Tac.  What a great idea!  The kids were able to sleep on the bus, but even so, were pretty bleary-eyed during check-in.  That process went smoothly, thanks to Janie’s meticulous organization and the great help of Rochelle (our travel agent) and Laura (the United Airlines person assigned to see to our group.)  The few parents who accompanied the kids on the bus tagged along as long as allowed through security and fielded questions from some curious passers-by about the red sweatshirts.

The kids were a little subdued as they left, but of course, it was still early in the morning and it’s just now hitting them that this adventure they’ve been anticipating is really upon them!

We will next hear from the group when they arrive at their hostel in Moscow, which should be Tuesday morning, Seattle time.  The “phone tree” will be activated at that time.  In the meantime, if I get any pictures of this morning’s departure, I’ll be sure to post them.

A new team selected

After a grueling process of applications, interviews, reference checks and loooooong discussions by the Board, the new team of Camp Siberia Counselors has been selected.  We were honored to receive applications from 43 truly remarkable young people and had a difficult job winnowing the group to the eighteen who will make up the 2010 team.  These Bainbridge High School students will begin their work together right after the holidays.  In the meantime, we congratulate them and sincerely thank all the wonderful kids who put themselves out to apply to Camp Siberia.  There are some wonderful, generous teenagers on this Island and we should all be proud of them!

The Camp Siberia 2010 team is

Dillon Byron
Molly Coffyn
Chelsea Dunlap
Taylor Gawlik
Henry Indvik
Jeff Laws
Colin Lea
Joe McKenzie
Quinn McMahon
Graham Mitchell
Deni Murray
Tarelle Parker
Ethan Pearl
John Scott
Larkin Sheldon
Fiona Stanton
Annika Torseth
Bryton Wildsmith

Welcome to all of you; we’re looking forward to a great year!

from the Board of Camp Siberia

Starting a new year!

Camp Siberia 2009 Counselors hosted an information meeting on Sunday, October 4, to introduce other students and their families to Camp Siberia.  They told stories of their time at camp, with the orphans, and also about their visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg.  Parents and students in attendance also saw a great slide show (which I will try to link to this blog).

Applications for the new Camp Siberia team 2010 are currently available in the office at Bainbridge High School and on line at campsiberia.org.  Applications must be POSTMARKED by October 23, 2009.  A word of warning: do not assume that if you drop your application at the post office late in the day of October 23, it will actually be postmarked that day.  Applications postmarked after October 23 will not be considered, so be early!  Applications cannot be submitted on line.

Once all applications have been received, applicants will be interviewed by a panel of adult Board Members and former Camp Siberia Counselors.  Interviews will take place at the Bainbridge Public Library during the weeks of November 2 and November 9.   Applicants’ references will be checked by the adult Board Members.  Final selection of the 2010 team will be made over the weekend of November 21 and 22 and all applicants will be notified by email on the evening of November 22.

Good luck to all applicants!

Even more photos and videos

Camp Siberia 2009

I hadn’t realized when I sent you all to flickr yesterday, that the site includes TONS of photos the Counselors have uploaded.    I suggest going back periodically to the link to flickr to see (and hear!) great camp images.