I have always loved Mission House. I have been drawn to it not just for its elegance and historical presence, but also for the energy and. . .well. . mission that run through the place in waves, even on a quiet day. But for one week of the year, I find it utterly irresistible. On the face of it, the lovely and dignified structure becomes just plain FUN, whether island paradise or home to bluegrass Thoroughbred horses. My particular favorite aspects of the decor this year were the unmistakable sweetness of a chapel transformed into a stable, and the soft plush horses grazing in the turf fields of antique Bishop's chairs in the entry hall.
As always, though, such delights are only a foil to what is really going on. What makes this week so irresistible is the intersection of faith with real life.
I got there in time to admire spectacular equine cupcakes being devoured by all children--even the tall ones. This was in the midst of jumping rope, watching bugs and just hanging out. Easy and joyful conversations erupted out of small groups of teachers and students. When the Paddock Master (looking eerily like the Ringmaster at the Cathedral Domain, I must add,) blew the whistle, the energy shifted into different small groups with no confusion. Soon everyone was engaged in some sort of reading activity. The energy was quieter, but not diminished.
I found myself being so grateful that this particular Reading Camp had overcome many challenges in order to actually occur. Once again, I had found what I find so compelling about this particular week at Mission House. As I drove away smiling, I knew that what I had really observed in the midst of this overtly secular Jockey Club had been the "love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 8:39)
-Rev. Janey Wilson is on the Reading Camp Steering Committee and is the Reading Camp Chaplain
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
My Wonderful Summer
As Reading Camp season draws to a close I find myself reflecting on my experience at each Camp I attended. I call June and July of 2008 “My Wonderful Summer”. All four of the camps used the same six Learning Centers to reach out to the children and give them the tools to improve their reading and writing skills. Each camp had a dedicated staff of directors, teachers, support people, and counselors. Authors visited to read from their books and explain how books are published. Every Camp had a different theme and activities aimed at giving the children confidence in themselves. All campers were sent home with a bag full of books and a place in the hearts of those who worked with them.
At Danville's Reading Camp we were swept into the magic of reading by a Harry Potter theme. There is singing before breakfast every day. We read to them at lunchtime. We have the advantage of resource people from Centre College and there are interesting places for field trips in the afternoons. There was a wonderful chemistry magic show this year. Swimming every day is a highlight, too. There is a traditional flavor about the Danville Camp which is held at historic Trinity Church and is a Day Camp. Many of the children already know each other when they come to camp and are comfortable with one another. Danville is a lovely small town where people smile and make us feel very welcome.
Reading Camp at the Cathedral Domain is a residential camp. Here the children learn archery and how to rappel. There is hiking and a trip to the Bat Cave and campfire singing with S'mores and a night swim. Meals in the Dining Hall are noisy with happy chatter. The children are showered and in their bunks when adults come with lanterns to read them a chapter or two from the book chosen for the year. Reading Camp teachers and support staff at the Domain stay in the Conference Center and enjoy hanging out on the porch in the evenings. This forms a strong bond. The children come from different school systems and areas and it is wonderful to see them bonding as a group. It was most rewarding this year that we had a Counselor who was a camper in the very first session of Reading Camp six years ago. The theme this year was Circus and we had a wonderful week of magic tricks, plate spinning and clown instruction capped off by a grand parade around the camp road on the last evening of camp.
The Reading Camp held at the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County had our very first out of state camper this year. Sam came from Missouri because his father found out about Reading Camp on the Internet. Our staff included people from Pennsylvania, Northern Ohio, Minnesota, Georgia and Germany as well as Kentuckians. The campers come from Middlesboro, Harlan, and Harlan County. Pine Mountain is a beautiful place with a rich Appalachian heritage and is also a residential camp. Here we also read the children to sleep each night. We use three buildings and walk across a small bridge to the Library for the Centers. Deer can be spotted and there is a beaver pond and a garden where vegetables are grown for the dining hall. The Environmental Education program provided by the Pine Mountain Settlement School staff each afternoon and the crafts taught to the children are especially enriching. The children learned about sustainable gardening. Our theme this year was Astronomy and Space. A Ranger from Cumberland Gap National Park came to teach us about the planets and constellations and we took blankets out to lie on the ground and stargaze. At Pine Mountain we hold a Graduation for the campers going into fifth grade and they are so proud of their Certificates. We were so proud of them. There wasn't a dry eye in the Chapel!
The Mission House Camp held in Lexington is a Day Camp and draws children mostly from the neighborhood. They are primarily from two schools downtown. We use the bus from the Church of the Resurrection to collect many of them each morning and take them home at the end of the day. The theme this year was Horses and Mission House was transformed. Bales of hay, jockey silks, wonderful murals of horses in green fields and colorful paper horseshoes hanging in the entry hall all reminded us that we live in the Horse Capitol of the World. A trip to a farm where each child had the opportunity to ride on a horse and learn about grooming one, a trip to the stable of the Mounted Police in Lexington, a visit to an equine hospital, swimming every afternoon and hiking at Raven Run gave city children new experiences. They were encouraged to read by the presence of a canine friend named Blue in the Pleasure Reading Center. Visitors interested in starting Reading Camps in their towns came during the week to observe how a Reading Camp functions. They are always welcome. Volunteers from several parishes provided lunches for us each day. We ate on the porch and the children jumped rope, played games and used colored chalk to adorn the sidewalk.
I have come to these conclusions:
All children respond to individual attention.
They all love games involving water balloons.
They bond with the Counselors and love singing loud songs.
The adults discover the joy of giving these precious young people an extra boost in life.
All children everywhere are our children.
It doesn't matter whether they come from a city, a small town, a rural county or a place far across the ocean.
They need the attention we give them and we are blessed to be able to give it.
My life is ever so much richer for being a part of Reading Camp.
-C.C. Johnson is a member of St. Raphael’s, Lexington and is volunteering at four Reading Camps this summer
At Danville's Reading Camp we were swept into the magic of reading by a Harry Potter theme. There is singing before breakfast every day. We read to them at lunchtime. We have the advantage of resource people from Centre College and there are interesting places for field trips in the afternoons. There was a wonderful chemistry magic show this year. Swimming every day is a highlight, too. There is a traditional flavor about the Danville Camp which is held at historic Trinity Church and is a Day Camp. Many of the children already know each other when they come to camp and are comfortable with one another. Danville is a lovely small town where people smile and make us feel very welcome.
Reading Camp at the Cathedral Domain is a residential camp. Here the children learn archery and how to rappel. There is hiking and a trip to the Bat Cave and campfire singing with S'mores and a night swim. Meals in the Dining Hall are noisy with happy chatter. The children are showered and in their bunks when adults come with lanterns to read them a chapter or two from the book chosen for the year. Reading Camp teachers and support staff at the Domain stay in the Conference Center and enjoy hanging out on the porch in the evenings. This forms a strong bond. The children come from different school systems and areas and it is wonderful to see them bonding as a group. It was most rewarding this year that we had a Counselor who was a camper in the very first session of Reading Camp six years ago. The theme this year was Circus and we had a wonderful week of magic tricks, plate spinning and clown instruction capped off by a grand parade around the camp road on the last evening of camp.
The Reading Camp held at the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County had our very first out of state camper this year. Sam came from Missouri because his father found out about Reading Camp on the Internet. Our staff included people from Pennsylvania, Northern Ohio, Minnesota, Georgia and Germany as well as Kentuckians. The campers come from Middlesboro, Harlan, and Harlan County. Pine Mountain is a beautiful place with a rich Appalachian heritage and is also a residential camp. Here we also read the children to sleep each night. We use three buildings and walk across a small bridge to the Library for the Centers. Deer can be spotted and there is a beaver pond and a garden where vegetables are grown for the dining hall. The Environmental Education program provided by the Pine Mountain Settlement School staff each afternoon and the crafts taught to the children are especially enriching. The children learned about sustainable gardening. Our theme this year was Astronomy and Space. A Ranger from Cumberland Gap National Park came to teach us about the planets and constellations and we took blankets out to lie on the ground and stargaze. At Pine Mountain we hold a Graduation for the campers going into fifth grade and they are so proud of their Certificates. We were so proud of them. There wasn't a dry eye in the Chapel!
The Mission House Camp held in Lexington is a Day Camp and draws children mostly from the neighborhood. They are primarily from two schools downtown. We use the bus from the Church of the Resurrection to collect many of them each morning and take them home at the end of the day. The theme this year was Horses and Mission House was transformed. Bales of hay, jockey silks, wonderful murals of horses in green fields and colorful paper horseshoes hanging in the entry hall all reminded us that we live in the Horse Capitol of the World. A trip to a farm where each child had the opportunity to ride on a horse and learn about grooming one, a trip to the stable of the Mounted Police in Lexington, a visit to an equine hospital, swimming every afternoon and hiking at Raven Run gave city children new experiences. They were encouraged to read by the presence of a canine friend named Blue in the Pleasure Reading Center. Visitors interested in starting Reading Camps in their towns came during the week to observe how a Reading Camp functions. They are always welcome. Volunteers from several parishes provided lunches for us each day. We ate on the porch and the children jumped rope, played games and used colored chalk to adorn the sidewalk.
I have come to these conclusions:
All children respond to individual attention.
They all love games involving water balloons.
They bond with the Counselors and love singing loud songs.
The adults discover the joy of giving these precious young people an extra boost in life.
All children everywhere are our children.
It doesn't matter whether they come from a city, a small town, a rural county or a place far across the ocean.
They need the attention we give them and we are blessed to be able to give it.
My life is ever so much richer for being a part of Reading Camp.
-C.C. Johnson is a member of St. Raphael’s, Lexington and is volunteering at four Reading Camps this summer
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Go (read with) Big Blue (the reading dog)
Franklin, Blue the Reading Dog and Tachyana from the Mission House Reading Camp strike their favorite poses. For many children, the Pleasure Reading center is very important. It's their chance to choose a book of their own to read. They have an adult teacher partner to read to, read with, or echo read with. Many children have especially enjoyed the Pleasure Reading center this week because of Blue's presence. He usually does exactly what he is supposed to (sleep!) during the center while many children pat his head or rub his belly while reading. This is Franklin and Tachyana's first year at Reading Camp and Blue's second.
The Mission House crew
Campers for the Mission House Reading Camp are recruited from Harrison or Johnson Elementary in Lexington. Volunteer teachers, counselors, and support staff come from all over Kentucky. Do you want to come join us? Or just come by for a visit? It's a lot of fun!
Click on the picture above for a bigger version to see someone you know!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
My turn, my turn!
In the morning between learning centers, campers take a 15-minute break for a snack and teachers get a chance to catch their breaths. If you click on the picture below and look closely at the picture below, you'll see that a teacher had another reason to catch her breath at the end of snack time. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the delightful Phonics teacher, Margaret Hill from Good Shepherd, Lexington!
"We're going to a horse hospital for a field trip? What?"
At Mission House Reading Camp yesterday, our afternoon field trip took us to an equine hospital. Who would've known that a hospital could be so informative and interesting? Campers, counselors, and very-curious-adult-staff-who-tagged-along got see to a foal going into surgery, the radiology, bone scan, farrier and MRI areas of the Rood and Riddle facilities.
The same campers who yesterday were hesitant to get in the creek ("bugs, ewww bugs!") were more than happy to thoroughly examine, handle and pass around a horse hoof (afflicted with laminitis--so we saw what happened to Barbaro!) and the cross section of a horse shin and ankle.
Most interesting were the moments reserved for "shoe shopping" and of course the horse exercise treadmill that usually supports horses that weigh 1000 pounds. The Reading Campers couldn't get it to budge!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Reading Camp superfecta
I was one of several visitors to the Mission House Reading Camp today. There was group from Paducah in the Diocese of Kentucky (who are interested in doing a Reading Camp there), a volunteer that has helped recruit campers from Harrison Elementary and me. We discovered that the "Horse" Capital of the world has moved to downtown Lexington. Mission House has been turned into a horse haven. There are jockey silks everywhere and the Writing Center is in a barn! This is a great place to learn. They even have Blue the Reading dog, who was a big favorite with all the campers.
Lunch, free time games and more of Humphrey's adventures. Then off to Rood and Riddle horse clinic. We got to see horse surgeries, mama & baby in an observation room, the horse's treadmill and lots of horseshoes. We learned that R&R saw over 11,000 horses last year--a fun and informative hour. When I left, the campers where headed to the "Y" for swimming. One of their favorite activities. The call to the post begins again tomorrow morning. Come down to see the superfecta! The bet is READING ROCKS and it does.
-Volunteer Lynne Evans is a member of the Reading Camp Steering Committee, the director of the Cathedral Domain Reading Camp, and a member of St. Michael's, Lexington
What rocks? Reading Rocks!
Mission House Day One Report
These words have resounded from students in our Reading Camps in all parts of the diocese this summer – from Danville to the Domain, from Perry County to Pine Mountain to Northern Kentucky culminating this week at Mission House in Lexington. I think something else “rocks” as well. I think Reading Camp and everyone who works to create and staff our camps “rock”, too. The blogs from all of the previous camps have been full of enthusiasm and inspiration from directors, campers and counselors. It is both humbling and a source of personal pride to play a part in this wonderful organization.
Many indispensible ministries have combined to create an awesome Mission House Camp this week. One of the campers walked into Mission House this morning and said, “Wow! This doesn’t look anything like school.” Thanks to Joy Hinkle, her daughter Mary Grace, her nephew Jeffrey and Reading Camp veteran Lucy Cox, the writing center has been transformed into a horse barn complete with bales of hay and red geraniums. Colorful horseshoes hang from the ceiling in the hallway and jockey silks adorn the learning centers. In the learning centers are incredible teachers, most of whom are Reading Camp veterans. Our new teachers bring enthusiasm and new ideas to our program. Our support staff, also veteran, knows exactly when and how to take care of injuries, food, emergencies and keep the learning centers running smoothly. We can also brag that C.C. Johnson is gracing our support staff for her fourth camp this summer. Even most of our counselors are veterans, and they have jumped in at noon to supervise and befriend our campers in the afternoon. We are especially grateful to the Church of the Resurrection for their bus and drivers. Without them we couldn’t have this camp at all! And what other camp has the Executive Director as the camp director?
Highlights of our afternoon activities this week include today’s trip to the Primm farm where students groomed and rode horses. After a morning in the Pleasure Reading Center with our reading dog, Blue, Rebecca Saager did hands-on science with the campers at the farm creek. Tomorrow will feature a trip to an equine hospital, Wednesday will be spent at Mission House with visiting author George Ella Lyon and water games, Thursday will have us visiting the Mounted Police barn and having a guest speaker, Becky Hahn. On Friday we will hike at Raven Run. We end every day with swimming lessons at the YMCA.
-Mary Eclov is a volunteer camp director, a member of the Reading Camp Steering Committee and a member of St. Michael's, Lexington
Sunday, July 20, 2008
"My favorite book"
Dalton was quick to show us his favorite book at snack time Monday evening:
"This is my favorite book, Frindle. I have been looking for it for a year! I saw it at camp last year and the library didn't have it. I knew I could find it again at Reading Camp. It's my favorite book. It has really good sentences."
Dalton was surely sent home with his very own copy of Frindle.
"This is my favorite book, Frindle. I have been looking for it for a year! I saw it at camp last year and the library didn't have it. I knew I could find it again at Reading Camp. It's my favorite book. It has really good sentences."
Dalton was surely sent home with his very own copy of Frindle.
Mission House Reading Camp volunteers
The final, encore or caboose Reading Camp of the summer is this week at Mission House in Lexington. If you're in town, come by for a visit before noon at 203 E. 4th St. The theme for the week is HORSES and the Mission House has been decorated with jockey silks and horsey themed artwork. The main hallway that is usually filled with old furniture now looks a bit different - it looks like a farrier went wild with neon horseshoes. The usually quiet resource room has been transformed into a writing center that looks like a horse barn!
In addition to the 27 children planning to attend, please add the following staff to your prayer lists for the week.
Counselors:
Rob Coulston
Margaret Garrett
Pearce Mayer
Alex Parker
Liz Pryor
Thomas Richards
Callie Snowden
Michael Westneat
Kiki Jameson
Teachers:
Mary Tyng-Atkinson
Lee Carroll
Charlie Dalton
Tracy Ellis
Judy Endicott
Rev. Melanie Mudge
Margaret Hill
Rev. Lois Howard
Vicky Jenkins
Candice Lucas
Rev. Joan Pritcher
Vicky Shore
Holly Davis
Rebecca Saager
Nurse:
Mary Jane Amick
Support Staff:
Pat Allen
C.C. Johnson
Phyllis Farson
Directors:
Mary Eclov
Bungee Bynum
This is the fourth year for the Mission House Reading Camp and we are revisiting a horse theme from a few summers ago. We have afternoon field trips planned to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, the Mounted Police barn, a horsefarm, and the Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. Every afternoon is capped off with swimming lessons at the North Lexington YMCA. Come by and see us!
In addition to the 27 children planning to attend, please add the following staff to your prayer lists for the week.
Counselors:
Rob Coulston
Margaret Garrett
Pearce Mayer
Alex Parker
Liz Pryor
Thomas Richards
Callie Snowden
Michael Westneat
Kiki Jameson
Teachers:
Mary Tyng-Atkinson
Lee Carroll
Charlie Dalton
Tracy Ellis
Judy Endicott
Rev. Melanie Mudge
Margaret Hill
Rev. Lois Howard
Vicky Jenkins
Candice Lucas
Rev. Joan Pritcher
Vicky Shore
Holly Davis
Rebecca Saager
Nurse:
Mary Jane Amick
Support Staff:
Pat Allen
C.C. Johnson
Phyllis Farson
Directors:
Mary Eclov
Bungee Bynum
This is the fourth year for the Mission House Reading Camp and we are revisiting a horse theme from a few summers ago. We have afternoon field trips planned to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, the Mounted Police barn, a horsefarm, and the Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. Every afternoon is capped off with swimming lessons at the North Lexington YMCA. Come by and see us!
Beat the heat, let's get in the pool!
Many campers consider the best part of their day to be swim time every afternoon. At the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp, campers and their counselors went swimming at the city pool just down the street from Trinity, Covington. Many campers enjoy swimming with their friends but just having their counselors playing with them, too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)