Volume 73, Issue 1 Thursday, July 29th,

FREE 2010

The Laurel Letter

Bulletin

The Official Newspaper of Camp Laurelwood FREE

Summer 2010 Starts on a Dime

By Ethan Kwassman
When you look around
camp this summer, what do you
see? Do you see the 3:1 camper to
staff ratio? Do you see a more
larger, yet close-knit camp that
encompasses all of the camp
grounds from periods 1 through
6? Indeed, those are appearances
!
of the camp, but they aren't what
Summer at Camp Laurelwood
2010 is all about. What you
should be seeing is 9-time
Executive Director Ruth Ann
Ornstein sharing her enthusiasm
and love of Judaism with
everyone.
...Continued on page 3

4th of July Celebrated in Style; Campers Go Patriotic

By Ethan Kwassman
On the Fourth of July at Camp
Laurelwood, campers and staff alike
went wild for the annual Fourth of
July carnival. As always, there was an
abundance of patriotic spirit and
zany booths. Whether it was getting
hitched at the marriage booth or
having your face and nails painted,
the day was full of fun and unique
activities. Challenging games
involved B3's Three Cup Monty and
B1's classic Splat the Rat. Other
activities included sponge throwing
and water balloon contests to help
cool everyone down on the very hot
and humid Independence Day.
A notable attraction at this
year's carnival was an inflatable
obstacle course and a bounce house,
which provided campers with a
much-needed break from the
challenging, yet fun-filled carnival
activities. Campers also enjoyed their
full of cotton candy while hopping
from booth to booth and winning
some cool prizes in the process.
During the carnival, there were so
many things so everyone wasn't able
to do everything! Yet, everyone still
had fun.
Later in the day bright lights
and colors filled the air. The
!
maintenance staff had put on a
fireworks display. Using grounded
fireworks, campers and staff were Inside this issue...
amazed by the patriotic display as
they sat on towels watching from the Legends of
2
edge of Girls Field. Continuing in Laurelwood
the tradition, maintenance members Dress the
2
drove around in golf carts around Counselors Night
the softball field, shooting up the
Camper Contest 4
bright colors as they went. Many
campers and staff remarked alike Laurelwood
about the opportunity to see Lingo of the 5
Week
fireworks firsthand from the camp's
grounds. Puzzle Page 6
...Continued on page 5

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Volume 73, Issue 1 Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Legends of Laurelwood:
Never Lacking in Length or Levity
By Ethan Kwassman
There you are, sitting outside the Mess Hall waiting for lunch
to begin. All of a sudden, you see a crowd beginning to grow on the
dock of the lake leading into Boy's Side. You look over to the right
of the eternal water fountain and you see what all the excitement is
all about. Like a scene only from the movies, the camp's legendary
turtle, Tank, is bobbing out of the water, feasting on the bread
dropping from the hands of curious campers. This is just one of
many tales of Tank that campers and staff alike have been telling
for years and years.
!
The camp's legendary snapping Laurelwood has no shortage of legends. Whether it's the ghost
turtle, Tank, lives in this lake. stories of Hymie, another camp legend, supposedly haunting
unoccupied bunks or dramatic Big O comebacks, each legend is told with varying interpretations and
storylines. Camps need legends to thrive. Legends are not meant for setting the truth straight or to become a
part of Big O skits. They are to be passed down to future campers like an oral tradition. Many of us at camp
right now have our own interpretation of camp legends and a story to share. All of the different viewpoints
and contradictions in these stories make these legends that more fun to share with others.
...Continued on page 3

Campers Go Wild for “Dress the Counselors” Night

By Ethan Kwassman
Mike Fitch, a B5
Counselor, had his first 2010
day off planned since last
summer. Thinking that he was
definitely going to be chosen for
the cross-dressing fashion show,
he penciled in Dress the
Counselors Night as his first day
off. Whatever the date of Dress
the Counselors Night was going
to be, Fitch wanted no part of it.
And you can't blame him. All of
the counselors chosen to be
dressed in clothes of the
opposite gender dreaded
participating in some way or
another. But after all, it is a
Laurelwood tradition. And
traditions are not to be broken.
A couple days into the first
week of the camp, Dress the
Counselors Night took place in
the Rec Hall. The junior and
senior girls' bunk drafted the
male counselors first and then,
the boys' bunks did the same for
the female counselors. The
counselors who were spared took
their campers and chosen
counselor back to their bunks to
be dressed in their finest clothes
of course, and to prepare a little
act for the show. When all the
dressing and show preparation
was done, everybody returned to
the Rec Hall for the competition.
Much to everyone's amazement,
the chosen counselors seemed to fit
in their new roles quite well, with, of
course, a little exaggeration from the
campers who dressed them.
Cameras flashed as the chosen
counselors showed off their ensemble
and moved to the beat of the music.
Hilarity ensued as the participants
exaggerated aspects of the opposite
gender, with everything from
mannerisms to speech. The judging
was based on the ensemble and the
act that came with it. The winners
were determined by the audience's
applause to each of the acts. In the
end, Barbara Harding and Jon
“Rubik's Cube” Scheiber” were
victorious.

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Volume 73, Issue 1
Legends of Laurelwood:
Never Lacking in Length or Levity
...Continued from page 2
If you got a story regarding
a legend to tell, don't hesitate to
share it with your bunkmates and
peers at camp. A legend can't
become a legend until it is shared
with others. Of course, all legends
have some degree of truth, but
ultimately they are based on
observation and all sorts of
assumptions. You, the readers of
this paper, now have tremendous
power. We are finally going to
write down these legends and
record them. Maybe it was some
unidentified creature you saw (or
think you saw) on an overnight
Summer 2010 Starts on a Dime
...Continued from page 1
What you should be seeing is
Barnett Goldman's amazing ability
to organize some of the most
awesome campwide activities such
as inflatable obstacle course races
and the always fun and
entertaining game of dodgeball.
What you should be seeing is
exactly why you came to
Laurelwood this summer. You
came for the people, for the
experience, for the memories you
have and the ones that will
distinguish this summer from the
others.
Indeed, Laurelwood in '10 is
destined to be one to remember.
Staples of Laurelwood like brothers
Craig and Josh Barrows return on
staff for their gazillionth summer,
and five continents are represented
The Laurel Letter
trip in Pioneer Village or an
unimaginable game of muddy gaga.
Now, be sure to remind your
audience that legends are based
solely on your observations or how
you remember the story being told
to you. Telling stories of legends can
be a lot like the game of telephone
since a great deal could be lost in
translation. We know that Tank
exists. However, it is probably very
inconceivable that Hymie is going to
haunt your bunk or that an
uninvited four-legged visitor is
going to drop in on your camp-out.
Still, if all members of your audience
agree to hear your story, you're as
by staff members this year. Places
such as Colombia, South Africa,
France, Israel, England, Hungary
and Scotland are some of the places
that foreign staff members call
home. At camp, you've come to
know Ilana as the guitarist. You've
come to know Barnett as the leader
of the Gladiators (à la Campers vs.
Counselors day). In addition, Josh
and Alyia have become a major
force in Upper Camp. Of course, the
staff core forms a powerful nucleus
of foreigners, veterans, first-timers
and a substantial amount of junior
counselors.
The list of junior counselors
(which would run off this page)
may be long, but their knowledge of
camp traditions and ability to make
this summer as enjoyable as
possible is just as rich as any staff
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
good as gold to add to Laurelwood's
oral storytelling tradition.
Everybody loves a good story.
This is something everyone can do
without much practice. Of course
you can flesh out of the story or
practice telling it in a certain way.
And of course, stories are best told
when they incorporate as much of
the five senses as possible. Here, at
Laurelwood, the newspaper staff is
eager to hear all about various camp
legends and possibly publish them
in a future issue. If interested, be
sure to write an article for a future
issue and hand it in for
consideration.
member.
In addition to the people,
popular destinations such as the
octagon gaga pit on Boys' Field to
the beach volleyball court on Girls'
Field have provided campers the
opportunity to improve their
athletic agility and to take
advantage of the summer sun. You
have to look at all that Laurelwood
has to offer you and make the most
of it. That may involve impressing
Hazel by zipping through the ropes
course in Pioneer Village, or
showing off to Pete by kayaking the
extra lap across the length of the
lake. However, it has to be
something that makes you say,
“Look at what I just did!” You make
your summer at Laurelwood more
than anyone. Here's to Laurelwood
in '10!
3
Volume 73, Issue 1 Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Want to be a part of the end-of-the-summer issue?

Anyone at camp can report and write an article for the
Laurel Letter Contest
Going Home edition. Start getting in your articles for the for Issue 3
full-scale newspaper now. Place all articles for the Laurel
Write about a certain skill, or talent that you
Letter Newspaper in the Ziploc bags marked “Laurel
Letter” located in the back of the Mess Hall. have and either explain what you enjoy about
this activity, or explain how to do it or improve
upon skills in it. We'll only take a few and the
Place all articles for the next Laurel Letter Bulletin in the
best ones may earn you a reward.
Ziploc bags marked “Laurel Letter” located in the back of
the Mess Hall.

Want to become Internet famous? WANTED

You can now post for the Laurel Letter blog. Place all
articles for the Laurel Letter blog in the Ziploc bags
marked “Laurel Letter” located in the back of the Mess
Hall. If selected, the Journalism Staff will post your
content online, giving credit where credit is due.

Coming Next Issue:

Learn from Laurelwooders
Have a particular skill that you would
like to share with others? Well, The Laurel
Letter Bulletin has just the resource you need.
Beginning in our next issue, You, the readers
will have a chance to teach others your particular skill
in your very own “Learn from Laurelwooders” column.
Submit all how-to articles no later than Friday, July 30th,
for a chance to have it featured in the next issue.
Camper Contributions
The following campers contributed to the Laurel Letter as
part of the Newspaper Elective:
Shea Belsky, David Duhl, Justin Devos, Ethan Schaffer,
Josh Baron, Gabriella Silverman, Sadie Snow, Jenny
Steinberg, Sam Gropper, Nicole Goldstein, Stella Berfas,
Lily Dudel, Caroline Jaffe, Hadar Ben Haim, Sarah Stein,
Shoshana Golovin, Melanie Sillman, Sapir Shushan, Ross
Pellenberg, Ellie Tein, Liani Levy, Julia Schaffer, Sam
Cohen, Miriam Roday and Ilana Sheveloff
THE ILLUSTRIOUS “D TWAIN.”
He has returned to our grounds once again, and his
saga has taken upon an extra flight. He is seen
more elastically now, swinging from tree to tree,
climbing ladders that extend to the moon and
flying with squirrels while making his way
through vertical vines. Rumor has it that he can be
spotted after dark, camouflaged behind a row of
trees, ready to pounce like a wildcat. Others have
spotted him hanging from inner branches known
as rafters, claiming that he transforms from man to
ape, as his animal calls sound throughout the
night. He is known for responding to questions
with a very distinct “Chuh.” One should beware of
him sneaking up behind you as he may grab your
shoulders to prompt conversation in a move only
known as “The D Twain.” If you can spot him and
tame him, rewards will be sure to come your way.

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Volume 73, Issue 1 Thursday, July 29th, 2010

4th of July Celebrated in Style;

Chess Puzzle Campers Go Patriotic
...Continued from page 1
Earlier in the day, America's national past time was played
as the Old School Staff defeated the New School. After the
counselor softball game during rest hour, juniors and
seniors got another opportunity to jump on the inflatables
at Girls Field. Super Seniors engaged in such activities like
boating, dance, basketball, and speed ball. And of course,
with the nature of the American summer heat being what it
was, all camp got a chance to dip in the pool to cool off.
Overall, it was surely an incredible Independence Day
celebration!

Find the checkmate within this

Laurelwood
chess game. Lingo of the Week
Hint: There are two moves Brought to you by the
remaining. Laurelwood Library

Freeze Gopher!
Visit the online camp Verb; phrase used to command
community at Bunk1.com people
to freeze in place; used as a game
during meals to determine who's
stacking.
(After reading Freeze Gopher! above, you
should freeze in place until you're told to
“Unfreeze.”)
ie.: Counselor calls Freeze Gopher!
(Johnny moves his arm
and Counselor actually sees him
move). Counselor tells
everyone to “Unfreeze” and says,
!
“Okay, so far, Johnny is stacking.”
http://tinyurl.com/ Then, counselor puts his finger on
LaurelwoodBunk1 his nose.
Register today to check out the latest (Never mind that, we'll
photos of this summer! leave that game for another time.)

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Volume 73, Issue 1 Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Puzzle Page

All answers to puzzles

will appear in Issue 2 of
the Laurel Letter Bulletin.

This issue has been created by

Credits the Newspaper Elective Staff.
We would like to thank Shea Belsky for his contributions in
gathering, writing and typing up articles. We also like to thank the Head Editor:
office staff for collating, distribution mechanisms and letting us use Ethan Kwassman
their computers whenever we needed them. We also extend our
thanks to Barnett Goldman and all the CL Bunk1.com Layout & Design:
photographers for letting us use photos taken from their cameras Jon “Rubik's Cube” Scheiber
for this issue. In addition, we deeply appreciate the efforts of Laura, Super Senior Camper Editor:
the Programming Director, for enabling us to use the Laurelwood Shea Belsky
Library and for scheduling time devoted to journalistic work.
Finally, we would like to thank YOU, the readers, for supporting us Photo Credits to Barnett Goldman
from the beginning and reading this very issue today. and the CL Bunk1.com photographers.

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