While I’m originally from Santa Barbara, California, I currently live in Maryland. This May I will graduate from Salisbury University with a degree in English and a minor in French. I am beyond excited to embark upon the next chapter of my life, which begins this summer at Camp Tall Timbers! In addition to reading lots and lots for my classes, I enjoy watching French films and painting. In fact, I have my own art business called Camillustration. Most of the time, I work with acrylic paint on a commission basis, specializing in portraits. Aside from my artistic life, being active is very important to me. I love running, surfing, and hiking. Memories of hiking and camping in Taos, New Mexico will always bring a smile to my face.
Since everyone in my family is an avid camper, spending the summer in a cabin so far from the city is something that my childhood has prepared me well for. Speaking of childhood, I am lucky to be able to see my siblings grow up. As the oldest child in my family, I love running around with my four-year-old brother, talking to my eighteen-year-old brother about school and my old teachers, and painting my ten-year-old brother, who loves to serve as my model.
Last summer I was a swim instructor and aftercare counselor at a summer camp in Rockville, Maryland. This summer, I am looking forward to working with kids again, but this time in a more artistic, creative environment. Though I was privileged to have time last summer to draw on the sidewalk with my campers, I am excited to play an even more instrumental in nurturing children’s artistic tastes and talents by planning activities that encourage them to explore the worlds of their imaginations. If you are interested in learning more about what I do as an artist, visit my artist page at facebook.com/camillustrations. See you at camp!

DAVID CLAYPOLE

I am currently practicing as a 5th grade special education teacher in Berkeley County School District, WV. I attended West Virginia University in both undergraduate and graduate school obtaining a Bachelors in Social Work and a Masters degree in Social Work and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. I am currently attending Shenandoah University working towards a doctoral degree in education, recently completed year III of the doctoral candidate process. Since completing my undergraduate degree I have worked in various capacities working with children. I currently coach high school girls’ basketball and I am an assistant with a 4th/5th grade
travel basketball team. I have attended summer camp as a child, and I have also attended summer camp the last three years working as a head counselor. I like to think that I bring a variety of skills to camp, I enjoy the outdoors, organizing a game of softball, playing a game of tennis with a partner, a tennis partner that has more skills than myself. I have mastered the skill of making a fire in the rain and making smores. This camp opportunity has provided my two younger sons, Nicholas and Benjamin the ability to experience summer camp and all that is provided. I enjoy watching the campers build friendships and participate in various activities within a safe environment while having fun. I find the stories that surface from summer camp the most rewarding; whether it is being caught in a downpour, the power goes out, and not pancakes again for breakfast. I personally
believe summer camp allows campers to be themselves, free from the external pressures of society. I look forward to being a part of your campers life this 2013 camping season.

ALEX FANG:
Yo CTT! I don’t know about you guys but I could not be more excited for this summer. Life’s been fun in Orlando. Mickey Mouse says hi, but all I can do now is count down the days until I see some old faces, some new faces, and some faces of some counselors I have not seen in a long time that I know we will all love. Before you know it, we’ll be sitting down for campfires and skits and the White team will be well on their way to another Color War victory. Can anyone say White Elmer’s Fun Glue? We’re just around the corner and I can’t wait to get my blog and B-2 Hockey on. See you soon!

JAMIE ALLOY:
I am very much looking forward to this summer and seeing so many familiar faces as well as new ones. Since last summer I have been studying visual arts at Temple University in Philadelphia. After learning so much here at school I hope to share with CTT campers new projects and fun things to do. Can’t wait to work in the art shack again with all the creative campers!

NICK WHIMS:
Every time I see a photo from last summer, I get even more excited to see all of you again this year and just a little nostalgic for campfires! The Polar Bear and I will do our best to make CTT 2013 just as memorable. (barring anymore power cuts!)

ERIN SMEDLEY:
I’ve always considered CTT my second (or even preferred) home and, though many of my friends have outgrown camp, I refuse to spend a summer away from the Blue Ridge Mountains. This will be my second summer as a counselor and my tenth overall. Although CTT does offer the entire spectrum of possible summer camp activities, it is the people that bring me back. It doesn’t matter how weird you are because everyone is just as strange, but we’re a family and we welcome everyone! Currently, I am graduating from high school and will be playing soccer at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland in the fall with the intention of continuing to participate in theatre and pursuing my English/creative writing major.

SAM FRIEDMAN:
Hey Everybody!
As my freshman year of college wraps up, all I can think about is getting back to camp. I’m excited about seeing old friends as well as making new ones, and looking forward to another Blue team victory of course! Have a great rest of the spring and I can’t wait to see you all soon.

ALBERT ORIOL:
Albert here! I’m super excited for summer 2013. This will be my 11th year at camp. 6 as a camper and 5 as a counselor. What have I been up to outside of camp you may ask? Well, I’ve been making some cool videos and I’ve been uploading them to vimeo… other than that, I’ve been pretty busy with University. I’m really looking forward to seeing you all this summer. And remember, sign up for soccer!

When I got to camp, I was filled with pride and excitement. We got a tour of the camp, and I was amazed. The camp was so beautiful. I looked forward to be able to do so many different things and meeting so many different people. When it was time to sign up for activities, I didn’t know what to sign up for! There were so many different options to choose from, activities varying from being in the Camp Musical to Riflery! The weeks seemed to go by so fast, too fast – because I was having the time of my life with my new friends and I discovered talents I didn’t know I had. The counselors were so welcoming and made me feel so special. Before I knew it, it was time for color war! Go – Winnie The Blue! My first camp experience was something I will never forget. I had the time of my life and CTT is truly where I am meant to be. I love Camp Tall Timbers.

Julia Stern – 7th Grade, 3 week Camper

January, February and March are the months you will see us at your local malls, community centers and schools spreading the word about our awesome program and all the fun of Camp Tall Timbers. So stop on by, say hello, let us know what you have been getting up to and see a friendly face (maybe even some counselor alumni too!) – grab some freebies and bring a friend! We love to see you.

In 2013 – you can catch us at the following locations:

JANUARY

20^th – Temple Sinai, Dresher PA. 11-3pm

26^th – Sidwell Friends School, Washington DC. 1.00-3.30pm

26^th – White Flint Mall, Bethesda MD. 10.00-5.00pm

26^th – North Point Mall, Atlanta GA. 11.00-4.00pm

27^th – Gilman School, Baltimore MD. 1.00-3.30pm

27^th – White Flint Mall, Bethesda MD. 12.00-5.00pm

27^th – Kahler Hall, Columbia MD. 2.30-5.00pm

31^st – Tower Hill School, Wilmington DE. Time: TBA

FEBRUARY

2^nd – Tuckahoe YMCA, Richmond VA. 10.00-3.00pm

9^th – Tyson’s Corner Mall, Tyson’s Corner VA. 10.00-5.00pm

10^th – Double Tree Hotel, Charlottesville VA. 10.00-3.00pm

15^th – Thomas Jefferson Community Center, Arlington VA. 6.00-8.00pm

20^th – TC Williams HC, Alexandria VA. 5.30-8.00pm

23^rd – Dulles Town Center Mall, Dulles VA. 10.00-4.00pm

24^th – Dulles Town Center Mall, Dulles VA. 11.00-4.00pm

MARCH

9^th – Truxton Park, Annapolis MD. 10.00-2.00pm

More fairs TBC soon. Be sure to keep up to date with all our adventures on facebook! www.facebook.com/camptalltimbers

I’m lucky because I have CTT friends that celebrate their birthdays around this time of year (tennis and Blue Team extraordinaire Sam Friedman turns a whopping 18 this week) and when I take my last final exam, I can go home to see the ol’ CTT crew. The holiday break is a great time to go see CTT friends that are only a city or state away and spend some quality time with your closest friends. I always looked forward to getting off from school and going sledding with the same people I used to go to the pool with during Free Swim. There’s nothing better than sitting around a pot of warm cocoa that mom makes and reminiscing about the camp days (mom, this is a hint, get the cocoa going). There’s also the easy New Year’s Resolution of “I will have more fun at Camp Tall Timbers this summer than I did last summer,” so that way you never have to worry about not following through with your resolution. Parents, you can always say I will have more fun while my child is away in safe hands this summer than I did last summer.

So as the Holiday Season commences and Jack Frost nips at your nose, remember the CTT family. Whether it’s been a few weeks since you have seen them or a just few days. Stay warm, stay happy, and have a can-do attitude this winter, as there are only 175 short days until CTT 2013.

Happy Holidays to all and to all, Woheelo!

As much as I love the big things at camp like campfires and bowling trips, I really remember the little things. I remember Greg Sheyn always refusing to get into bed and having to throw him there sometimes or the Rosenthal brothers and Oliver Walke being incredibly good at Frisbee golf that hopefully by the time they hit high school, they can represent the U.S. in the Olympics (hopefully it’s a sport by then). As much as I mock him, it is impossible to forget a Chet Stein story or Chet Stein skit or Chet Stein noise the same way it is impossible to forget Krista Ross-Black singing her heart out every day in preparation for her Grammy award. I don’t have enough space in this blog to write out every memory I have from Third Session, but rest assured, they were priceless.

And that’s what CTT is. It’s what it is to me and I think for most, it is a haven for fun and memories. Perhaps the greatest thing about CTT however, is that it is always there. For the next eleven months, all I think about is the next summer and I am comforted by the fact that there is a next year, a next summer, and a next opportunity to better myself and have a lot more memories. The bell may not ring as much and the cabins might not be as clean, but CTT waits for us; the same way we wait for it.

In a matter of minutes, I leave my blogging computer and head off to a college class, and I’m not worried like some of my peers. I hear from friends that they are worried about leaving home and making new friends and I just get to chuckle because I had a decade of Camp Tall Timbers and that does more for me than any freshman orientation Rollins College can offer me. I digress, but it is true, you may leave CTT and spend a summer working or training, but CTT sure doesn’t leave you. The traditions stay there and you rest easy because you know, deep down in your heart, that there is always a next summer, and there is nothing that makes me happier than picturing myself there.

We’ll be seein’ ya real soon, summer 2013 is less than a year away. This has truly been an honor. Thank you all.

Alex Fang

Last night, half the juniors went bowling for a pajama party. The seniors had a campfire as a fun bonding time for the older campers. After a round of boom-chick-a-boom, we sang camp classics like “Country Roads,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Last Kiss,” and a new camp song, “Chicken Fried.” Following the song session, we broke out into our last prop skits and the winner was Albert and Rachel’s group who did a spin of the camp skit, “Doctor Doctor,” but replaced the medical scene with baking and it featured cameos by campers playing myself, Albert’s sister Georgia, and the Tummy Monster. The night ended with a telling of the story of the camp monster, Cropsy, and s’mores.

Yesterday was another great day for activities. Jack Clauss, Sam Greenberg, Max Shugerman, and all of Cabin G shot bullseyes. Hailee Williams won a game of jail. Oliver Walke and Aaron Rosenthal beat their last record and got par on the Frisbee golf course. Crawford Hemmis won a driving contest and Mikayla Pettit, Hailey Mostow, and Magan McNeal made it up the climbing wall.

Today, we flip-flop the activities and the seniors have their last hurrah bowling whilst the juniors have one last campfire. Here we go!

This time also demonstrates how far campers have come in the camping season. Jack Clauss untangled his own fishing rod and Krista Ross-Black shot a bullseye. Sam Greenberg won a game of jail. All of challenge course has successfully ziplined and mountain boarders now board down hills of over one hundred feet! Additionally, the CTT Ping-Pong tournament is underway and the 3-on-3 Futsal tournament closes shortly.

Just because the fun comes to a close soon, it certainly doesn’t stop. Tonight, the juniors head out to go bowling whilst the seniors have their farewell campfire complete with songs, laughs, and s’mores. Here’s hoping I get a strike!

CTT mornings are a hidden gem at camp. There’s the traditional dippies that meets at the pool after the wake-up bell to wake up with a lap in the pool. As time has gone on, there have been movements to combat dippies and it was announced yesterday that runnies, waking up by running a lap around camp, would have their very own plaque at the end of the session giving dippiers like me a run for our money.

Yesterday was also a great day for individual campers even before the talent show. Cole Williams shot a bullseye and won a game of knockout. Aaron Rosenthal set a new 3^rd session record with a Frisbee golf score of +1 and Jack Whitehill set a record for mountain boarding down the hill in 12.02 seconds.

After a full day of activities, it was time for the CTT Talent Show. The show opened with Cabin A who did a well-choreographed dance to Cobra Starship’s “You Make Me Feel…” Autumn Mallon dazzled the audience with her gymnastics skills. Krista Ross-Black beautifully sang “Bust Your Windows” by Jazmine Sullivan, Hailey Mostow sang an Elvis Presley medley, and Justin Dryer sang Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Reid Madison juggled and Livia Lampal and Dani Primerano demonstrated their fabulous hula-hooping abilities.

Other than individual talents, there were a few noteworthy group talents. The tent girls (with Jerome Williams as a backup dancer) cross-dressed and danced to “The Call” by Backstreet Boys. Cabin B did a hysterical skit about how females are preoccupied with their weight. One of the most interesting skits of the night was Boys Tents. They had Parker Mitchell as an adventurer, Chet Stein as a director, Aaron Walsh as a cameraman with Dakota Pettit as the boom mic holder, and Meier Parr as a bear. In the skit, the adventure crew would move to different areas to catch animals, like the jungle and the savannah, but halfway through the skit, Parker Mitchell got a nosebleed. Rather than break character and not get back on stage, he mended his wound and got back up there to finish the Antarctica setting for their skit.

Today begins our big finale to the end of camp. As daily activities climax with tie-dye and ziplining, our evenings are spent out of camp. The last couple nights of camp, we go bowling and have farewell campfires but tonight, we go to the Winchester Skating Center for a night at the rink! Let’s hope I don’t fall down!

Cabin 3, led by Kyle Foster and the Hemmis brothers, rocked out to Billy Squier’s “The Stroke” for their genre of rock and roll. Cabin A’s genre was 21^st Century pop artists and did an adorable dance to Selena Gomez’s catchy hit, “Love You Like a Love Song.” Cabin G had to dance to a song by a 21^st Century pop group and chose LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It” while Cabin 1 danced to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” for their Disney genre. Cabin B had a very well-choreographed dance to country sensation Marc Broussard’s “Home.” By the end of the night, there was a tie between Cabin 4 and Boys Tents. Cabin 4, led by Ferris Bueller-esque lead singer Simon Rosenthal, did a phenomenal skit to The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” for their classic rock genre and Boys Tents had opera and performed “All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera with Aaron Walsh as the Phantom and Oliver Schwartz donning a white dress and wig to be Christine Daaé. The tiebreaker was a skit-off where Cabin 4 and Boys Tents had to present a skit of Pimp My Ride. They were both very good, but the audience cheered loudest for Boys Tents and they got to take the gorgeous trophy back to their tents.

Today, Boys Leagues playoffs begin and the CTT Ping-Pong tournament commences with the entire camp competing to see who the true table tennis master is. Tonight is another special night with our talent show that demonstrates some of the skills and abilities campers have that cannot be shown in normal daily activities. The winner of the talent show receives a free trip to ice cream haven Pack’s. Let’s see who has the best talent!