Week 4: July 11-15

Tuition: 365

Course: Ever wanted to be a movie star? We’ll spend our week creating a concept for our own short film and filming throughout the week. The possibilities are endless! We’ll learn about how to build a story and make our vision come to life. At the end of the week, we’ll have a special premiere of our film for our family. Join us to meet new friends, have some fun, and make a movie!

Instructor: Ruthie Allen (she/her) is a lover of puzzles, cooking, crafting, and education. She began working in Summer Programs in 2018 as the Extended Day Coordinator, then in 2019 as the Assistant Director, and in 2020 and 2021 as the full-time Summer Programs Coordinator. Ruthie loves Summer Programs, and she’s excited to return this year as an Instructor. She has her degree in education and public policy from UNC Chapel Hill, has earned her Early Childhood Education accreditation, has worked as a math teacher in the CFS Middle School, and has worked with Peaceful Schools NC, a CFS-based non-profit focused on Restorative Practices in education.

Ruthie is half of Pain & Panic, where she collaborates with a friend to create original clothing and accessories she sells in local art markets. She’s also the founder of the “Triangle Tennis Alliance,” a local group for queer tennis players and loves to play with them every week. Ruthie has also directed many plays and musicals, including with local children’s theaters. She looks forward to another awesome summer with CFS!

Tuition: 335

Course: Come and learn about the magical world of fairies! We’ll learn about fairies and make our own fairy gardens, wands and fairy trinkets to welcome our enchanted friends! Create special treats, potions, and crafts to add to our fairy collection. Enjoy tea parties in the fairy garden and read stories about fairies and their garden friends!

Instructor: CFS Middle School Teacher Alice Turner (pronouns: she/her) is a Chapel Hill native and a Carolina Friends Lower and Middle School alum. She got her B.F.A. in Acting and minor in French from Elon University. She spent three years teaching pre-k, two of them in an experiential, Reggio-based environment, and is now in her third year back at CFS. When not teaching or making theater, Alice enjoys reading, cooking, playing ukulele, painting, and spending time with her cats.

Tuition: 335

Course: Bring your villainous alternate personality and discover the answers to these questions: 

• Who are our favorite all-time villains? 
• Why do the good guys get all the attention?
• Why do villains do what they do? 
• Must you possess an evil laugh to be a villain?
• And most importantly, why do villains have the best theme songs? 

Students will be able to create and bring to life their own original Disney or otherwise VILLAIN! From stealing a mermaid’s voice to brushing the magic hair, students will do it all with this exclusive Villain’s Club!! We will have a truly evil performance on the last day of camp. Let’s have some fun getting inside the villainous mind!!

Instructor: Bryson Byrd was born and raised in Durham and when not in school could be found exploring the adventurous countryside of the county on horseback. She has been working as a camp counselor and instructor since age 12. Bryson also worked at the Durham Performing Arts Center for more than eight years.

After graduating from North Carolina Central University with her bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, she started work on her master's at UNC Charlotte in Elementary Education. When not at summer camp you can find Bryson at George Watts Montessori Magnet as an IA; at Aldersgate United Methodist Church for their after-school program; or on her family farm with her family, horses, pups, and sunshine. 

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 20-24, Markeith Gary
Week Two / June 27-July 1, Achiri Acha
Week Three / July 4-8, A.J. Valero
Week Four / July 11-15, A.J. Valero
Week Five / July 18-22, Tony Arias Sorto
Week Six / July 25-29, Markeith Gary
Week Seven / August 1-5, Markeith Gary
Week Eight / August 8-12, Achiri Acha

Tuition: 335

Course: An active, fun-filled week of sports adventure just for you! We learn how to play a variety of sports, focusing on skills and learning the rules. We work on team building and create some crafts that go along with our new indoor and outdoor games! We concentrate on learning how to play, building confidence, keeping in shape, and receiving guidance and encouragement from our coach. An excellent class for the active or wannabe active camper!

Instructor: A.J. Valero (she/her/hers) is from Raleigh and received a B.S. in Public Health and a B.A. in Chemistry at East Carolina University. She has spent three years working as a clinical assistant at a pediatric dentistry, and also volunteers at the Pediatric ICU at Vidant Medical Center.

A.J. has always been involved in sports and played for her college’s softball team. She had the pleasure of coaching 6u softball in Winterville, North Carolina and has volunteered with several sports education programs. With a passion to work with community youth, she looks forward to starting her dental education at UNC Adam’s School of Dentistry in the fall. In her free time she enjoys going to CrossFit, playing with LEGO, and rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender with her partner and two cats.

Tuition: 335

Course: The ocean is so deep and so wide- the fun here is never ending! Spend a week exploring many of the exciting creatures that live in the sea through ocean-themed crafts, activities, science experiments and games! 

Instructor: Shannon Neu joined the CFS Summer Programs staff in 2021 and is excited to be back for another fun summer! She earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from UNC-Greensboro in 2016 and has been a music teacher in the Wake County Public School System ever since. For fun, Shannon plays the oboe in the Raleigh Civic Symphony Orchestra and enjoys reading, hiking, gardening, and cooking. She lives in Raleigh with her husband (Logan), her two cats (Jasper and Ruby), and a lot of plants.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Two / June 27-July 1, Cheryl Meyer
Week Four / July 11-15, Julia Dorn

Tuition: 335

Course: LEGO camp is just around “the block!” We will have a fun-filled week of building with our extensive LEGO sets. Students are invited to create structures, vehicles, animals, cities and fantastical scenes while they explore the fundamental principles of engineering! New sets appear each year–from Minecraft and Ninjago to Star Wars and the LEGO movie. Come dive into thousands of LEGO blocks and see where the adventure takes us!

If you have LEGO you would like to bring to camp, please visibly mark them well so they will not get mixed in with the Summer Programs sets.

Instructor: Julia loves working with 3rd and 4th year students as an Assistant Teacher in Fountain Class at the Lower School. The 2021-22 school year was her first at CFS, after teaching 7th grade Spanish at French Broad River Academy in Asheville while she completed her B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from UNC Asheville with a minor in Latin American and Transatlantic Studies. Her senior capstone project sought to answer two questions: 1) "How can we improve the remote language learning experience and form a sense of community in virtual classes?" and 2) “How can we include in our Spanish classes, the histories and cultures of indigenous people and people of African heritage?” 

Julia grew up attending High Point Friends School and Meeting, and joined Asheville Friends Meeting while in college. Her professional experience includes two years as the university’s official Spanish peer tutor, and a semester as a YMCA Afterschool Site Director at Haw Creek Elementary. During her four summers on staff at YMCA Camp Seafarer, she loved teaching drawing, painting, sculpture, and art history lessons in the Creative Arts program. Julia enjoys belting the Encanto soundtrack on her drives to and from school. When she’s not at school, she can be found making art, cuddling with her cat, working on jigsaw puzzles and LEGO builds, researching her family history, or visiting aquariums and museums. If she were not a classroom teacher, she might want to be a school librarian! 

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Four / July 11-15 (ages 7-11)
Week Six / July 25-29 (ages 12-16)
Week Nine / Aug 15-19 (ages 7-11 & 12-16)

Tuition: 335

Course: It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a... Frisbee! Ultimate Frisbee is one of the fastest growing youth sports in the US, and we want to teach you how to play! Ultimate combines the continuous play of soccer, the end-zones of football, and the pivoting of basketball all with a frisbee to create a fast-paced, exciting game! This camp will teach the fundamentals of the sport, going over different types of throws and the basic strategies of offense and defense. Participants will learn about Spirit of the Game, a fundamental part of Ultimate that focuses on sportsmanship and respect for all players. Each camper will receive an Ultimate Frisbee disc with registration!

About Triangle Ultimate: Triangle Ultimate is a local nonprofit whose mission is to collaboratively build a community emphasizing accessibility, relationships, and engagement through learning, playing, and teaching the sport of Ultimate in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Triangle Ultimate is excited to strengthen our relationship with the Carolina Friends School community through great summer camp experiences. The camp will be led by some of the top leaders in the Triangle's Ultimate Frisbee community!

Tuition: 350

Course: Time to make your dinner experience complete! Join us as we learn how to make delicious cookies that will become lifelong favorites! We’ll get into the kitchen and start with some simple recipes, then do some research to find more unusual or enticing ones, then put on our aprons, get out the oven mitts, locate the mixing bowls, and get started. YUMMMMM! Students are asked to wear full foot coverings (so, no sandals or flip-flops).

Instructor: Tom Latimer has been running camps at CFS for 14 years. He has been teaching for 25 years and has a Masters degree in elementary education. He currently teaches 2nd grade at Immaculata Catholic School in Durham and plays guitar in Chapel Hill band Zoltar’s Fortune. 

Tom lives in Chapel Hill with his wife Alison and their two cats Nora and Lionel. He enjoys seeing and playing music, eating at our local restaurants, collecting vinyl records, and working with kids.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Four / July 11-15, Jennifer Ferraro
Week Five / July 18-22, Kelsie Yohe

Tuition: 335

Course: Let’s get creative! We will explore various craft ideas and students will get to experience working with a variety of media, such as paint and fabric, while learning multiple techniques. We will create our own fabric bag, tie-dye shirts, have a paint along, use paper mache, and more. All are welcome to bring a craft idea to life. Let’s make our own fun!

Instructor: Jennifer Ferraro joined the Carolina Friends Upper School in 2017 to teach American Sign Language. She continues building CFS’ ASL program as both a modern language option for students and as an elective program for students who wish to learn ASL. Jennifer enjoys spending time with her two children who look forward to attending CFS summer camp every year. Jennifer is an active ASL interpreter and also loves crafting! She is excited to bring her crafty skills to camp this summer.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Four / July 11-15
Week Eight / Aug 8-12

Tuition: 365

Course: Take home projects you design, engineer, and build! You’ll learn how to safely use an electric drill and hand tools to craft and customize your own tents or scooters, bee houses, marble mazes, catapults, and more. We’ll also enjoy plenty of outdoor activities. If you like to build and specialize your projects, this course is for you.

Instructor: 

Cyrise Davis holds a B.A. in Art Education K-12 and a B.S. in Commercial Art and Photography. In addition to her freelance photography, she worked for 10 years as an art and photography teacher at The Hawbridge School in Saxapahaw, as a site coordinator and lead teacher for a middle school after-hours program, and as a YMCA summer camp counselor.

For eight years, Cyrise served the CFS family as the Extended Day (AfterHours) Director, substitute teacher, and Summer Programs instructor. Cyrise employs her child-centered style of teaching (and passion for art, engineering, and science) to help CFS summer students and Lower and Middle Schoolers learn to explore and create.

Please note: this is a two-session course, running Weeks Four and Five (July 11-22). Please register under the Summer Programs Week Four drop-down in your CampInTouch account.

Tuition: 670 (covering both weeks)

Course: The spotlight is on you! Calling all actors, technical designers, and directors to help us put on a play! In this two-week theater camp we will write and stage an original play. In the first week we will develop acting skills, play theater games, do warm ups, and practice vocal and movement exercises. We will also create characters and write our play. In the second week, we will design props, sets, costumes, and make-up, all while perfecting our roles. Then we will invite family, friends, and other campers to attend a special performance on Thursday evening and Friday morning.

Instructor: Susan Kincaid began teaching at CFS Summer Programs in 1992! Besides being a writer, playwright, and actress, Susan headed the theater program in the Upper School at Carolina Friends for many years, directing and producing shows three times a year. She is eager to collaborate with a new generation of young artists again this summer.

Polly teaches Polly's Picassos: Monart classes in multiple weeks:
Week Two / June 27-July 1 (Art History)
Week Four / July 11-15 (Animals)
Week Six / July 25-29 (World Landmarks)

Tuition: 335

Course: Come relax and draw ANIMALS with me! I will be using the Monart method to teach students with step-by-step instruction: giving enough structure to ensure success and enough freedom for independent creativity. In a nurturing, peaceful environment students will learn that there is no right or wrong way to draw and that “the magic is in the coloring.” In this class, we will increase our skills as an artist by creating animal masterpieces using markers and watercolors.

Instructor: Polly Clark grew up in California and then traveled cross-country to Connecticut College, where she got her B.A. in English. She then earned her M.A. in Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University, but after 9/11, reevaluated her career goals and decided to pursue what she had always wanted to do, which was TEACH! She earned her teaching credential and then taught for 14 years as a third grade teacher at Jensen Elementary School in Castro Valley, California.

In 2018, with her three kids starting their own journeys into adulthood, Polly and her husband, Kevin, decided to leave the increasingly frenetic pace of the Bay Area and move to beautiful Chapel Hill. She taught 4th grade for one year at Carrboro Elementary School and has taught the past three years at Carolina Friends School Middle School where she’s also an advisor. She loves teaching at CFS for many reasons; one of which is she is able to pursue her passion for drawing and painting by teaching art electives during the school year and art camps in the summer!

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 20-24
Week Four / July 11-15

Tuition: 335

Course: Calling all Pokémon trainers who just gotta catch ‘em all! Come enjoy a weeklong exploration and appreciation of the world of Pokémon. In this course, we’ll dive into the Pokémon Trading Card Game to learn how the game is played, understand different cards’ values, and improve strategy. During the week of fun, we will learn how to make Pokémon decks as well as how to become better Pokémon trainers. By the end of the session, everyone will be well on their way to becoming a Pokémon master. All levels of experience with the Pokémon Trading Card Game are welcome. Participants are invited to bring their own cards, but decks, play mats, and other game supplies will be provided for everyone.

Instructor: Owen Bauer-Lepofsky has been at CFS for 13 years, starting in Campus Early School and rising to 12th grade in the fall. He has created and led LEGO camps for 4-8 years olds, helped at his mother’s preschool, and served as a Teaching Assistant for several years in the CFS dance program. He is an avid Pokémon Trading Card Game player, and earned his invitation to 2019 and 2020 World Championships during his first two seasons of competitive play. Owen created and has co-led the Pokémon camp in CFS’ Summer Programs since its inception in 2019.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Two / June 27-July 1, Katie Thomas
Week Four / July 11-15, Katie Thomas
Week Six / July 25-29, Tony Arias Sorto

Tuition: 335

Course Description: Here's a chance to build up your wilderness survival skills! Learn how to (safely) build and cook over a campfire, put up a tent or build a shelter, recognize local trees, plants, and animals. We’ll develop an understanding of intense survival situations and how to get out of them. And put our abilities to the test. For the hardy, the adventurous, the nature lover, and the fun-seeker. Prepare to get wet!

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 20-24, Jochen Wachter (European Handball)
Week Two / June 27-July 1, Chloe Gillespie
Week Three / July 4-8, Katie Thomas
Week Four / July 11-15, Jordan Shamp
Week Five / July 18-22, Achiri Acha
Week Six / July 25-29, Jochen Wachter, AM; Will Anderson, PM (Soccer)
Week Seven / Aug 1-5, Jochen Wachter (Soccer)
Week Eight / Aug 8-12, Mariah Jackson

Tuition: 335

Course: Can’t get enough of sports? We totally understand. Some of our students take sports all summer. So we get it. We introduce basic rules, strategy, and techniques of basketball, soccer, and some indoor gym games (as well as Capture the Flag!) for the fun of playing. We focus on technique, skill development, and team building. All activities take place on our outdoor playing fields (using cooler morning temperatures) and in our two air-conditioned gym facilities. Sports experience is absolutely not necessary. Our goal is for you to learn how to play so you’ll feel comfortable knowing the rules, understanding the strategy, and practicing good teamwork. We don’t stress competition. We're here to help you improve your game and have fun.

Tuition: 350

Course: Dreaming of piles of pies and other pastry pockets? You need EASY AS PIE! We’ll make pies of all sorts--sweet, spicy, tart, savory, creamy, baked, and frozen. Any way we slice them, they’ll have our taste buds singing! There’ll be fruit pies with super-flaky pastry…but that’s just the beginning. We’ll also try our hands at making galettes, empanadas, quiche, and more. Get your taste buds ready!

Instructor: Bo Newsome is a musician (an oboist, composer, and educator), teaching students at his home (or on Zoom) and at Duke. He frequently creates and presents programs and residencies for young people, and attended workshops presented by Kennedy Center’s program for teaching artists. He developed a general music program and created original operas with children in a remote public school on an island in Maine. 

To satisfy his sweet tooth in a house with few sweets, Bo started baking pies, cakes, and cookies when he was little. His favorite pies are anything citrus, chocolate, pecan, peach, peanut butter, or coconut. I guess he’s really never met a pie he didn’t like. In addition to cooking, Bo’s been a lover of animals, architecture and art, and a collector of treasures as long as he can remember.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Four / July 11-15, Achiri Acha & Zander Hall
Week Nine / Aug 15-19, Zander Hall

Tuition: 335

Course: Math, mental discipline, and subject knowledge are necessary for success in any card game. In this camp we will work on all three with an emphasis on how we can use statistical analysis to improve our skills at the popular card game "Magic the Gathering." We will learn why and how math is important in card games, formulas that will help us succeed, how to use online calculators and tools to assist us, and, of course, we’ll play lots and lots of Magic.

Students are free to bring their own cards but do so at their own risk! We will provide physical cards and use electronic tools to simulate card games as well. We won't limit ourselves just to Magic either; in this course we will also learn to apply our math skills to a broad range of standard 52-card deck games such as Texas Hold 'em. Get ready for a week of learning, collaboration, and intense competition!

Instructor: Achiri Acha has been at CFS since he was six years old! He mentored with Jordan Shamp in Sports camp, became a Counselor-In-Training, and then moved on to become a camp assistant and instructor for the past seven summers. Achiri has worked in Extended Day at Lerner School and School’s Out Camps at the Jewish Community Center and currently works at USA Ninja Challenge during the school year. Achiri's goal is to be an elementary school physical education instructor and coach.

Instructor: Zander Hall is a former camper who suddenly one day found himself too old for any available camp so he went to the greatest camp of all, college. Having survived that experience, he now returns with an insidious plot to once more be involved in CFS Summer Programs…as an instructor! Zander has taught this course previously with Achiri and is excited to run it once more. 

TThis course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 20-24, Tony Arias Sorto
Week Three / July 4-8, Kate Pendergrass
Week Four / July 11-15, Tony Arias-Sorto

Tuition: 335

Course: What makes you a more effective leader and team player? Let us show you some tools. Using group building games, art, theater, movement, discussion, and individual reflection we learn and practice leadership techniques. We will work as individuals and as a group to enhance confidence, cooperation, and communication. The workshop is an excellent exercise in developing leadership skills for jobs and community roles. 

If you're interested in being a Counselor-In-Training (ages 13-15) in CFS Summer Programs, this course is a prerequisite. We work through some basic “how to deal with” situations, focusing on conflict resolution and effective ways of listening and responding. And no, we do not sit in chairs throughout the day listening to lectures! This is an active course culminating in a "shadow day" as a CIT and a certificate of successful leadership training completion.

Instructor: Tony Arias Sorto is from Honduras and moved to Massachusetts in 2014. He relocated to North Carolina in 2018 and before coming to CFS was the Before and After Care Program Coordinator at Leesville Elementary in Raleigh; Tony is now a teacher in the CFS Lower School. He earned his A.A. in Education, his B.A. in English, and a master's degree in Leadership for Sustainability, and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Leadership for Sustainability. Tony believes in creating spaces for children to fill with laughter and he’s very excited to join the CFS team for a second summer!

He was raised playing soccer but enjoys anything from volleyball and basketball to slacklining and trail running. Tony lives in Pittsboro where he loves running with his two dogs and exploring the woods.

Tuition: 365

Course: Practically since human beings began writing, they have been writing in code, and these ciphers have decided the fates of empires and nations throughout recorded history.

Students will learn the history of cryptography from Julius Caesar to the NSA and debate the ethics of spying and encryption. While this camp is intended for students who have no experience with computer programming, participants with prior experience are more than welcome. Classic cryptographic methods, from antiquity to the mid 20th century, will be used to encipher and decipher secret messages. Students in this course will learn to program in the Python language in order to implement these cryptographic techniques. Fundamental programming topics are covered, including objects, variables, functions, conditional logic, and iteration.

Instructor: Christa Gann joined CFS in 2018 as a Physics and Computer Science instructor. She graduated with a B.S. from Berry College in 2002, double-majoring in Physics and Mathematics and earning a minor in Computer Science. Christa then moved to North Carolina, studying mathematics at UNC-Chapel Hill. In 2004, she completed her M.S. in Differential Geometry, and for 12 years prior to joining CFS was an instructor of mathematics at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. She is also a National Board-certified teacher. 

Christa has a passion for teaching physics, mathematics, and programming, but also enjoys hiking and running with her (very large) dog, Odin, spending time with her two children, and geeking out over sci-fi and fantasy themed pastimes such as Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. Christa is a life-long learner who loves to share curious facts and interesting questions with anyone who wants to listen. She endeavors to learn something new everyday.