Week 1: June 19-23

Tuition: 385

Course: Water, water, everywhere! Activities will revolve around exploration with water, science experiments, and adventures in small pools and our on-campus creek. Children create beaches, relax, and have fun!

Instructor: Williette Zigbuo graduated in 1997 from Berea College in Berea, Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education. She received her Master’s degree in Special Education from Bay Path College in Burlington, Massachusetts and has over 15 years of teaching experience with children in Liberia, West Africa and in the United States, including now at the CFS Campus Early School. She especially enjoys working with pre-k to second grade.

In addition to her passion for teaching, she finds personal fulfillment by helping educational programs in Liberia; Williette has been instrumental in mobilizing others to help obtain donations and school supplies for orphanages and schools in Liberia. Whenever she returns from Africa, she finds that sharing her pictures and discussing her trip is rewarding for herself and also for her students, to help them understand and see the world outside their community, neighborhoods, and the United States.

Tuition: 350

Course: Join us for a week-long celebration of summer! We will delight in different activities each day, including art projects, nature exploration, team games, and special summer solstice activities. Together, we will build friendships and enjoy the season.

Instructor: Meaghan Kachadoorian (she/her) is an educator who is excited to foster CFS campers’ connection with the natural world and one another this summer. After studying History and Latin American & Caribbean studies at Duke, she taught at the Montessori Farm School, where she still loves to contribute as a substitute teacher. Meaghan has facilitated summer and school-year exchange programs with high schoolers from over 20 countries. She earned her M.A. in International & Multicultural education before working at the United World College in Freiburg, Germany. Back home in Durham, she loves exploring the natural world of the Piedmont and sitting with her local mindfulness group.

Tuition: 350

Course: Dragons. Centaurs. Fairies. Mermaids. Unicorns. There are SO MANY magical creatures in the stories we love! In this camp we will explore those creatures and where they live, what they eat, and what they like to do all day. We will craft. We will tell stories. We will make up games and we will PLAY those games. We will make treats and we will EAT those treats.

Instructor: Carly Campbell (she/her) is a former Carolina Friends Middle School teacher and is thrilled to be returning to CFS for summer camps this year! She has spent the last decade working with young people around social justice, Spanish, imaginative storytelling, and music. Carly has a B.A. in Community Education from Goddard College and a certificate in Community Spanish Facilitation from Durham Tech. She is an avid reader of scifi and fantasy books and she has read the entire Harry Potter series more than 30 times! 

Carly’s activism work includes supporting young people challenging the school to prison pipeline, LGBTQ+ activism, Black Lives Matter, and Immigrant and Language Justice. She has had the opportunity to participate in three Civil Rights Movement bus tours and is particularly passionate about the role of young people in social movements throughout history and the world.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 19-23
Week Two / June 26-30
Week Eight / August 7-11

Tuition: 350

Course: Help ignite a lasting interest in the most beautiful things our planet has to offer. During this exciting week-long program of activities we’ll see, hear and feel nature first hand. Fresh discovery awaits our young explorers through games, art, observation and adventuring. This introductory course is based on the Scandinavian Forest School model where direct outdoor experiences help to foster social skills, confidence, creativity, problem solving and much more.

Program Sessions Days

Nature’s Playground
Students participate in ecologically themed games that help build interpersonal relationships, collaborative skills and curiosity of the natural world.

Wildlife Detectives
On this fun day out, participants will learn some of the basics field skills needed for experiencing nature. We’ll learn how to use camouflage, stealth and listening skills to get up close and personal with those woodland creatures.We’ll look at tracks and signs and undertake the bird olympics challenge.

Creative Creatures
Through a variety of artistic methods, this arts-based day will use nature to inspire and encourage students to explore and celebrate their unique sense of creativity.

Micro-adventures
Students set out on a small adventure designed to cultivate basic outdoor skills (shelter building etc) and to encourage local nature exploration and a continued curiosity in the natural world.

Life aquatic
We will explore the creeks around school and use nets and tanks to catch amphibians, crustaceans, insects and other aquatic life.

Instructor: Mike Werndly (or Ranger to his friends) introduced our popular Nature Lab environmental education classes in Summer 2017. He is a lifelong birder and practiced field biologist and outdoor educator with a passion for sharing environmental experiences that promote awareness and respect of the natural world. Working and traveling in remote areas around the globe has given Mike a wide knowledge of the Earth’s habitats and ecosystems.

He’s been hooked on wildlife since a chance encounter with an owl when he was eight and hasn't looked back. He studied Ecology and Outdoor Environmental Education at university and has worked for numerous conservation organisations, including the Aigas Field Centre, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Scottish Natural Heritage. Mike’s wildlife encounters have been numerous, but some memorable ones include being followed home one night by two otters and being covered head to foot in smelly seabird guano!

He moved from Scotland in 2016 and now lives in Hillsborough with his wife and two young children and their friendly food-crazy labrador, Fogo :0)

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 19-23, Markeith Gary
Week Three / July 3-7, Emmanuel Oquaye
Week Five / July 10-14, Achiri Acha
Week Six / July 17-21, Markeith Gary
Week Seven / July 24-28, Markeith Gary
Week Eight / July 31- August 4, Emmanuel Oquaye

Tuition: 350

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: Markeith Gary joined CFS in 2016 and has served as varsity basketball coach for the Upper School. He helped co-found a non-profit travel basketball program called the NC Wildcats serving the Chapel Hill-Durham area. A graduate of Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, and a school-year educator, Markeith has served as mentor to many in his community and volunteers at the local community center teaching life skills. He enjoys spending time with his wife Marsha and their three children (Nina, Myles, and Laila).

Tuition: 350

Course: Explore your creative side in Silly Art! Think melting crayons, silly monster art, and more. We will paint, sculpt, make tie dye, and do new and unique art projects each day, so bring your silly spirit and let’s have fun!

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 One / June 19-23, Kelsie Yohe
Week Two / June 26-30, Tracy Schledorn
Week Four / July 10-14, Kelsie Yohe

Tuition: 350

Course: Sharpen your sense of wow! In this hands-on, inquiry-based workshop. You are an artist and scientist all in one as you bring together familiar ingredients and transform them into the unexpected. The fun comes when you perform cool experiments that pop, bubble, and fizz! Tickle your senses and start to wonder about...What happens next? How does that work? What if I try this? We’ll explore the science behind your creations as we tinker and make lovely messes.

Instructor: Kelsie (she/her) is a second-year Ph.D. student at North Carolina State University in the Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis program. She was a second grade teacher in Wake County Public Schools for five years before heading back into the classroom as a learner. Kelsie lives in Raleigh, NC with her spouse (Hunter), their two dogs (Pepper and Harley), and gecko (Henry). When she's not buried beneath academic journals, she enjoys reading, knitting, and playing video games.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 19-23, Emmanuel Oquaye
Week Six / July 24-28, Bo Newsome

Tuition: 365

Course: Let’s stir up some favorite foods using simple recipes! Ever wonder how ingredients come together to create tasty foods? We’ll find out while we make things we love—pizza, omelettes, pies, mac & cheese, cakes, and more. Along the way, we’ll learn some important cooking techniques, create some new recipes, and taste our many creations. One word for this class? Yummy!

Instructor: Emmanuel Oquaye is in his first year working with us at CFS as a substitute teacher. He is excited to share his passion for visual and culinary arts with the students this summer. Emmanuel has served as a studio assistant and working potter at Durham’s Claymakers Studio since 2017. He also has experience assisting with the ceramic art program at Carrboro High School. Emmanuel has a wide range of interests, from cooking and baking to pottery and horticulture.

Please note: this is a two-session course, running Weeks One and Two (June 19-30). Please register under the Summer Programs Week One drop-down in your CampInTouch account.

Tuition: 695 (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.

Tuition: 350

Course: In this course, campers will learn all about how money works. First you earn it, then what? Save it? Spend it? How much money do I need to buy lunch and the candy I want at the store? Campers will play games, enjoy engaging, hands-on activities, maybe even take a field trip, and learn all about the thing that "makes the world go 'round." This "Wall Street for kids" is the place to be this summer!

Instructor: Cort Bennett, a CFS Lower School parent, spends much of his free time with his wife, Lindsey, and two children, Janie and Henry, which brings him great joy. They spend a lot of time outdoors and have a fondness for the mountains, family, their dog Paisley, and playing board games.

Cort says, “Growing up in a family of psychotherapists, naturally, my parents emphasized developing “human capital” – our unique skills, knowledge, talents, and values that combine to make each family strong. They probably thought my siblings and I would figure out on our own how to become economic beings. Now as an adult and parent, I understand the importance for our children to have not only the financial wherewithal, but also develop values to manage money with mindfulness and integrity. Thus, a dual approach to financial education.”

During the day, Cort’s professional life has him working with families and individuals helping them navigate their financial lives, plan for their future and their legacy. A lot of the time this stewardship has him working with multiple generations building a connection and meaning to the resources that pass through the family. Due to a love for community and outdoors, he has taken an interest in sustainable, responsible and impact investments.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 20-24
Week Three / July 3-7

Tuition: 350

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 14 years, starting in Campus Early School, and will head to college in Boston this 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.

Tuition: 350

Course: Beginners and experienced musicians alike will learn the fundamentals of writing lyrics and melodies. We will explore songwriting using guitar, bass, ukulele, keys, percussion, and/or electronic music to make original songs as individuals or in a collaboration with other campers. We will explore your favorite songs to see how they were written. You will have the opportunity to perform your original works on the last day of camp! 

Instructor: Leites Chiong has been playing guitar for almost 30 years and teaching guitar for over a decade, with stints in various bands along the way. He's a father of four, including three children at Carolina Friends. Leites teaches all styles of music for acoustic and electric guitar, as well as bass guitar and Ukulele (including in CFS’ after-school music program for children AND adults from CFS or anywhere else). He helps beginners through advanced students learn how to play and how to write songs. Leites enjoys working with children and seeing the love of music grow within them.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 19-23
Week Two / June 26-30
Week Three / July 3-7 (Advanced)
Week Four / July 10-14
Week Five / July 17-21
Week Six / July 24-28
Week Seven / July 31-Aug 4 (Advanced)

Tuition: 350

Course: Addicted to comics? Doodle in class? Come create your own comic book characters and stories. Bring creativity, imagination, and motivation along with your pencil. Exchange ideas, receive input, and work on technique with a professional comic artist. There’s also time for Four Square, games, and Capture the Flag. Oftentimes, campers take multiple sessions. Please bring pencils, erasers, and favorite drawing pens. (Two Advanced Comic Design sessions are available for those who want to expand their skills.)

Instructor: Jamie Charles, a working illustrator, graduated from UNC-G in Fine Arts. Besides exhibiting his own work, Jamie works at CFS as an art instructor for Middle School students. He is also a champion Capture the Flag leader, having coached his workshop groups to many victories (not that he is bragging). Jamie offers private lessons in drawing and art.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 19-23
Week Four / July 10-14
Week Seven / July 31-Aug 4

Tuition: 380

Course: Anyone ever told you to “get lost?” If so, there’s no better way to take their advice than to delve into the amazingly expansive and immersive world of Minecraft. For a moment, let’s step away from the term “video-game” and substitute “wildly-versatile-open-ended-world-manipulating-art machine.” Minecraft’s critically acclaimed, sandbox-style gameplay is a constant exercise in collaborative exploration, goal-setting, and boundless “Imagineering”—whether hunting and gathering to build agrarian homesteads across various landscapes or configuring an automated railway/refinement system that acquires, transports, and processes raw materials the player can use to create their own scaled recreation of the Taj Mahal.

The objective of Minecraft Community is to “get lost, together,” building community. With a little direction and a lot of improv, students will enter into Minecraft’s Survival Mode, banding together to outlive the Mobs and Elements, within a democratic community. With inventive jobs (e.g. Hunters, Explorers, Architects, Artisans, etc.) and responsibilities and a community lot-casting system, students will forge ahead to establish a lasting society amidst wiles of Mobs and the unforgiving wildernesses.

We will be using Minecraft: Education Edition on Chromebooks.

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.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 19-23, Matt Walters
Week Three / July 3-7, Chloe Gillespie

Tuition: 350

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!

Instructor: Before coming to North Carolina and CFS as a member of the Shop crew, Matt Walters spent 18+ years working in outdoor educational programming at numerous schools, camps, nature centers, and non-profit children's museums. He served as a park ranger for the National Park Service and as an educator for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. While living in Washington, D.C., he founded and directed Outdoors With Friends, an organization committed to facilitating outdoor recreational programming for children with Autism. He is certified as a Wilderness First Responder.

In his spare time Matt enjoys all things out-of-doors, in particular backpacking, kayaking, climbing, and skiing with his two children. Off campus you can find him playing guitar, wandering aimlessly through the woods, or keeping a keen eye out for the ultimate snowball fight.

Tuition: 350

Course: This week we will highlight, celebrate, and explore Queer joy. We will dive into LGBTQIA+ culture, representation, expression, resilience, and more. We will make art, create zines, play games, take nature walks, have open discussions about queer experiences, host guest speakers, and take a field trip. 

Instructor: A California native, Stella Bowers (she/her) has been proud to call Durham home for 14 years. In May 2023 she will graduate from Meredith College with a B.A. in Psychology, a minor in Theatre, and a K-6 Teaching Licensure. She has almost 10 years of experience working with children as a babysitter, nanny, camp counselor, party princess entertainer, and student teacher. Her life’s passion is teaching and nurturing a love of learning in her students. In her free time Stella can be found creating art, reading, participating in local theatre productions, thrifting, and making music. This is her first year teaching CFS summer programs. 

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 19-23, Chloe Gillespie
Week Two /  June 26-30 (Soccer),  Carly Campbell
Week Three / July 3-7, Achiri Acha
Week Four / July 10-14 (Soccer),  Tony Arias Sorto
Week Eight / Aug 7-11, Achiri Acha 

Tuition: 350

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, Frisbee, 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.

Instructor: Chloe Gillespie (they/them) is an outdoor enthusiast, athlete, and artist. They have a passion for helping guide kids towards becoming their best selves through art, recreation, and talk therapy. They are currently enrolled in Durham Technical Community College and working towards their associate in arts with hopes of transferring to a four-year college. Their goal is to eventually graduate with a masters in psychology in order to work as a school counselor.

Chloe attended Friends School from kindergarten through high school and graduated with the class of 2019. They have returned to the CFS community as a cross country coach, a basketball coach and a soccer coach, as well as a substitute teacher for the Middle School. This is their second year leading summer camps and they are very excited to work with children as they learn and grow through fun activities, socialization, and exploration.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 19-23, Tony Arias-Sorto
Week Two / June 26-30, Meaghan Kachadoorian
Week Three / July 3-7, Tony Arias-Sorto
Week Five / July 10-14, Meaghan Kachadoorian

Tuition: 350

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: 350

Course: Player's Handbook sales are topping the bestseller lists! Self-published game supplements are breaking commercial records on Kickstarter! Celebrities are live-streaming their game sessions! These days, the classic fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons is experiencing a major renaissance. And it's no wonder! Playing D&D may activate a wider range of skills than any other game: puzzle solving, critical thinking, statistical analysis, interpersonal negotiation, theatrical performance, creative storytelling, and imaginative world building. And let's not forget dice rolling!

Students will build characters, play through adventures, and study the fundamentals of role-playing game design to discover what makes the best D&D sessions so memorable. By the end of the week, we'll use what we've learned to craft an original adventure for other players to experience. Whether you're a newcomer to the game or an avid fan, there's a place at the table for you!

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.