Week 3: July 1-5

Tuition: 395

Course: Come join us for a week of fun in the sun! This week will include crafts, stories, waterplay, exploring the woods, making treasure maps, making a watermelon basket, squeezing lemons to make homemade lemonade popsicles, and putting on a parade!

Instructor: Kathleen McNeil is a teacher at the CFS Campus Early School where she assists in the afternoon and leads the extended day program later in the day. Kathleen loves young people of all ages and especially enjoys pretend play and a chortling-good time on the playground. She has a son and a fluffy little dog named Paloma. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, swimming in the ocean, spending time with family, and playing with children and animals. 

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Three / July 1-5
Week Seven / July 29- August 2

Tuition: 365

Course: If you’ve got a crafty camper, then you should join us for Campy Crafts! In this camp, we will  learn how to make bracelets, tie dye, draw self portraits, and more! Join us as we find connection through art and nature. 

Instructor: Dan Hill is an early school support teacher at CFS who holds a B.S. in mathematics as well as a B.A. in creative writing. They have worked in education as a tutor in various subjects for learners ages 4-35, taught high school math, and now have found a calling for working in early education. 
They spend their free time crocheting, learning about skin care, and making spreadsheets for fun.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:

Week Three / July 1-5
Week Four / July 8-12

Tuition: 365

Course: Calling all little yogis for a exciting journey into the world of mindfulness, where campers will embark on a week of engaging activities designed to nurture their developing emotional intelligence. From captivating stories that bring emotions to life, to thrilling games of Emotion Charades that spark laughter and connection, our campers will practice navigating and managing their emotions while recognizing and understanding the emotions of others in a supportive and joyful environment. Through art, mindfulness, kid-friendly yoga poses, breathing exercises and creative problem-solving, we'll empower our young explorers with introductory skills of self-awareness, empathy, and resilience. Get ready for a week that will spark emotional growth, positive connections, and endless smiles at CFS!

Instructor: Brisa is a nurturing mother to two incredible girls aged 5 and 7, a wife to her love, a world traveler and a lover of people. She channels her passion for life into her yoga and coaching workshops. As a skilled yoga teacher, a mindset coach and a wellness and adventure enthusiast, Brisa proudly serves as the founder of Empowered Yoga Retreats, where she thrives in empowering others through the transformative practices of yoga, mindfulness and coaching and travels. Her genius unfolds in the beauty of adventure and meaningful human connections. With over 13 years of teaching experience, Brisa brings a wealth of expertise to her classes. Recognizing the uniqueness of each student, she is dedicated to fostering their individual development. In her classes, Brisa's vibrant and compassionate style creates a safe and energizing environment, allowing students to progress toward their physical, personal and emotional goals. Beyond the studio, Brisa is fueled by a passion for coaching yoga for children, driven by her wish for every child to have access to the transformative tools that yoga and mindfulness offer for well-being. She envisions a future where yoga and mindfulness seamlessly integrate into early education. Brisa is actively collaborating with Duke University Hospital, contributing to a study aimed at exploring how yoga can aid in the healing journey of cancer patients and survivors, emphasizing its potential to nurture the body, mind, and spirit. 

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 17-21, Markeith Gary
Week Two / June 24-28, Emmanuel Oquaye
Week Three / July 1-5, Emmanuel Oquaye
Week Six / July 22-26, Markeith Gary
Week Seven / July 29-Aug 2, Robinson Earle

Tuition: 365

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 encourage-ment from our coach. An excellent class for the active or wannabe active camper!

Instructor: Emmanuel Oquaye is in his second year working with us at CFS as a substitute teacher and summer programs instructor, and is serving long term as a Spanish teacher this spring. He is excited to share his passion for sports and culinary arts with the students again this summer. Emmanuel has a wide range of interests, from cooking and baking to pottery and horticulture.

Tuition: 365

Course: Are you ready to learn the ways of the force? Let your training begin. Every day we’ll make a craft that will aid you in your training. Complete with lightsabers, droids, and lots of fun with Grogu!

Instructor: Jenna Carlson joined CFS this school year as a Fountain Purple teacher. During the school year, she loves working with the 3rd and 4th years. But in the summer, she is a crafter extraordinaire! Jewelry making, cricut projects, coloring…you name it. She also loves all things Disney and Star Wars. If you’re looking for a fun, laid back camp where you can express yourself in different ways, then these camps are just for you!

Tuition: 365

Course: A few steps into the woods and we’ll enter a world of bird nests and calls, trails of mice and voles, evidence of beavers and flying squirrels. How do you find your way in the woods? How does the weather affect animals and plants? Where, how, and why do animals hide? And how do we avoid animal pests? We’ll find answers to these questions and more as we explore the woods, fields, and streams around CFS.

Whatever the weather, we’ll be out and about, getting wet, dirty, and sweaty exploring, collecting, wading, and creating—and navigating—scavenger hunts and other games, and designing nature-inspired prints and drawings. Not only can nature teach us a lot about ourselves, but when we look close together, we’ll find lessons in teamwork and the importance of taking care of our planet. Young adventurers will need appropriate clothing and plenty of energy! 

Instructor: Meridy Nicholson is a CFS alumni and currently earning her Bachelor’s Degree at Otis College of Art and Design in Fashion Design. She is passionate about outdoor education, working at nature camp for the past two summers. She loves to be creative and explore new ways to make art, whether that is through painting, digital art, or fashion design. In her free time, Meridy loves to go on hikes, cook, draw, listen to music, and spend time with family and friends.

Tuition: 365

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: Ari Nicholson (they/them/theirs) is a CFS graduate and lover of nature, science, culture, and activism. They earned their undergraduate degree from Clark University in Social & Environmental Justice and their graduate degree in Geographical Information Science. They have led backpacking trips in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Adirondack Mountains. They are a certified Wilderness First Responder with a passion for teaching survival and nature skills. Most recently they were working for the Augsburg University Center for Global Education and Experience with study abroad students in Cuernavaca, Mexico. In their free time, they love to hike, climb, cook, learn, and play ultimate frisbee.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 17-21
Week Three / July 1-5

Tuition: 365

Course: Celebrate your love of all things Harry Potter as you create themed crafts, play wizard games, and whip up tasty snacks. During camp you will be sorted into a house so that you can mix and mingle with Gryffindors, Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws. Then, you'll spend your time immersing yourself into the world of Harry by making memorabilia and creating memories that you can enjoy for years to come. Activities include creating your own wand, making "potions," and enjoying playing the game of Quidditch!

Note: Previous knowledge of the Harry Potter series is helpful when participating in this course.

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.

Tuition: 380

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.

Tuition: 365

Course: Do you have what it takes to be in Friends Got Talent? We think you do! Bring your special talents, whether it’s song, dance, magic, jokes, or a unique talent you would love to share, we want to see it! Students will spend the week crafting a performance. We will explore the different performance categories the students choose, play games that encourage movement and being comfortable with our bodies, participate in fun team activities and challenges, have a Karaoke party, and, of course, bring it all together for Friday’s Friends Got Talent!

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.

Tuition: 365

Course: Love acting? Love comedy? Sign up for Improv 101 to learn the basics of improvisational theatre! Throughout the week, students will learn improv games, character development, and other acting techniques, and will apply those skills in an improv show on Friday. Campers will also learn skills such as team-building and trusting one’s scene partner that can be applied on or off stage. Register for Improv 101 to become a better performer, make friends, and make people laugh! No experience necessary.

Instructor: Abby Kameny has been involved in Carolina Friends School Summer Programs for 20 years. She started out as a camper, served as a Counselor-In-Training, was hired to work in the Extended Day program, and then became an instructor! She recently taught English in Spain, and is now a high school ESOL teacher in Maryland. Abby has also been involved in theatre, improv, and singing throughout high school and college.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Two / June 24-28
Week Three / July 1-5

Tuition: 380

Course Description: Ever wanted to learn how to write your name in frosting, dust cakes with chocolate powder patterns, create strawberry flowers, use fondant, and create fancy cupcakes and chocolate-dipped strawberries that look like tuxedos, or mold your own chocolate? It is an art form! We'll do all of that and more, starting with easy designs on cardboard before making our own frosting, cakes, cupcakes, and chocolates to decorate. Design your own theme or go wild with abandon and have fun creating edible works of art. Please bring a small notebook for recipes, ideas, and ingredients lists.

Please note that, unfortunately, we may not be able to accommodate dietary restrictions in this class.

Instructor: Karen Clark is a science teacher at Immaculata Catholic School in Durham. She teaches middle school, so enjoys working with other age groups during the summer. She has three wonderful kids and an overprotective mini schnauzer named Heidi that keep her active. In her spare time (yeah, right) she enjoys playing the flute, reading mysteries, and doing puzzles.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 17-21
Week Two / June 24-28
Week Three / July 1-5 (Advanced)
Week Four / July 8-12
Week Five / July 15-19
Week Six / July 22-26
Week Seven / July 29-Aug 2 (Advanced)

Tuition: 365

Course: For our older students, here’s an opportunity to enhance your skills in comic drawing. Led by Jamie Charles who has been teaching Comic Design in CFS Summer Programs for many years, the workshop provides a meeting place for expanding skills and talents. You do NOT have to have taken Comic Design prior to this. This is for those students who want to work a bit intensely on their creations. Share your techniques, exchange tips, learn new skills, collaborate with a partner, and learn from the community.

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 Two / June 24-28
Week Three / July 1-5

Tuition: 395

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 eight 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.

Tuition: 395

Course: Calling all junior special effects artists and world builders! In this camp we will experiment with making animations using a variety of non-digital styles, including claymation, object manipulation, frame by frame, and jointed puppets. Students will learn principles of photography and movement, watch a variety of real world animations, and will be able to get to work on day one making magic happen through the power of animation! Students will leave the camp with several animated clips, plus the know-how to continue experimenting once they return home! 

Although we will have structured days and projects, students will have a lot of freedom about their creative direction, and whether to collaborate or work solo. The camp is less about making finished films, and more about having a great time and seeing what’s possible! This camp does not require students to have any experience with animating or animation software - just an enthusiasm for experimenting and discovery! Animation camp is geared toward campers who are able to focus on projects for longer periods of time. 

Instructor: Nyssa Collins is a multimedia artist, musician, and generally enthusiastic person. She is originally from Burlington, NC and studied Piano Performance at Humboldt State University. Tragically, she no longer lives in Durham, where she was a piano teacher, stilt walker, public artist, and puppeteer/artist with Paperhand Puppet Intervention for five years. She is currently a graduate student in the art department at the University of Tennessee, where she studies time based media, including shadow puppetry and animation, and the pipe organ. See her art here!: www.nyssacollins.com. 

Tuition: 365

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, for a time, 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.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 17-21, Achiri Acha
Week Two /  June 24-28, Zeke Petrou
Week Three / July 1-5, Mike Oggiani
Week Four / July 8-12, Achiri Acha
Week Five / July 15-19, Achiri Acha  

Tuition: 365

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: Mike Oggiani is originally from Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. He graduated from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont in 2018. He later went on to earn a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Westfield State University in Westfield, Massachusetts in 2022. Michael is of the belief that all children are naturally adventurous, open-minded, and inquisitive, and that it is the job of the teacher to help nourish and strengthen those qualities. Michael enjoys the creative side of teaching and strives to make sure the learning environment in his classroom is a student-centered one that promotes student self-sufficiency and creativity. When not in the classroom, Michael enjoys hiking, cycling, watching movies, and cheering for the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, and Green Bay Packers. If you happen to spot him outside of school, good for you! It’s as rare a thing as seeing a unicorn in the wild.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 17-21, Tracy Schledorn
Week Three / July 1-5, Blair Cadden
Week Four / July 8-12, Kate Pendergrass

Tuition: 365

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: Blair Cadden (she/her) is a theatre-maker and teaching artist who is thrilled to be sharing her love of theatre and camp with CFS this summer! She holds a B.A. in theatre from Wofford College and an M.F.A. in directing from Boston University. Blair is originally from Charleston, South Carolina, where she was the co-founding Artistic Director of the theatre company 5th Wall Productions. She’s taught theatre to students of all ages at Lexington Children's Theatre, Spartanburg Youth Theatre, Boston University, Duke University, and–currently–McDougle Middle School in Carrboro. 

When she’s not making or teaching theatre, you can find Blair cuddling with her beloved dog Moe, hiking, baking cupcakes, or making very lumpy pottery.