Week 3: June 30-July 4

Tuition: 415

Course: Do you love the circus? Come spend a week learning all about and participating in circus activities! Have a cool and special talent? Show it off at our circus presentation at the end of the week!

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!

Tuition: 384

Course: Get inside the villainous mind of a classic Disney villain with this workshop! Learn the songs and the characters with the class. Finally understand why those villains do what they do. Students will also create and bring to life their own original Disney Villain! From stealing a mermaid’s voice to brushing the magic hair, the student will do it all with this Disney Villain Workshop!

Instructor: Leigh Ann is an elementary education teacher with 13 years of experience, primarily in grades 3 and 4. She is coming to us most recently from Orange County Public Schools and has training in The Responsive Classroom approach as well as Project Based Learning. She is passionate about creating kind, creative, and engaging classroom communities. Initially, she studied theater at Columbia College in Chicago before deciding to move back to her home state of North Carolina to pursue a degree in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, their two children, and a wide variety of animals on their hobby farm in Hillsborough.

Tuition: 415

Course: Are you raring to creek wade, search for salamanders, and build magnificent forts?  Then this camp is for you!  We will explore the creeks and forest of the amazing campus at Carolina Friends School, finding creatures, adventures, and friends along the way!

Instructor: Adelaide Zahren is the 5/6 Campus Early School teacher at CFS and has taught in Early Childhood for over 14 years.  Adelaide received her undergraduate degree, teacher’s license, and Masters in Education from UNC Chapel Hill.  Adelaide is an avid hiker who loves teaching children about the wonders of nature!  When not teaching, Adelaide can be found exploring the Eno River with her two children and one enormous dog.

Tuition: 384

Course: Learn how to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more using a variety of materials during this fun week of Jazzy Jewelry Making! In this camp, students will create their own original pieces and take them home to show off.

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!

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Two / June 23-27,  Adelaide
Week Three / June 30-July 4,  Shannon
Week Four / July 30-July 4, Jenna
Week Five / July 7-11, Cheryl
Week Six / July 22-26, Cheryl
Week Seven / July 29-Aug 2, Dana

Tuition: 384

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! 

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 16 - 20, Miranda Parker
Week Three / June 30 - July 4, Owen Bauer-Lepofsky
Week Five / July 21 - 25, Owen Bauer-Lepofsky
Week Seven / July 28 - Aug 3, Robinson Earle
Week Eight / Aug 5 - 8, Emmanuel Oquaye

Tuition: 384

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:  Owen is a rising junior at Boston University, studying Education and English. Before heading to Boston, Owen attended Carolina Friends all the way from Campus Early School through Upper School. While at the Upper School, he developed the Pokemon Trainer Challenge camp as the youngest CFS Camp Instructor, and has now taught at CFS Summer Programs for five years, including working as the General Operations Coordinator last summer. Outside of camp, Owen loves to run, play soccer, read, and watch TV with his friends and family, and cheer for the Boston Red Sox.

Tuition: 384

Course: Unleash your creativity in this hands-on art camp! Explore a variety of artistic styles and techniques, from serene Bob Ross-inspired landscapes to intricate nature sketches, whimsical comics, and sparkling glue-and-glitter masterpieces. Learn drawing tricks, like upside-down techniques, and develop your storytelling skills through anime and comics. Each day, campers will create unique projects to build confidence and showcase their artistic voice. This fun and engaging camp is perfect for budding artists of all skill levels!

Instructor: Elizabeth, or Liz (she/her), is completing her B.S. in Elementary Education at NC State with a STEM concentration and a minor in Psychology. Graduating this May, she is thrilled to bring her expertise to CFS! Currently student-teaching in a third-grade class in Wake County, Liz has extensive experience working with children through YMCA camps, nannying, and teaching. Her philosophy focuses on embracing students’ individuality and fostering authentic growth.

In her free time, Liz enjoys card games with her family (including her aunt Julia Stivers, the Upper School librarian at CFS!), cooking with her partner, watching cooking shows, cuddling with her cat Squirrel, doing pilates, cheering on her favorite football teams, and spending time with loved ones. She is also a published author, having authorship on conference papers and research papers on science education.

Tuition: 384

Course: This is a FREE PLAY camp using the greatest material available to kid-kind: cardboard boxes! Campers will learn art methods for sculpting things big and small using cardboard. There will be lots of games and challenges, and time in the woods too. This is a great camp for the imaginative kid into world building, or for the kid who has art ideas way too big for your living room.

Instructor: Dana Palmer is an art teacher and visual artist from Durham, NC. She holds a BFA in Art Education (K-12) and an MA in Special Education, both from Appalachian State University. Dana is passionate about nurturing growth mindsets in her classroom and helping students discover their unique strengths through artmaking. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time in nature and being with her friends and family.

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. Though he’s really never met a pie he didn’t like, he especially likes lemon, lime, and peach. 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 Three / June 30-July 4
Week Five / July 14-18

Tuition: 384

Course: Have you been waiting for your letter from Hogwarts? Celebrate your love of all things Harry Potter as you create themed crafts, play wizard games, whip up tasty snacks and much more. Discover your inner witch or wizard as you are sorted into your house and your wand chooses you. Find your inner Magizoologist! Become a Potionsmaster! Zoom across the Quidditch field! We'll spend our time immersing ourselves into the Wizarding World by making keepsakes, practicing creativity and, most importantly, creating memories that can be enjoyed for years to come. Activities will be diverse and include art projects, kitchen adventures, Quidditch and other games!

Note: Previous knowledge of the Harry Potter series is helpful when participating in this course, but activities will be enjoyable for all.

Instructor: Miranda is a CFS alum and Triangle native who is thrilled to return this summer to bring both new and old camps to life. While real estate is her full-time job, Miranda is always looking for ways to build connections and experiences. 

Miranda has many passions and likes to try new things. She recently discovered her love of role playing games, and has long been an avid board gamer. She is a die hard Harry Potter  fan (among many other fandoms), a former athlete who still dabbles in team sports and a general seeker of fun and adventure.

Tuition: 384

Course: Everyday we will learn new and crafty things about yarn to become novice yarn designers with the goal to knit a special creature by the end of our week together.  Beginning level. 

Crafts include keychain pom pom, tassel making, knitted i-cord technique, knitted mini doll hat, baked clay yarn ornament, knitted ball,  yarn weaving board, and a surprise knitted animal. 

Skills will range from threading a darning needle, knitting, then sewing knitted pieces together to create something bigger, fiberfill practice, and designing a creature face, nose, and tail with embroidery floss and yarn.

We plan to make a field trip to visit a yarn store and see all the notions and yarn types.

Instructor:  Charlotte Schmitt (she/her) is a second generation fiber artist living in North Durham close to the Eno. A poly-musician, she loves introducing early learners to real instruments and making simple versions from recycled materials. 

Her motto is “Never throw out a paper towel tube because it is REALLY a rain stick.” 

Charlotte created a series of sensory bins while doing daycare for an autistic grandchild. She dabbles in making kid chaos and creative mess with science and household items, indoors and out. 

A retired office nurse, Charlotte homeschooled her two children and grandchildren through certain seasons (such as recently during the pandemic). Her son was a  percussion musical prodigy and tested her noise tolerance from an early age.

Charlotte holds a BA from UCF and has additional degrees in Child Development and Practical Nursing. She is experienced in pediatric rural medicine and malnutrition and made two dozen trips to the rural mountains of Haiti, as a nurse. Charlotte brought her medical interpreter and family as refugees to the USA in the summer of 2023.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 16-20
Week Three / June 30-July 4

Tuition: 398

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 a crazy dog named Ralphie that keeps her active. In her spare time (yeah, right) she enjoys playing the flute, reading mysteries, exercising, and doing puzzles.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 16-20
Week Two / June 23-27
Week Three / June 30-July 4 (Advanced)
Week Four / July 7-11
Week Five / July 14-18
Week Six / July 21-25
Week Seven / July 28-August 1 (Advanced)

Tuition: 384

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 is a visual artist and the middle school art instructor at Carolina Friends School, where he has been teaching for over two decades. He graduated from UNCG as an art major with a concentration in painting. Passionate about fostering creativity and self-expression, Jamie has dedicated his career to guiding young artists as they explore various artistic mediums and techniques. A parent of an alum of Carolina Friends, he has a deep connection to the school community and values the commitment in shaping well-rounded, thoughtful individuals.

Tuition: 384

Course: Fantasy fan, are you? In this camp, you will dive into the realm of fantasy world building! You will be able to dream up your own fantasy world by creating environments, landscapes, towns, and the various characters, creatures, heroes and villains that inhabit them. You will have the opportunity to bring these worlds and characters to life through written biographies and backstories, as well as art, drawings, and physical models and crafts for all to stand in awe of.  We will draw inspiration from existing works of literature and media, such as The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Harry Potter, as well as fantasy games like Dungeons & Dragons, RuneScape, and World of Warcraft. Who knows? This could even expand into creating your own game!

Instructor: Michael 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.

Tuition: 384

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 16 - 20
Week Three / June 30 - July 4
Week Five / July 14 - 18
Week Seven / July 28- Aug 1

Tuition: 384

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: 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.

Tuition: 415

Course: Do you like to experiment with sounds or create your own music? Learn how to take your ideas and bring them to life in the studio. We will work with some of the latest digital recording software and effects, learn how to record instruments and vocals as well as learn how to produce digital music and beats. If students have their own computers or instruments they are welcome to bring them at their discretion, otherwise we will have access to everything we need on site. 

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: 415

Course: Get ready to write, storyboard, and create an original stop motion animation using handmade characters, setting, and props! Together we will learn about the history of stop motion animation, and draw on examples from independent short films to beloved favorites such as Wallace & Gromit, and The Nightmare Before Christmas as we create our own animations. Our small but mighty film crew will discover the magic of stop motion animation and create an original short film as the culmination of our camp.

Instructor: Billy Dee (they/them) is a visual artist and educator. They currenlty work as an art teacher at Insight Colearning Center and as an adjunct professor of art at Elon University and UNCG. Billy loves to collaborate and has worked in theatre as a set and prop designer and puppet builder. They have collaborated with numerous community organizations to create posters, illustrations, and educational materials. Billy is currently working on illustrations for a book, and is very excited to collaborate with campers at CFS this Summer! 

Billy enjoys spending time with their animal friends Cookie and Lyra (sheep), Gilbert and Venus (pigs), and Cowlick, the most wonderful chicken.