Week 4: July 12 - 16

Tuition: 345

Course: Paper mache masks, customized capes, animal ear headbands, oh my! In this camp we will take inspiration from stories about people and animals that transform into something else to develop our own costumes and engage in make-believe and theatrical play. 

Instructor: Marit Nelson (she/her) grew up in Maine, but has lived in Chapel Hill since 2002. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2012 with a B.A. in Elementary Education and worked at the Chapel Hill Early School as the Extended Day Teacher in 2015 and 2016 until the birth of her daughter. She is now enjoying being a parent of a CFS early schooler! She is excited to get a chance to step back into the classroom this summer. When she’s not hanging out at CFS Summer Programs she works as a hairdresser, and spends time with her little family and two very old dogs.

Tuition: 320

Course: Alas, Poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. William Shakespeare, Hamlet 

A whole week dedicated to the truest, realest, most grounded and inspired form of  live, stage production there is... Naturally I am speaking of Sock Puppet Theater. Spend your week designing characters, building sets, practicing your range of emotions and learning about some of the world's most famous puppeteers and how they do what they do. We will craft sock versions of ourselves as well any other characters we come up with along the way. Throughout the week we will practice and rehearse a play of everyone's choosing, wrapping up with a full performance Friday afternoon.

Instructor: Marshall Wilfong was born and raised in Durham. An Eagle Scout from Troop 400, he’s been volunteering and working as a summer camp counselor since the age of 12. When he was 15 he got his first job as a merit badge counselor at Camp Raven Knob instructing First Aid, Search and Rescue, Safety, Camping, and Wilderness Survival. His time in the Scouts gave him a massive amount of respect for the outdoors as well as for the youth he instructs. Marshall has also been an after-school counselor at the Orange County Sportsplex and Aldersgate UMC.

He now works as the Extended Day Teacher for the Carolina Friends Middle School as well as a substitute for the Upper School.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 21-25, Tony Arias Sorto
Week Two / June 28-July 2, Tony Arias Sorto
Week Four / July 12-16, Tracy Schledorn
Week Six / July 26-30, Achiri Acha
Week Seven / August 2-6, Sefton Dennis
Week Eight / Aug 9-13, Markeith Gary
Week Nine / Aug 16-20, Tony Arias Sorto

Tuition: 320

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: Tracy Schledorn has worked as a teacher and school counselor in Alamance county for the past 21 years.  She enjoys gardening and exploring with her husband and two young children.  Tracy adored summer activity camps growing up and is always ready to learn something new.  As a life-long athlete, she enjoys many sports and relishes the opportunity to have fun and play!  

Tuition: 320

Course: What if you could hop in a time machine and travel back in time to the best moments of your past (your favorite foods, toys, tv shows, games, friends, etc) and ahead to the most exciting moments of your future (highlights of high school, college, career dreams, bucket list adventures, etc)? 

Get ready for a one-of-a-kind adventure that will transport you from the very start of your life, up to the present time, and into your future! Along the way, you’ll design your own time machine and take on fun challenges, create a photo time capsule of your life, and explore who you were when you were younger, who you want to become when you are older, and how you can discover your best self.

Instructor: Mike Iskandar is a 1997 graduate of CFS who attended Middle School and Upper School. Mike coaches Middle School tennis, and teaches Time Travel Journeys to Lower, Middle, and Upper Schoolers. The course was inspired by his own Time Travel Journey when he interviewed 40 Friends Schoolers from ages 1 to 40 about what it’s like to be the age they are--an experience that showed him the power of revisiting your past in order to understand who you are and who you want to become. When he’s not coaching and teaching, Mike can usually be found 35,000 feet in the air as a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, where he has worked for the past 10 years. Mike graduated with degrees in Sociology and Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill. 

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Four / July 12-16
Week Eight / August 9-13

Tuition: 335

Course: We’ll make piles of pies and other pastry pockets in EASY AS PIE. Some will be sweet, others spicy, tart, creamy, or fruity. Any way we slice them, they’ll have our taste buds singing! We’ll learn to make an old-time favorite—apple pie—mixing up a flaky pastry, rolling, forming, and filling it. But that’s just the beginning; we’ll also try our hands at making galettes, empanadas, quiches, and more. We’ll be making, baking, and tasting...and, basically “filling” fine! 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.

Tuition: 320

Course: You’ve heard of soccer… but have you ever paired it with slacklining? This camp is a great way to spend time outdoors and enjoy a game of soccer, practice drills, learn new skills, and challenge yourself with the balancing act of slacklining. Slacklining is as simple as walking on rope, from one tree to the other. Easy enough, right?! Okay, it’s definitely not as simple as that, but if you enjoy a challenge and would like to learn how to balance on a rope like a gibbon monkey, slacklining is a great way to learn a new skill. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Instructor Tony has been slacklining for more than five years and, while it’s incredibly fun, it also encourages an appreciation for the values of patience and practice. 

Soccer is team driven and slacklining is an individual activity, but both will provide a great opportunity to go outside and get moving! We’ll spend our week playing soccer in the mornings and slacklining in the afternoon-- plus some awesome outdoor games. Come try something new with us!

Instructor: Tony Arias Sorto is from Honduras and moved to Massachusetts in 2014. He moved to North Carolina in 2018 and is now the Before and After Care Program Coordinator at Leesville Elementary in Raleigh. Tony earned his A.A. in Education and B.A. in English and is currently pursuing a master’s 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 the first time this summer. 

He was raised playing soccer but enjoys playing 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: 320

Course: In this class, we will learn about famous ARTISTS (i.e. da Vinci, Picasso, van Gogh) and then create artwork in their style using markers and watercolors. 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.”

Instructor: Polly Clark grew up in California and then traveled cross-country to Connecticut College, where she got her B.A. in English. Following that, she got 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 two 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 Four / July 12-16
Week Nine / August 16-20

Tuition: 320

Course Description: Discover the magic behind your favorite songs! In this course students will look at the structure of famous songs and learn how to craft songs on their own. We will explore song structure and the techniques of the various instruments used to create the mood, with skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced. Students will experience the joy of creative expression through guitar, ukulele, or other instruments and share their work with a performance on the last day.

All skill levels are welcome: beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

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 two children at CFS.

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). He helps beginner 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 Two / June 28-July 2, Jasmine Lang
Week Four / July 12-16, Kristin Sadler

Tuition: 320

Course: Our week together will begin with learning about what sorts of things help you feel more ease under stress, connecting to things that give you energy, meaning and purpose. We’ll spend a few days “treating ourselves” through a variety of experiences in nature, the arts, physical activity, crafts, service, and time together as a way to integrate our understanding of self with ways we can self-soothe. We will be journaling as a way to develop self-knowledge and insight. Bring your favorite journal/sketchbook and be prepared to get to know yourself!

Instructor: Kristin Sadler graduated from James Madison University in Virginia with graphic design skills. She is currently a caretaker and training to be a Somatic Experiencing practitioner. She is imaginative and creative-- excited to encourage personal expression, whether it be in the form of print design or playful movement!

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week One / June 21-25, Adam B
Week Two / June 28-July 2, Achiri Acha
Week Three / July 5-9, Achiri Acha
Week Four / July 12-16, Adam B
Week Five / July 19-23, Adam B
Week Six / July 26-30, Tony Arias Sorto
Week Eight / August 16-21, Tony Arias Sorto

Tuition: 320

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.

Instructor: Adam B is from eastern NC and grew up sailing and tinkering -- living on a sailboat for 5 years as a kid. They spent much of the following decade bicycle touring all over the place. Now they live on a working farm near Durham continuing to tinker on sewing projects, building projects, bicycles, and an old sailboat. They volunteered at the bicycle co-op in Carrboro for years and helped put on a bike and skateboard component of a summer camp there. Their favorite thing to do is work on projects with other people outside.

Tuition: 320

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.

Tuition: 320

Course: Join us for CFS’ first summer camp exploring and celebrating the many ways we express and understand gender and identities in the LGBTQ+ community. We will learn about past and present expressions of gender and identity in our lives and in the world through films, fashion, visual and performing arts, games and activities, talking circles and panel discussion. We end the week with CFS’ very first Pride Parade/fashion show on Friday. This camp is open to all, join us!

Instructor: Rinah Rachel Galper is the founder of Our Sacred Circles, working at the intersection of justice, creativity, and healing. She is the sole proprietor of Joyoushout, her new business providing anti-racist consulting and teaching to companies, organizations, and groups and Broad Spectrum Spiritual Support for women. Rinah is a licensed Special Education teacher, Visual and Performing Arts artist and educator, activist, group facilitator, nature guide, and healing practitioner. She has been providing creative summer camp adventures at CFS and throughout the Triangle since 2006 to nurture young people’s love and need for magic, mystery, mindfulness, curiosity, creativity, connection, a sense of their own power and worth, and pathways for making the world more loving.

This course is offered in multiple weeks:
Week Four / July 12-16
Week Six / July 26-30

Tuition: 320

Course: Learn the science behind solving crimes as we explore some of the tools and methods used in forensic science. Physical evidence left behind at a crime scene (such as fingerprints, hair, fibers, and DNA) can provide valuable evidence linking a suspect to a crime and telling the story of the crime. Through a variety of hands-on experiences including finger-printing, microscopy, gel electrophoresis, and fiber burn analysis, we will explore how crime scene investigators collect and evaluate evidence. With this expertise, students will complete the week by working together to solve a crime scenario, then collaborating in small groups to design their own crime scenario for the rest of the class to solve based on the evidence presented.

Instructor: Lydia Nethercutt majored in anthropology, and is especially passionate about forensic anthropology and applying anthropology to social justice issues. She has also studied music and theatre, and enjoys participating in these arts in the community. Lydia has previously worked at camps at the Montessori School of Raleigh SummerScape program. In her free time, Lydia loves to cook and bake, particularly enjoying making soups, baking bread (she fell hard into the 2020 sourdough craze!), and experimenting with new recipes, as well as creating her own.