Recently several members of Lakeview signed up to be counselors at Camp Fitch to guide and help out younger kids. 

There are many reasons one would want to sign up to be a counselor but the general consensus was for the kids.  

Junior Saige Muresan wanted “to have new and fun experiences and to be able to hangout and have fun with all these kids!” 

Senior Lola English said, “I thought it would be a good experience to get away from technology and engage in nature. I thought the activities would be fun.” 

Nature is a big aspect of Camp Fitch that many seemed to enjoy. 

Senior Erica Giesey’s “favorite thing was being able to do nature activities with the kids and show them that things aren’t scary such as rock climbing or holding snakes.” As well as, “Horseback riding, because it was really cool to walk the horses and see all of the kids enjoying them.”

English said, “I thought it would be a good experience to get away from technology and engage in nature. I thought the activities would be fun. My favorite part was riding the horses and being able to walk the horses around as the kids rode them and just engaging in nature and feeling surrounded by it. It was good to feel disconnected from technology and interact with kids who looked up to you for a couple days.” 

These events and experiences both bring people closer with nature as well as people to make memories that will last a lifetime.

Which is why Muresan said, “My favorite thing was to be able to learn how to work together on certain things and have new memories with all the counselors by getting together and making jokes and laughing and being able to talk about what we did.” 

Giesey “babysat all summer so I had a lot of experience with kids and thought I would be a good fit.” 

This opportunity allowed people to take a break from technology and connect with people, as well as give the councilors a potentially new chance to be a leader figure, but it comes with responsibility. 

Muresan found “kids not listening” the worst part of being a counselor. 

English said, “Having to wake up early in the morning and also having to walk back and forth from the cabins to the dining halls over and over with kids.”

Giesey said, “My least favorite thing was seeing some of the kids get homesick. It was a lot of their first times away from home so some were a little worried and it was hard to see that.” 

The councilors were tasked with helping 56 5th graders during their time in Camp Fitch and encouraging them to try new things.  

When asked about the main goals at Camp Fitch, Lakeview Middle School Principal Ashley Handrych said, “The purpose of Camp Fitch is for students to have a learning experience outside of the classroom walls. Collaboration, hard work, independence, and responsibility are all skills Camp Fitch aims to foster. It is also an opportunity for students to learn different lessons from their Lakeview teachers. The Lakeview teachers that attend get to teach hands-on activities at camp, this is a great way to build relationships and get to know students. The intended outcome is to bond students with their classmates that they may not otherwise have gotten to know, leave their cell phones at home and find a better connection at Camp Fitch.” 

Handrych also mentioned what activities the 5th graders got to do when she said, “Students participated in archery, Lake Erie study, candle and butter making, survival skills, fire starting and outdoor cooking, rock climbing, reptiles and amphibians, equine management and horseback riding, and a challenge course. They also got to play a game called a Dutch Auction with the teachers as judges and had a group camp fire.” 

Handrych highlights the privilege of attending Camp Fitch and reviving the tradition. “Lakeview students traditionally attended Camp Fitch in 4th grade for years and years. When the district could not pass an operating levy in the mid 2000s, the program had to be cut. After the effects of the COVID pandemic on student social interaction, the staff at LMS saw the importance of bringing camp back to students. In order to achieve this, parents had to pay all camp, transportation, and nursing costs for their child to attend. The program cost the district nothing.”

The Bulldog Bulletin hope Lakeview parents continue supporting this activity that also helps connect high school and middle school students in fun and appropriate social activities.