Thanks for Another Great Year at the SPS Summer Camps!

As we enter into the last leg of summer I wanted to write a special note of thanks to everyone who helped pull together the Sandwich Public Schools Summer Camps. The Summer Camps are an exciting adventure for our students and campers but it takes a village of people to pull them together and have them be a success for each child who participates.

This year there were a handful of new counselors each of whom brought with them special talents that helped our campers in some small way. In addition to new staff, we had many experienced counselors who returned. Over the course of the summer I was fortunate to see counselors take children under their wings and help them to feel safe while challenging them to grow.

Examples include:

• many staff members who went into the Sandwich High School pool fully clothed to stay with our less confident swimmers
• counselors who went out their way to stay with a child who just couldn’t stay in a group as it was over-stimulating or with a child who was tired and missed his or her parents
• each and evey counselor who made a point of making sure each and every camper had great camp experience, all while managing a group of others.

It has been inspiring for me to witness firsthand the actions that have such a positive impact on a child’s camp experience.  It is more than job for all of us, and for many counselors – it is their first job!

A special thanks to Sandwich Police Department’s Officer Bonderick who each year manages to make an unannounced visit to our street hockey camp to spend time with the children of our community. It is a great example of community policing that has a great impact on the campers. His visits are a cause of great excitement for the children.

There are countless staff members who work behind the scenes to make sure the camps run smoothly. To each of you I want to extend my thanks.

Most importantly, I want to thank the parents of the Sandwich Public Schools who each year send their children to our camps. The camps are a great opportunity for your child but they are also a great opportunity for the young adults in our community to work with the town’s children often as a first job. I am fortunate to see many of my former students work their way through high school and college while staying connected with the community they call home.

My hope is that your children have enjoyed their camp experience and that you as a parent have seen positive results from your child attending.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Joe Dowick, Camp Director