Simon the Squirrel

 As the winter quickly approaches, Katie Terrill from the SuperCamp Programs Department in Oceanside took some time to sit down with one of our favorite returning SuperCampers. 

Simon the Squirrel has been on the grounds at Stanford University for the past 3 summers and once again got to experience the laughter and tears from Toyon Hall. We sat down with him by the fountain and asked him about his 2011 experience. 

1. Simon, tell us something we do not know about you?

I have 32 offspring, 227 grand-squirrels, and 559 great-grand-squirrels. Reunions send me into a tail-spin.

2. What was your funniest moment this summer at Stanford?

This might be acorny moment, but once I accidently bit into a clown’s foot during mystery words and he tasted funny.

3. Who was the most interesting staff member you came across and why?

They were all very interesting. Can we paws and come back?

4. Did anything about the program drive you ‘nuts’?

Only when I see people barking up the wrong tree during trust falls. I mean, what is a spotter anyway?

5. On outdoor adventure day, did anything unusual occur since we were so close to you?

I always make a lot of friends on outdoor adventure day. Everyone climbs up in my trees and acts like a nut.

6. How will you apply academics since you can not read or write?

No need to be cheeky. Before SuperCamp I was barely squeaking by.

7. Team time – would show us your favorite dance move?

I got this one from Saturday Nut Fever.

8. What advice can you give to those who miss SuperCamp during winter?

Branch out. Get down to your roots and try something you’ve always wanted to. Or travel back to Stanford and feed my family. Since this interview started we have 13 more.

9. Anything else you would like to share? We will snap for you!

Nuttin else. That’s enough fur today.

Melissa McEwen and the 8 Keys Of Excellence

Melissa McEwen is working to create her future using the 8 Keys of Excellence character education principles as her guide after attending Senior Forum in 2007 and 2008 and then Leadership Forum in 2009 at Colorado College.

“I learned a lot about positivity and how you are the creator of who you are,” the 20-year-old Tampa resident says. “It helped a lot with memorizing tools. The keys – this is it, staying in the moment, the organization maps I would do – help with organizing my day-to-day time.”

Melissa says the 8 Keys give her tools for living with integrity, purpose and perseverance, while SuperCamp taught her new study skills and gave her supportive friendships.

“When I went to Colorado I did not know I was going back with some people I had been going with every year in North Carolina,” she says. “I formed really good friendships and kept seeing them at Leadership Forum in Colorado.”

The 8 Keys and how they have helped Melissa:

INTEGRITY – Match behavior with values

Demonstrate your positive personal values in all you do and say. Be sincere and real.
Melissa says she’s learned to be true to herself, so she doesn’t say one thing and do another. “It helps me in my friendships to not have a mask and be real. I feel better about myself, too.”

FAILURE LEADS TO SUCCESS – Learn from your mistakes

View failures as feedback that provides the information you need to learn, grow, and succeed.
Melissa started her freshman year of college only to find the particular college was not right for her. Failure from Success means “I do not look at it as a failure but (as) how can I make my future brighter…No matter how difficult they (mistakes) are, it makes you a stronger and brighter person when you turn the situation around into a learning experience.”

SPEAK WITH GOOD PURPOSE – Speak honestly and kindly

Think before you speak. Make sure your intention is positive and your words are sincere.
Melissa says: “I use that key every day because I believe if you treat others the way you want to be treated and think before you speak…people realize you have more respect for them.”

THIS IS IT! – Make the most of every moment

Focus your attention on the present moment. Keep a positive attitude.
Melissa says this key has helped her overcome struggles and connect with others to help them. Learning at SuperCamp to make the most of each moment “was definitely a life-changing experience. It was a positive week and it made me feel good about myself.”

COMMITMENT – Make your dreams happen

Take positive action. Follow your vision without wavering.
Melissa has not yet determined what her dream career is, but she wants to work with children, particularly those who were abused, to find loving adoptive homes. “I was adopted as a baby. 3 weeks old. I knew a lot of friends who came from abusive families and they found wonderful families,” she says. “I want to help kids who are in abusive families where they can find good families who care for and support them.”

OWNERSHIP – Take responsibility for actions

Be responsible for your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions. “Own” the choices you make and the results that follow.
Melissa says this key helps her understand that if she says or does something wrong she should apologize and take responsibility. “It’s knowing that you can’t just blame everybody around you,” she says.

FLEXIBILITY – Be willing to do things differently

Recognize what’s not working and be willing to change what you’re doing to achieve your goal.
For Melissa this key applies at this moment in her life as she decides what she wants to do next. “I am trying to figure out where I am going to go and what I am going to do and rearrange my future goals and dreams to make them happen,” she says.

BALANCE – Live your best life

Be mindful of self and others while focusing on what’s meaningful and important in your life. Inner happiness and fulfillment come when your mind, body, and emotions are nurtured by the choices you make.
“Every day is a balance – you have to balance what you want to do and your time from when you wake up until you go to bed,” Melissa says. “Finding a balance within yourself and people around you to support you…people that believe in you. And if you believe in yourself you can overcome anything.”

Go Melissa!!!

Day 15: SuperCamp

Do you remember your first exposure to SuperCamp? Most of the time it’s a powerful experience that leaves a lasting impression.

Rachel Winzeler, a Facilitator at SuperCamp Hong Kong this year, wrote about the first time she witnessed what it meant to be a part of SuperCamp:

Day 15: Supercamp

I was referred to be a facilitator. One day before the deadline, I received an invitation for tryouts. I e-mailed back a polite “thank you, but no thanks.”

As soon as the e-mail was sent, I thought again. And told them to forget the previous e-mail. Tryouts were in Chicago, during the worst blizzard all year. Sliding off the road twice, I pulled the car out of the snow bank with one hand on the gas pedal, and two frozen feet hanging out the door.

The interview, from 8am-5pm, was intense. My 3 minute bio flopped. It was like a day at camp, and I was in another world. These were professional people: 35 twentysomethings from all over the US came. These were good, successful people…the kind of people I wanted to work with. I came to the interview just to give it a shot. I left, really wanting to be hired. Only ten were chosen.

…

Supercamp made me step up. Work hard, play hard. The first night of training they had us stand and tell why we came. I said because there are kids that only I will reach—and I want to make it count. I want to be the most effective possible, with whatever tools I have. I was also there for me—because when I am the best for me, I am the best for you.

I nailed it. There were moments where everything clicked and I walked away from a piece knowing I had done an amazing job—couldn’t have done better. I ran with the big dogs.Supercamp has harnessed efficient ways to use and connect learning strategies in ways that are engaging and memorable. Feedback was constantly given:  we would present short pieces, and then immediately be coached and given chances to step it up to the next level.

One intense piece is called barrier breaking: the kids write a goal on a thick wood board, and then what is a barrier to obtaining that goal on the other side. They put the board on two cement blocks and break it with their hand—through the barrier to the goal. It is a deeply emotional and empowering time as the whole team gathers around, jumping and shouting “yes, yes, yes!”

Supercamp opens your eyes to see how things CAN be. You are challenged, given the tools, and then pushed out. You are supported and not forced, but looked in the eyes and told what you both know:  “You will regret it if you don’t go for it.” Supercamp celebrates your efforts and successes, but more than that, it celebrates the real you, and who you are.

From this place, I can face my questions openly: “Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? Can I do this?” They surround me with the most powerful word in the English language, “Yes.” With the vision of what I want fresh in my face, I make a list of progress yet to be made. I go to bed tired, muscles sore–but tomorrow I will wake up to greatness, standing inside and outside of my door.

Another amazing testimonial from a new SuperCamper! We love hearing these types of stories and encourage you to contact us if you want to share about your experiences. Send an email to stories@supercamp.com detailing your SuperCamp experience and you just may see it show up on the blog!

Summer by the Numbers

The always thorough SuperCamp administrator Katie Terrill reflects on what it took to put together SuperCamp in 2010.

Remember your first impressions of camp? Being greeted by the most delightful staff member you’ve ever met? They were wearing one of those ridiculously stylish blue collared shirts you just had to have. We liked them so much too that over the course of the summer those shirts were worn over 15,000 days total. Watch out GQ.

Then you hopped in line and were given the sweetest lanyard your eyes have ever beheld. It’s gentle fold and brilliant colors almost brought you to tears. You promised yourself you would never take it off – and because you didn’t, those lanyards were worn over 22,000 combined days this summer.

Once you were checked in and your parents had gone you knew it was time to party. You ran outside with pure glee enveloping your face, jumped into the first hackey sack circle you could find and began dropping your honed skills and knowledge in all our faces. Because of your commitment to making it a great summer, we volleyed almost 600 hackey sacks in just a few short weeks. Calculate that amount of kicks…and the number of horrified groans you made when that precious ball of woven wonder hit the unsanctioned ground.

Then the most glorious thing happened. You heard a song that made your jaw drop. Your body had no choice but to begin clapping and grooving with the rhythm. Feet stomped, arms pumped and you vaulted up onto a chair that filled a magnificent Main Room. Giving it all you had, maybe even biting that lower lip, you clapped it in and dropped exhilarated into what can only be known as “Stock in Costco” – a folding chair. Not too soft, and maybe not quite “just right,” that chair was your friend for days. Thank you dear friends, for holding us up, supporting us whenever we needed you and at times even making us stand a little taller  – all of us together sat in over 10,000 of your kind. Good luck with your family tree.

We embraced and lived through 2,800 playbooks that contained just as many POW-OOOOOO-CHA’s. 12,500 pens later we’ve mastered Mind Maps and Fast Writing. Helping us along the way were 2,200 so deliciously-scented-you-just-might-eat-one Mr. Sketch markers. I call grape.

How can we forget our WHOA claps? Our hands were an array of colors and levels of tingly as we shared the clap with each other over 2,600 times. Of course there were the Power Whooshes. 1-2-3 (clap, clap, clap) Whoooooooooooooosh. Imagine that x 2,600 – because it already happened.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better you were presented with a terrific teal blend of cotton. At this moment you had a pinnacle of understanding – this truly is the fabric of your life. You caressed its texture with awe and wonder. You began visualizing all the feats you could accomplish wearing this amazing gift. Scaling a ladder and hovering 30 feet in the air wearing nothing but a harness and a ¾” thick rope was simple. Morning came and you could barely contain yourself. You threw it on and felt its power course through you. That summer, only 2,300 of these splendid babies were made, and you had one. With almost 7 billion people in the world, that’s impressive. Wrap that up with just as many brilliant made postcards written and mailed home. Whew!

Academics, team times, and some remarkable singing and dancing led us into the home stretch. Over already? You couldn’t believe it. But wait. What’s this? Another gift – something to remind you of the changes you’ve made and will continue as you head home. You may only be one voice, but a voice that will be heard. We shouted it all out together, “I Make A Difference!”. This medal reminded us that for the past few days we’ve focused on the Me – combined with the Indian word of “Dal” (meaning: a ready source of proteins for a balanced diet) we realized that the word MEDAL really means that sometimes we need to focus on bettering ourselves to be part of a healthy balance.

It’s a good thing we ordered 2,400.

(All statistics used in this mind-blowing blog post are true and accurate).

Team Time Across the World

Back in the 1980s, there used to be a super cheesy saying that was passed around a lot, mostly by middle-school science teachers.  It goes basically like this:

The earth is traveling through the Universe and around the sun at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour.  If you think about it, we’re all astronauts aboard Spaceship Earth!

Sweet! I’ve always wanted to be on a spaceship!

As corny as it sounds, I kind of like the idea.  Maybe the modern-day version is High School Musical’s “We’re All in this Together.”  It’s true.  What one country puts into the atmosphere drastically affects the rest of us.  An earthquake hits Haiti and generosity from America to Europe to Australia pours forth.  One person starting a “Free Hugs” campaign among their friends can echo across the globe.

The coolest thing about all 6 ½ billion of us chillin’ on Spaceship Earth together is that we are similar, yet so wildly different.  It all comes down to culture.  The way people celebrate the New Year differs drastically from country to country, city to city, even household to household.  The common theme is that we are all celebrating, right? (I’m not sure if there are any cultures that cry all day for New Years but if you find one let me know).  Culture is what unites and divides us.  It’s what gives us context for the ways in which we live our lives.

Oftentimes, we refer to the SuperCamp culture.  This culture includes how we speak, the type of music we play, our styles of learning, and especially our traditions (traditions!).  If you’ve only ever been to one SuperCamp session, it may be hard to imagine that camp could look any differently than the one you experienced.  If you have been to more than one session, you know that camps can look incredibly different from one session to another.  This past summer, I had the awesome opportunity to facilitate at four different sessions – in four different locations: Singapore, Wake Forest, Loyola Marymount, and San Marcos.  It was also my eighth summer working at SuperCamp.

Keeping that in mind, one of my favorite aspects of camp is Team Time.  I love the music, the energy, the dancing, the cheers, the screaming and madness that we Facilitators get to enjoy when we say those three magic words:

“Who Wants It?!”

Team Time is one of those things in camp that, in theory, seems like it should be the same from campus to campus, but in reality can be the most different.  Some camps like to applaud real hard after a cheer, while some prefer to go right to the team representative.  Some dance circles break it down to Vanilla Ice, while others like to “bust a move.”  We all know that power acknowledgements can be all over the place.

I think the best part about Team Time though, is how it defines so much of what we do at SuperCamp.  It’s about supporting each other and celebrating the common experience, while also completely loving all of the things that make us so different.  It doesn’t matter if the team on stage has to start their cheer over three times before they get it, we still cheer for them for so awesomely using Failure Leads to Success.

From my perspective this past summer, Team Time helped define how different each camp was from the next.  The way the kids in Singapore got funky on their dance circle was pretty different from Wake Forest, where half the time it was hard to figure out where the circle actually was because so many people were dancing at once.  The Junior Forum homies at Loyola Marymount loved to “mix it up” at the end of the daily dance-off, while San Marcos couldn’t get enough of the “hand-clap dance” (what what!).

Brown, Stanford, Seattle, Chi-town, and Colorado – everyone had their own amazing Team Time traditions.  It’s what made each camp its own.

Then again, we all have so much in common.  Being up on stage, repping your team – that’s something that every single person who went to camp this summer got to do.  Everyone had a chance to hop in a dance circle, to introduce a crazy new power whoosh, or to yell your team letter until the Facilitator chose you.  These are experiences we all shared whether camp was in Toyon Hall (Stanford) or Hagget Hall (Seattle).  It’s the kind of thing that makes someone stop you in the airport because you’re wearing an “I Feel Good” shirt (actually happened to me).  We may have gone to different camps and shared different experiences, but we have all been impacted by SuperCamp and Quantum Learning.

Knowing that SuperCamp 2011 is still a ways away, what can you do at home to create shared experiences among your friends?  They may have not gone to camp, but it’s very possible that they’d be interested in learning how to “mix it up.”  Or maybe you can create your own new traditions with your friends – most of you probably already have (hint: they’re called inside jokes).  These are the kinds of things that bring us closer to one another.  Shared experiences equal closer friendships.  Closer friendships equal fulfillment.  Fulfillment equals motivation.  And motivation equals getting what you want out of life.

Take a look at this video.  What do you notice about these Team Times?  What similarities and differences do you notice?  Comment below about what you see.

Your task, if you choose to accept it: Post on the SuperCamp Facebook page about one of your favorite traditions at camp.  It could be pretty cool to see how many “strangers” respond with stories similar to yours.  As crazy as life outside of SuperCamp seems sometimes, it’s good to remember that we’re all in this together.

Make Your Resolutions Stick in 2010

Fun Fact: The tradition of the New Year’s Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions (source: Gary Ryan Blair).

Ever heard of New Year’s resolution starters? Here are some to check out:

• Start __________________
• Make __________________
• Become ________________
• Do ____________________
• Spend more time ________________ and less time _________________

Most of us have probably used at least one or two, or maybe all of these words to express what we’d like to accomplish in the coming year, but how many of us have actually persevered and turned resolutions into reality? After all, it’s no secret that almost all New Year’s resolutions are forgotten by the third week in January.

So what’s the secret ingredient to becoming part of the golden 12% of people who actually follow through with their New Year’s resolutions? It just so happens to be one of the 8 Keys of Excellence…can you guess which one? That’s right—Commitment.

Having commitment means making a pledge to yourself and to others that you will follow through to make something happen. Commitment is about Doing Whatever It Takes (DWIT) to keep your word and achieve your goals.

Maybe the idea of Doing Whatever It Takes seems a little daunting; give yourself a hand by creating an action plan—step-by-step instructions for following through on your resolutions. Think back to Goal Setting at SuperCamp, where we learned that goals are specific, measurable, and realistic. Action plans are a great way to hold yourself accountable. Some friendly people even share their action plans with a homie who can provide helpful reminders when necessary.

Sometimes, having and showing Commitment requires you to make some choices. There will come a time when you will have to choose to not do something you want to do, like going to the movies with friends, so you can work toward something you’re committed to, like practicing your guitar to become a professional guitar player one day.

As you make your list of resolutions for 2010, also keep in mind that you may not accomplish every item within the year – it may take several years of the same resolutions to accomplish them. But remember, it’s not important how quickly your resolutions are completed, but that they are actually completed.

So go into the new year with a This Is It! attitude and truly believe in the things you want to accomplish, and use the key of Commitment to make them happen for you.

Greater Than the Sum of our Parts

SuperCamp president and co-founder, Bobbi DePorter, was talking the other day about what differentiates SuperCamp from other summer enrichment programs. It’s a lot of things, of course, but the essence of SuperCamp’s uniqueness is that we create a total learning environment in which each moment builds upon the previous one to achieve the ultimate goal of creating lifelong learners.

Doing so separates SuperCamp from the masses – the many academic summer camps and summer study programs that focus in on specific classroom content for a particular grade level or are not much more than glorified two- or three-week vacations for kids.

It’s also very different from how we often describe SuperCamp ourselves, that is, by the many learning skills and life skills we teach. SuperCamp truly is greater than the sum of its parts. And while it’s difficult to talk about yourself in superlative terms, we’ve come to the realization that we are the “world leader in raising grades, confidence and motivation.” It’s a handle we’re not yet completely comfortable with, but it probably sums up who we are better than anything else we’ve come up with in the past.

Many Kind Words Coming From SuperCamp Grad Parents

It’s not even August and already we’re getting calls and emails from parents whose sons and daughters have attended SuperCamp this summer and returned home positive, energized and enthusiastic about the upcoming school year. These testimonials prove once again that our academic summer camps are not just about learning skills. They provide students with the valuable life skills and strong positive outlook they need for a bright and successful future.

Between our unique character instruction, featuring the highly acclaimed 8 Keys of Excellence, and the series of mini-success moments we use throughout the 10-day session, which build each camper’s self-esteem and confidence, parents are seeing noticeable changes in their kids post-SuperCamp. They tell us that while they enrolled their kids for academic summer enrichment, they’re even more thrilled with the personal enrichment that’s evident almost immediately in the form of improved communication at home.

If you know of parents looking for any last-minute summer enrichment for their son or daughter, tell them there’s still time to enroll in an August SuperCamp program. Our final pre-teen and teen summer camps start on August 15 at Stanford and we have other camps beginning earlier in the month. Here is a complete list of summer camp locations.

Because it’s last minute, anyone interested in enrolling should call us at 800-285-3276 immediately.

Do you have any stories from your son or daughter’s experience at SuperCamp this summer? Please share with us! You can do so via our Facebook Page, on Twitter, or by leaving your comments here

The Future’s So Bright…

As the old song from Timbuk3 goes, “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.” Unfortunately, a number of teens today don’t feel that way. The economy, world strife, and concerns over everything from pandemics to nuclear proliferation are turning many teens into doomsayers.

Imagine what this kind of negative outlook can do to a student’s school performance, relationships, hopes and dreams. Well, we don’t buy into all the doom and gloom. In fact, we think that every teen has a bright future.

At our  summer enrichment camps, we’re trying very hard to provide students with a positive outlook and path for their future. Throughout the 10-day summer academic camps, our skilled staff constantly pump up the students with positive affirmations, create mini-success moments, and teach/model the 8 Keys of Excellence.

By graduation on day 10, the students are feeling better about themselves and their future.  The parents who attend, see it in their kids’ eyes, hear it in their laughter, and feel it in their hugs.

The next challenge, of course, is carrying  this newfound positive outlook back into their lives at home and in school. To this end, we are stepping up our grad support for 2009 with an on-going stream of communication for grads and grad parents. The support will come in the form of video communication from SuperCamp facilitators and a SuperCamp “hotline” where grads and parents can speak with a facilitator.

We may be grouped in with educational summer camps, and there’s no question, we deliver powerful learning skills to the students. But in truth, SuperCamp is so much more. We’re all about making great kids greater and helping them realize their potential. One way is by imparting learning strategies, but another equally important way is by helping each student see they have a bright future and that they are the stars of their own play.

HomeSchool.com Seal of Approval

HomeSchool.com, the leading online community for homeschooling support, has officially given SuperCamp’s academic summer camps their seal of approval. This signifies that HomeSchool.com supports our summer camp curriculum and recommends us to homeschoolers everywhere. We are so honored to have the support of such a prestigious online community!