Welcome to another post from the International Summer Camp Montana blog!  Another week has passed, meaning that we are one week closer to the start of the summer!  Thank you for those of you so far who have provided us with feedback; we are pleased that you are enjoying the blog.  However, we’d love to hear from more of you, any memories that you might have from your time at La Moubra, or even your excitement about coming to camp for the first time!

Last week’s blog topic was the creation and completion of the magnificent Residence Erica.  However, Residence Erica was not the only ‘new’ building at International Summer Camp Montana during 2010!  And, it is true to say that only the keenest eye would have noticed where this building stood before a remarkable transformation took place.

The building itself is actually part of the area beside the Tennis Centre, so was not quite a ‘new’ building!  For all intents and purposes, the result is like a new construction has been put in the old building’s place.  Originally a house for the previous owner of the Tennis Centre, this area (including garden) had unfortunately fallen into a state of disrepair and was a little dangerous.  However, we were able to look beyond this and knew that with a little bit of ‘tender loving care’ both the house and surrounding garden area had great potential.

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As we enter the ‘Hollywood Awards Season’, there is much talk and discussion about who will win the coveted Oscars and Grammys for their acting and musical talents this year.  Though there are no nominations from our ‘Stunt Night’ performances, during our 50 years these evenings have become a very important part of the fabric of International Summer Camp Montana.

Stunt night is an opportunity for all of our campers to participate in the performing arts, no matter what their experience, showing off their talents as a part of a group.  The emphasis during the performance is inclusiveness; every camper takes part in their group’s act, skit, song or dance.  The sum of all parts is truly greater than each individual talent or skill!  The Drama activity at camp provides a place to learn new techniques or skills that may well come in useful for the big night!

Moreover, each group has ‘Directors’; their counsellor and the Drama specialist.  They are able to guide and advise on the content of the performance, with the older sections given a little more ‘creative freedom‘.  Each section has their special night held in our ‘Clubroom’ and the emphasis is not only based on one giving a perfect production, but also creating the atmosphere to respect and appreciate all shows presented by all others.  A highlight for many staff members is the themed ‘Entertain the Specialists’ evening that is presented by the Junior section of camp.  The Juniors are renowned for putting on a show which is highly regarded by all that are lucky enough to be in attendance!

Of course, it is not just our campers who are able to show off their acting and performance skills.  The staff of International Summer Camp Montana do so too!  As many campers and staff members can tell you (both past and present), ‘Staff Stunt Night’ is one of the highlights of the summer!  However, to allow the 400+ people who are in attendance to watch the show, an arena bigger than the clubroom is now required.  Since 2006, the staff performance has taken place in our large Circus Tent!

As we told you in last week’s blog, this summer will bring some exciting changes to International Summer Camp Montana.  With the introduction of the ‘Champion’ section for 2011, it is now necessary for each of our sections to have a Head Counselor.  It is with great pleasure that we can now announce our Head Counsellors for 2011.

- Top Row (L-R): Vanessa Mangold Fluri, Robin Etheridge, Salome Groot Koerkamp-Albrecht.
- Bottom Row (L-R): Kristen Taillon, Danny Herberich with Carol Gasparini-Spinks, Scott Stewart.

The youngest section of campers, the Juniors, will have three Head Counselors during the summer.  All three are mothers who have had extensive experience of working at International Summer Camp Montana.

• Vanessa Mangold Fluri will be the Junior Head Counselor for the first session of camp.  She also held this post in summer 2008 & 2010. Vanessa has worked at camp in various positions for the last 14 summers; she took summer 2009 off from ISCM to become a mother to daughter Emma-Louise, who is now 1 ½  years old.

• Robin Etheridge will be the Junior Head Counsellor for the second session of camp.  Robin worked at camp for many summers during the 1980’s & 1990’s and she will also be teaching Yoga during the first session of camp.  Robin will attend camp with her husband James and her two children, James (10) and Hannah (8) and we welcome her return this summer.

• Salome Groot Koerkamp-Albrecht will be our Junior Head Counselor for the third session of Camp.  Salome has worked many summers at International Summer Camp and previously worked in this role from 2000 to 2005.  Salome has two daughters, Lidewij (3) and Sophie (4).

The Pioneer section for the coming summer will have Kristen Taillon as their new Head Counselor.  We are delighted to welcome Kristen, a native of Montreal, Canada to the Head Counsellor team.  She has worked at ISCM in several roles over the past 7 summers and Kristen is very excited about welcoming all the Pioneers to camp this summer.
This summer Danny Herberich will be the Head Counselor for the new Champion section. Danny is one of the few people working all year round at camp.  He is our Program Director and is also responsible for staff recruitment. This summer will be Danny’s 37th working at ISCM and almost every past and present camper and staff member will have met Danny before!
The Senior section will again have Scott Stewart as their Head Counselor in 2011.   Scott is originally from Scotland and has worked at ISCM in different posts over the past 9 summers.  In addition, Scott will be keeping our Camp Blog updated throughout the year!
Keep updated by checking the blog every week for more exciting news about camp and the coming summer!

As mentioned in last week’s blog, 2011 will not only mark the 50th year of International Summer Camp Montana, it will bring some exciting changes as well.  After careful consideration, speaking to both parents and campers, we have decided to form a new section.

Until now, we had

- Juniors (8,9 & 10 years of age)

- Pioneers (11,12 & 13 years of age)

- Seniors (14 – 17 years of age)

From this summer onwards the sections will be as follows;

- Juniors (8 & 9 years of age)

- Pioneers (10 & 11 years of age)

- Champions (12 & 13 years of age)

- Seniors (14 – 17 years of age)

You may notice that the three youngest sections consist of only two years of age difference and we feel that this change is beneficial to all of our campers. The Senior section remains as in previous years.

A communication has already been sent to all families with enrolled children for summer 2011 regarding this exciting change and the feedback has been very positive.  We are very much looking forward to welcoming Champions as well as Juniors, Pioneers and Seniors for our 50th year of camp!

Come back next week to find out who our Head Counsellors will be for summer 2011!

In January our head counselors for summer 2010 met at International Summer Camp Montana. Along with the camp directors they had several meetings to discuss the new and exciting changes and additions to the camp programme. They also discussed how the camp and the programme can develop with the changes in today’s youth.

This summer Danny Herberich will be the Pioneer Head Counselor. Danny works all year round at camp as our programme director and is in charge of staff recruitment. Almost every past and present camper and staff member will know Danny who will spend his 36 summer at ISCM.

Vanessa Mangold Fluri will rejoin us at camp as the Junior Head Counselor, a position that she also held in summer 2008. Vanessa has worked at camp in various positions for the last 10 summers; she took summer 2009 off from ISCM to become a first time parent and welcome her daughter Emma-Louise.

The senior section will have Scott Stewart as their new Head Counselor this summer. Scott is originally from Scotland and has worked at ISCM in various positions over the last 8 summers.

Scott Stewart, Vanessa Mangold Fluri, Danny Herberich & Beau