Campers of the Week

It is hard to believe that we have finished one whole week of camp! Time is certainly flying by!

Every Sunday morning, after our cabin cleaning, we gather in the main hall for what is called "Sunday Talk". This is a time when we review our theme from the previous week (Open to Growth) and we talk about the theme for the week to come. This week Ari Herrera, the assistant director, shared his thoughts on the second Grad at Grad quality of Nativity: Loving. Ari spoke about three types of love: 1) Self-Love, 2) Love for others, 3) Allowing others to love you. To help illustrate his point, he allowed a number of Nativity graduates to come forward and share what love at Nativity has meant to them. Each one of them spoke powerfully about the way that Nativity has loved them over the years, and has taught them how to love themselves and others.

Following the Sunday talk is a very important time of the week. It is when we introduce our "Campers of the Week". The staff stays up late on Saturday nights to discuss the students that deserve this highest honor. We want to honor the students who are doing the right thing day in and day out. These students should be living out these themes that we talk about and always acting with integrity and pride. It is certainly not easy to earn the title of Camper of the Week.

This week, two honorable mentions were given to Mikal Thomas and Francisco Contreras. They have been working hard since the first day and setting a great example with their actions - constantly helping and encouraging wherever it is needed. Congratulations to these guys! If they keep working hard, they could earn the honor of camper of the week in the coming weeks!

And now onto the big winners . . .

This week's Campers of the Week are Gadriel Rivera and Nicky Peralta.

Gadriel has been working hard and setting a great example since the first day. He is always volunteering for responsibilities and taking on extra jobs. Val has said that he is one of the most helpful people in the kitchen. He motivates his cabin and has helped them to succeed throughout this first week. We have seen great growth in Gadriel this summer and are looking forward to much more!

Nicky has also been setting a great example for his cabin. He takes his role as an 8th grader seriously. He has emerged as one of the true leaders of his cabin. When it is easy to get negative and criticize people for not doing what they are supposed to, Nicky has done a great job of keeping things positive. His counselors describe him as a motivator in the cabin, always willing to help out those who need it. He has definitely shown in this first week that he is open to growth.

Congrats to both Nicky and Gadriel!