As the school year winds down and graduation approaches, Tabor Academy is looking towards the summer and the opportunities that it provides. The summer program is designed for kids of all ages and provides the chance to develop new skills and try new activities.
Bobbi Krein is the director of the Summer Program and is very excited to begin this next year of activities.
“Tabor Academy is the perfect location for a summer camp,” said Krein.
Since it’s right on the water but also has access to all the opportunities that Tabor’s facilities provide, there are a wide range of activities for kids to try. There are programs geared towards marine science, sailing, and swimming, and other land-based ones like ceramics, photography, squash, soccer, and lacrosse.
“One of the coolest things we do,” said Krein, “is we have enrichment programs like drone technology, GoPro, The Incredible Machine (which is a look at the human body), and Crack the Cube (a strategy-based course designed to teach campers the tools to solve puzzles like the Rubik’s Cube).”
Both the faculty and counsellors who work at the summer program and the campers who spend their days at Tabor get a lot out of the program.
“The program is built to nurture risk-taking in a supportive and loving environment,” said Krein, who sends her own kids to the summer program every year. She says her daughter loves sailing, Ultimate Frisbee, and fitness, and her son loves squash, soccer, and drama. They’ve both been able to take “safe-risks” at Tabor, exploring new passions and putting themselves outside their comfort zone in comfortable ways.
“Professionally, I love offering young people and not-so-young people the opportunity to take on new challenges and build talents in areas that they never imagined,” said Krein. “Our staff is able to get creative and build offerings that are engaging and fun, while interacting with the campers in our program. We create a culture of ‘be who you want to be and do what you want to do,’ so kids feel safe and supported to try new things.”
Krein loves that, in addition to all their work, “We also have an insane amount of fun while keeping safety and camper happiness at the center of our goals and mission.”
Following this belief in safety, sunscreen dispensers will be added to Tabor campus so that students and counsellors can stay safe and not sunburnt throughout the many days spent on the waterfront.
Krein sums up the camp nicely by saying, “the TASP values are respect, community, caring, growth, connection, and joy.”
Many current Tabor students were once campers, and a lot of the counselors are Tabor alumni. This network of Tabor involvement brings life to the summer program and helps many young children start their Tabor careers and discover some new passions that they’ll continue throughout their lives.
By Madeleine Gregory