The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
ÒOne of the greatest experiences of my life.Ó Those words from Alex Bettner were among the positive comments heard at Camp Whitney as Grade 6 students spent a few days there. This year marks 29 years of Camp Whitney camping experiences for students. It was John Belfry, then a teacher, who saw the camp as a place students would enjoy. But back then, he said, the cabins, along with the rest of the grounds, were in rough shape. It took some time to get going, but Belfry took a cabin, which was run-down to the ground, and made it into a log cabin. With pictures of the new cabin, Belfry took them to the School Board asking for help to get the nine other cabins fixed. It took five years, doing two cabins a year, but now all who stay at Camp Whitney are in log cabins. Students could be heard from all over the grounds as they ran from activity to activity. The students are taken from their classroom setting and put into a completely different environment. Though they may not always know it, they are learning at Camp Whitney. Games like volleyball and other team building exercises are thrown into the mixture. But aside from games, the students also learn how to canoe, they learn about nature on an environmental walk and they learn how to use a GPS. Along with the school side of learning, the students are also learning how to do their own dishes and clean up their cabins, which is a first for some of the children. The whole Camp Whitney experience seems to go over well with the students. For the last couple of years Flin Flon and Cranberry Portage have been teaming up and going camping together. ÒItÕs really fun,Ó said Roxanne Allard of Cranberry Portage. ÒMy favourite is the canoeing and painting rocks. The cabins are really nice and there are great suppers.Ó All the campers and supervisors join for their meals in a mess hall, where volunteers have been cooking all day long. Camp Whitney, according to Kelsie Gardner of Flin Flon, is Òone of the best things IÕm going to do for a really long time.Ó See 'Nice' on pg. Continued from pg. Another camper who had a good time was Angel Guiboche from Cranberry. ÒI thought it was really nice and peaceful. My favourite was the arts and crafts and the hike.Ó Students who are coming with a school have their first Camp Whitney experience when they are in Grade 6 and then return in Grade 8. The camping trip lasts three nights, giving the students ample time to learn and have fun. Another team building skill the students take in is the drama night. Cabin groups are required to come up with a skit and perform it in front of their peers. After 29 years of Camp Whitney, Belfry says he ÒwonÕt be stopping anytime soon.Ó
