Outdoor Learning & Experiences for Urban Children USING THE GREAT OUTDOORS TO FOSTER ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL SUCCESS May 26, 2003 In this newsletter: Celebration a Huge Success OUR KIDS ARE BIG WINNERS Are YOU a member? BANQUET REPORT AFTER BANQUET FISHING RODEO A GREAT TIME Camp Compass Learns About A Hot Career We Respect Your Privacy Celebration a Huge Success Another year has passed and once again we proved the critics wrong. Our students have showed that urban children can do just as well as their rural and suburban counterparts in the field and in the classroom. All of the students pictured were held responsible for their academic and social behavior from September until May. Each has given well over 60 hours to Academy activities and collectively they have logged over 2,100 hours with hands on outdoor activities (hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and environmental clean ups) from August through June. This is a testament to what children will and can do if given the opportunity to participate in something they really enjoy. To date not one of our students have been arrested, been suspended nor have they been cited for any juvenile curfew restrictions. Back to top OUR KIDS ARE BIG WINNERS Recently, The Pennsylvania Wildlife Federation announced their junior conservation essay winners. The essay topic "Nature in My Neighborhood" was made available to ALL Pennsylvania students in grades four through twelve. Camp Compass Academy students won four of the top nine honors. In the Elementary level Cameron Hernandez and Nakia Hood won third and fourth place respectively. In the Junior High level Amy Romberger was a third place winner and Elvis Hernandez finished fourth. Overall it was a great opportunity to show our academic strength through our students' writings. Back to top Are YOU a member? We see so many people standing up for what they believe in. Here's your opportunity to stand up for giving children the right to pursue interests outside of the concrete jungle they live in. For a modest $20.00 you can prove you care about providing quality education and new opportunities for urban children. This small contribution will allow students to receive much needed academic tutoring, socialization lessons and provide traveling expenses to the many wonderful places we get invited to. There is nothing wrong with helping, so JOIN TODAY! Back to top BANQUET REPORT VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION Special Volunteer Recognition- Roger Joseph -Studio Bytes Special Volunteer Recognition- Ron Kistler Special Volunteer Recognition- Jamie Lovins Each person named above has contributed a tremendous amount of dedication to our cause. They have taken their areas of expertise and provided structure, advice and inspiration to our mission. We are recognizing these volunteers for committing unselfishly to our goals and working towards our dream of helping children have a better quality of life. This year we honor Roger Joseph, Ron Kistler and Jamie Lovins as Camp Compass Academy Volunteers of the Year. ADULT AWARDS Outstanding Outfitter Award - Larry Bittner-Wild Wings Farm This award recognizes the commitment to changing young lives through hunting and fishing experiences. We present Larry Bittner from Wild Wings Farm with our Outstanding Outfitter Award. We are grateful for the life-long memories he and his staff have provided to us through pheasant hunting at his farm. Community Achiever Award - Mr. Joe Mascari & Family This award recognizes a business and/or people in the community that have proven they care about the children from Camp Compass. Thanks to Joe stepping up to provide office space, we have been able to have a much needed central location. Tonight we want to honor Joe Mascari & his family. Their warm hearts have taken Camp Compass to the next level by providing our new academic center. Bernie Kozero Award – Pennsylvania Taxidermy Association This award represents a never say die attitude. From the inception Bernie Kozero was a big believer in Camp Compass and always pushed us to do our best. Unfortunately, Bernie is no longer with us but his spirit pushes us forward. This year’s award will be given to a group of business professionals who reflect a passion for our Academy’s children by producing memories of our children’s trips with cost free taxidermy services. This year we are pleased to honor the Pennsylvania Taxidermy Association for their unending support of our children. Back to top AFTER BANQUET FISHING RODEO A GREAT TIME The Monday after our celebration was dedicated to giving our students a reward. Frank Williams invited us to fish his farm ponds. He wanted to reward the students for their hard work. So after school we took 5 vehicles and the one and one half hour drive to his home. Boy, was it worth it! Even though the teachers were extremely tired from working the weekend they had the energy to go on. We had two adults catch their first fish and the students caught over 130 bass and bluegills. Most organizations would call this there big event we just call it another day! Think about the memories these children have because Mr. Williams stepped up to help. Back to top Camp Compass Learns About A Hot Career Once again it was off to another career based lesson. This time via the invitation of firefighter Jim Wher. After the tragic events on September 11th it seems there is a new found respect for our police and firemen. We were able to tour the firehouse and even be in the middle of an actual call. The tour lasted over an hour and the students had their many questions answered. Currently one of our senior graduates is a volunteer firefighter and we were able to link him with two mentors from the firehouse. Back to top We Respect Your Privacy We here at the Camp Compass Academy respect your privacy. Each month we are excited to share with you events and successes that come from our extensive volunteer work. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list please reply to the newsletter and type remove in the subject line. Back to top