And we're off! Camp started today. Pictured at left are our Day One crew, less two who were off looking for a sledgehammer (more about that in a minute!)
We had an ambitious schedule planned for today. In addition to the usual first-day administrative tasks, we wanted to do three things. Jeff Combs from JC Equipment came to show the students how to use a laser level to plan the site grade. Glenn Lee from Bobcat donated equipment and an operator to clear honeysuckle from the site and do the leveling, and we had a truck from Hilltop arriving at 3:00 with concrete!
Luckily, Linda Bach from ACI arrived to help us serve lunch, so we got that done pretty quickly. The kids all took their "Pre-test" - a short quiz that gives us a baseline read of their construction knowledge. Camp Assistant Lauren and Miss Anne gave a quick orientation on safety, camp rules, the Pedometer program, and the Commitment Credits. Then the work got underway!
It seemed like the lunch Miss Anne packed was a hit. Of the two 30 inch turkey subs, chips, brownies, and half a watermelon, there wasn't a crumb remaining! We got a little thirsty, though, since we couldn't refill the water cooler. Our only bumps in an otherwise smooth day came from not having good access to the school building. The Principal promised to address this so that tomorrow we'll have plenty of water and bathrooms.
And the sledgehammer? Kevin Murray from CBC showed the kids how to build and true-up the concrete frame, but when it came time to get it staked, the ground was a bit dry and hard for our hammers. Our scrambles to secure a sledge didn't work, but Kevin finally muscled the boards down just as Hilltop's mixer made it to the scene. And one of Kevin's carpenters who is also a concrete finisher showed up to help the kids get the slab looking great!
Justice Claypool won the first day's pedometer competition, and got a $5 Burger King gift card for his priize. This crew is super competitive, though, so we'll see what happens tomorrow.
Thank you to everyone who helped us make Day One a success! We'll be back tomorrow with another report.
We had an ambitious schedule planned for today. In addition to the usual first-day administrative tasks, we wanted to do three things. Jeff Combs from JC Equipment came to show the students how to use a laser level to plan the site grade. Glenn Lee from Bobcat donated equipment and an operator to clear honeysuckle from the site and do the leveling, and we had a truck from Hilltop arriving at 3:00 with concrete!
Luckily, Linda Bach from ACI arrived to help us serve lunch, so we got that done pretty quickly. The kids all took their "Pre-test" - a short quiz that gives us a baseline read of their construction knowledge. Camp Assistant Lauren and Miss Anne gave a quick orientation on safety, camp rules, the Pedometer program, and the Commitment Credits. Then the work got underway!
It seemed like the lunch Miss Anne packed was a hit. Of the two 30 inch turkey subs, chips, brownies, and half a watermelon, there wasn't a crumb remaining! We got a little thirsty, though, since we couldn't refill the water cooler. Our only bumps in an otherwise smooth day came from not having good access to the school building. The Principal promised to address this so that tomorrow we'll have plenty of water and bathrooms.
And the sledgehammer? Kevin Murray from CBC showed the kids how to build and true-up the concrete frame, but when it came time to get it staked, the ground was a bit dry and hard for our hammers. Our scrambles to secure a sledge didn't work, but Kevin finally muscled the boards down just as Hilltop's mixer made it to the scene. And one of Kevin's carpenters who is also a concrete finisher showed up to help the kids get the slab looking great!
Justice Claypool won the first day's pedometer competition, and got a $5 Burger King gift card for his priize. This crew is super competitive, though, so we'll see what happens tomorrow.
Thank you to everyone who helped us make Day One a success! We'll be back tomorrow with another report.