The 2014 Rockland Community College Summer Camps is only a few months away so we wanted to keep you updated with some changes.

• Camp begins June 30, 2014 and will end August 8, 2014.
• We are introducing a fantastic program called Destination Science (https://destinationscience.org/), which will replace awesome science. (Destination Science program is for kids going into grades 2-6). Destination Science also offers half day programs from 9-12.
• There is no minimum number of weeks to sign up for. (Previously there was a 3 week minimum)
• Campers now have the opportunity for flexible scheduling, which means you can sign up for any camp each week. (Ex: Week 1:Art Institute; Week 2: Sports Academy Week; 3: Performing Arts)
• Our early and after care programs are now offered at no additional charge.
• We are pleased to announce new camp discounts!
• We will be merging our Facebook pages for Sports Academy and Kids College into one page called RCC Summer Camps. Please also follow us on twitter and see our videos on Youtube!
• We have launched our NEW camp website so please visit at www.rccsummercamps.com!

For any questions please visit our website at www.rccsummercamps.com or call us at 845-574-4451.

LaTroy Hawkins Visits RCC Sports Academy!

RCC Sports Academy welcomed New York Met relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins today to talk to kids about his life and what it takes to make it to the professionals. The campers were in awe of how great LaTroy was. He was nice, answered all the questions, took pictures, made sure to sign autographs, and even getting a few laughs along the way.

Latroy Hawkins has played for many teams in the past. Most recently he played for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2010-2011, Los Angeles Angels (2012) and currently the New York Mets. He is one of only 48 people in the history of professional baseball to pitch an “Immaculata” inning, striking out 3 batters on 9 pitches. LaTroy’s favorite pitch is the fastball and knows how to use it, being able to reach speeds up to 96 mph!

Overall the visit from LaTroy Hawkins was great. The campers had a great time and loved going home with a new autograph and a great story. When asked to give an inspirational quote to the campers, Latroy had this to say, "Prior proper planning prevents poor performance!" Great words from a great baseball player. Group pictures are free so make sure to pick on up with a counselor! For more pictures go to http://www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps and follow Latroy Hawkins @LaTroyHawkins32. Please also visit our website at www.rccsummercamps.com for more information about our programs!

2013 All Sport Challenge!

The first ever "All Sport Challenge" is a multi-sport relay challenge for all sports academy campers! The point of this relay was to promote competition and good sportsmanship while testing the skills of every sport. The sport challenge was set up with 10 different activities that combined for a relay race that took up the entire Fieldhouse. The race was timed and campers’ time was compared to their group. The groups were split by age and by gender. We had a minor league, which included grades 2-5 for boys, and girls and we had a major league for grades 6-10 for boys and girls. Here’s how the relay went….

1. Soccer goal

2. Basketball dribble and lay-up

3. Football throw

4. Tennis skills and serve

5. Handball goal

6. Lacrosse skill

7. Scooter race

8. Ladder run

9. Hockey shot

10. Baseball pitch

There was a lot of running and if you messed up even once you time really took a hit. Although each activity wasn’t incredibly difficult, it did require some skills and especially endurance. “It’s great because it’s not just one sport. It really shows who is the best athlete. They may be tired by they are enjoying it.” This quote is from basketball specialist Kevin Philius, who was also a vital part of the RCC basketball team. Kevin and many other counselors and specialists did a great job encouraging their campers and making sure each activity went smoothly. Counselors and specialists were spread out around the relay and made sure that everything was set up by the time the next camper got to that activity. It was great to see both the campers and the counselors getting involved and cheering everyone on. It really brought the camp together and was a lot of fun.

After the initial first round of the relay course, the top five scorers went for a second time to see who was the best. It was very competitive and fun and every camper put in their best, but there can only be one winner in each group. So congratulations to the top times in each group.

Top Minor (Boys):

Jake Silver (2:12)

Top Minor (Girls):

Sofia Berisha (1:55)

Top Major (Boys)

TJ Lemonis (1:28)

Top Major (Girls)

Elizabeth Ellsworth (1:55)

Here is a picture of the first place winner!

All in all this was a successful event. At first things were a little shaky but after a couple of races everything went a lot better. There are already plans to make the relay better and next it will be even more fun! Rob Morgan (Tennis Specialist) was the mastermind behind this race and the reason it was created. His idea was turned into reality and it was better then expected! Mr. Morgan had this to say about the event, “It was great because it got the camp together like a family. Campers got competitively involved without losing good sportsmanship. It was nice to see the kids have fun and also have more than one winner. It was great for camp comrade.” I couldn't agree more and I cannot wait till the next All Sport Relay! For more pictures from this event check out http://www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps and visit www.rccsummercamps.com for more information about our programs!

"The Jungle Book" by Performing Arts!

This session's play for performing arts was none other then the famous Jungle Book! This is a fan favorite and many songs and characters are well known by the campers and their parents. The play was really good and the campers were amazing. I can’t believe how well the play went given that they only had three weeks to prepare! Talk about talent! Every camper had a part to play and each was very important. It was a little challenging to make the campers play the parts of talking animals but they went right into character. Some scenes included musical dances that were sung and danced by the campers. These songs are well known so check out the video below and see if you can remember it!

All in this entire event was spectacular. The music, the sounds, the acting, the atmosphere, and the support all messed together to make a really great show. I even whistled along to the signing because it was so catchy. At the end of the show the actors all bowed to the audience just like real professionals. But before I end this blog post, I need to give a special thanks to the performing arts specialist and counselors who put a lot of effort into making this a successful event. Great job to everyone in the play! Please visit youtube.com/rccsummercamps to see more videos about this event and go to www.rccsummercamps.com to learn more information about our programs!

First Session Art Show

The end of the first session is sad but also a lot of fun. For art institute, this last day is the time to show off all their projects to their friends and family. All parents and family relatives are welcomed to the art show! Cookies and refreshments were there to make sure everyone had a great time.

Once you walked into the art room you could see different art projects all over the place. Campers had between 10-20 projects to show off to their parents, friends, and other camp directors. "Everything comes together at the art show, its a platform of confidence." (Jen Bini Director of Art Institute). Some projects were on the walls; some in their own spots and some projects were even hanging from the ceiling. The feeling of amazement and awe stuck the faces of most parents who couldn’t believe the awesome art their young campers had done. My personal favorite was the ice cream cone project, the only problem was you couldn’t eat it.

Campers were able to bring home their works of art to keep! Returning campers will have the opportunity to add their art collection with brand new projects for the second session. The director of art institute Jen says, “Projects are never repeated in each session!” So that means your never bored and you are always learning more skills! Be sure to check out http://www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps for more pictures from the art show and please visit www.rccsummercamps.com for more information about our programs. 

College Wars: Duke vs. University of North Carolina!

DUKE vs. UNC!

College war happens at the end of every first session. This year the two colleges were Duke University and the University of North Carolina! It was a great competition and among the most competitive challenges we have at sports academy. Each group was broken down into two groups. Groups were chosen by a draft from the counselors and were balanced based on skills and abilities. This two-day sport extravaganza was neck and neck till the very end. Nobody could have guessed with certainty who the winner could be. Even though there had to be a winner, everyone had a blast. You could hear laughter and cheering in every corner of the Fieldhouse. The roars of the campers were so loud you could hear it in Kids College. Being too hot to play outside was a bummer but our campers didn’t lose their fighting spirit. Playing hard to the very end it was exciting to watch them play.

In the end the winner of this year’s college wars goes to DUKE! Congratulations to every camper who was on the Duke team and great job goes out to everyone who participated. It also wouldn’t have been as successful if it weren’t for the help of the counselors and specialists so they deserve big praise! Check out http://www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps or http://www.youtube.com/rccsummercamps for more pictures and videos about this event! 

Kids College 2013 Talent Show!

The RCC Kids College had its talent show last week and it was really exciting! Every group got to perform and we saw a lot of enthusiasm and skills. Although singing was the most popular talent, there was a great mix of creativity and execution. I couldn't believe what some of our campers were able to do and we all had a great time.

The winner of the talent show goes to the solo singer Meghan Simon from art institute. She sang somewhere over the rainbow (one of my favorite songs) and its was beautiful. It takes courage to go up there alone and by the sound of things, she wasn't even nervous! Second place was a tie between the older and younger performing arts campers, and third place was given to the younger computer camp. Check out www.youtube.com/rccsummercamps to see the videos of the other performances and please visit www.rccsummercamps.com for more information about out programs!

Suffern Robotics Team Visits Awesome Science

Suffern’s robotic team came to RCC Summer Camps today to give a presentation to our Awesome Science camp about two awesome robots that they developed. Counselor Joe Montuoro is an active participant of this team and has worked on robots himself. “The electronics and machinery go a lot further then what we can do at camp.” This comment from Joe was obvious when you see what kind of robots the team showed. (See pictures and videos)

The robotics team from Suffern is lead by Geroge Mugno and assistant Zack Wimer. Both were present at the robot showing and with a lot of enthusiasm got the campers to engage and even play with the robots. They were really great at answering all the questions the kids had. (And come counselors) The Suffern team featured two robots, one with uniquely made wheels that the team used a 3D printer to make! Talk about awesome. The robots were really well made and even helped the team to place second in two regional tournaments. The robots were incredible. One had the ability to pick up rings and place them onto something else, and the other one was able to rise several feet into the air. It was even bigger than some of our campers! According to counselor Kristine Stewart these types of projects are “important for problem solving skills.” Commenting that it’s about hard work and professionalism.

All in all it was a great presentation and our guests couldn't have been better. You could really feel the excitement in the room especially when the campers got to see the robots in action. While some campers played with the robot, others were able to make key chain and buttons, which made the day even more fun. A final thought of the day was found on the shirt of Zack WImer, which stated, “If it isn't broken, take it apart and fix it.” Check out http://www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps for more pictures and videos and please visit us at www.rccsummercamps.com for more information!

Launch to the Moon!

It’s rocket-launching time! Campers in awesome science (Kids College) were excited last Friday when it came time to launch their rockets into the sky. This annual event lets campers in the awesome science program learn about our solar system while building their own rocket to launch.

According to one counselor of the group this event “Teaches kids about space exploration and is a lot of fun!” (Amir) This event was set up at the soccer fields and was the perfect spot to watch the rockets soar. Every rocket was made a little different and each had it’s own personality and design. Some campers even came up with creative names like Halloween spirit. 

The rockets performed very well and put on a great show for the campers and the parents that showed up. The sounds of rockets bursting could be heard all throughout the campus and it almost sounded like a firework show going on. “Really cool!” said one of the campers who was laughing and having a great time. It was hard for some of the campers to keep calm with such an awesome thing going on. I could barely keep myself from exploding with laughter (No pun intended)

This program and event was lead by our very own Brian Malin, a certified adjust faculty at RCC, and Kristen Farulla. "The 6th annual rocket launch took off with great success! Campers from the middle school and elementary school groups saw their model rockets soar to over 900 feet against the cloudy backdrop. To add to the fun, campers set up a replica of the solar system on the soccer field, to watch their rockets fly through space!" This quote from Brian Malin illustrates the fun and excitement of this event.  Emil Willis, Director of RCC summer camps says “In our Awesome Science Program we try to challenge campers by providing them with hands-on experiences to help them internalize the various concepts.” This event was sure hands-on and watching each rocket soar was a great sight. Please go to http://www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps for more pictures and videos about the event and please visit us at www.rccsummercamps.com for more information!

Adam Warren Visits RCC Sports Academy!

After the unfortunate occurrence to last Monday’s baseball player RCC Sports Academy was proud to invite Adam Warren, a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, to come talk to our campers, take some pictures, and sign some autographs.

It was a great Friday afternoon and Adam couldn't have been a better guest. He was enthusiastic with the campers and you could really feel like he wanted to be there. Adam Warren started off the visit with an introduction and some background information about himself. He played college baseball for the University of North Carolina and After Warren's senior season, Warren was drafted in the fourth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees, with the 136th overall selection. Warren made his Major league debut for the Yankees on June 29, replacing an injured CC Sabathia in the Yankees' starting rotation.[1] Warren gave up 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings in his first start versus the Chicago White Sox, highlighted by a Gordon Beckham two-run double in the top of the 2nd inning and a solo home run to Paul Konerko to lead off the top of the 3rd inning. He was relieved by David Phelps in the top of the 3rd, and would receive a no-decision as the Yankees lost the game 7-14. [10] Warren was sent back down to Triple-A the very next day.

Adam Warren was really inspirational and tried to give the campers great life lessons that got him through his career. “Always believe in your dream, even if you get setbacks. Always persevere!” This quote from Adam reflects the overall passion from this professional. After taking group pictures with every group, he even stayed to sign autographs and even talk to the kids.

All in all it was a great day and the campers had a lot of fun. Make sure you check out http://www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps for more pictures and video about this event and please visit www.rccsummercamps.com for more information!

2013 RCC Sports Academy

Football Tournament (6-10 boys)

This pasts summer was the third annual RCC Sports Academy Football tournament! It was very exciting and the campers couldn't wait to play. The tournament was set up as a 7 on 7 two hand touch games. League games ran 20 minutes each with a 5 min halftime and 5 min intermission. The sound of a horn started and ends the game!

Counselors and specialists played the role of the coaches and referees. Team captains were Donnie Roth for Freddy’s Teddies, James Arnowich for Donnie’s Mommies, Justin Ottman for Road Warriors, Matt Matcovich for the Matts, Ryan Morgan for the Fruit Flies, and Patrick Callinan for the Misfits!

Each team played hard and it was a great success. Teams fought hard and played all day but there can only be one winner. After hours of playing the championship round was fought between Donnie’s Mommies vs. the Fruit Flies. Ultimately the FRUIT FLIES became the champions! Congratulations to the teammates of the fruit flies including Marc Davis, Tyler Dubbs, Daniel Hoffman, Charlie Wilen, Evan Gabriele, Brandon Fisher, Ben DiSanto, Jordan Richardson and Daniel Landau. A special congratulations to the MVP of the championship game goes to Daniel Hoffman who caught the winning touchdown pass!

Participants in this tournament win or loose, had a lot of fun. Drew Resciniti who scored 2 touchdown passes in one game said “It’s all good if you have fun.” Captain of Donnie’s Mommies James Arnowitch thought his team had a “guaranteed championship” but fell just short of the final round.

All in all every team had a great time playing and it was a successful tournament. To look at pictures and videos of this event please check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps

Please visit our website at www.rccsummercamps.com for more information!

 athttp://www.facebook.com/rccsportsacademy!

RCC Summer Camps 2013 Kickoff

It's the 2013 kickoff to RCC Summer Camp, and we couldn't be more excited! Parents make sure you camper(s) have everything they need to have an amazing day. This year we are going to try something new! We want to engage campers in interactive ways that will increase their skills and knowledge. We also want to make sure that parents are also involved in this process.

Starting July 1st, there will be several posts to our Facebook and Twitter pages. Everyday we will post a quote of the day video of the day, and the fact of the day. Also three times a week will be a picture of the day. These tidbits are fun and will reflect the different camps. For example the sports academy page will feature quotes, facts, and pictures all about different sports and athletes.

Daily postings will also include pictures and videos of camp activities! We want to make sure campers learn more then just what they receive in camp but know that every minute of the day is an opportunity to learn. Campers and parents can also check out similar items and other projects on our bulletin board in front of the physical education office in the field house or look at our blog posts. Projects will vary in difficulty and some projects will need assistance from parents.

Above all we want campers to have an engaging and interactive experience!

Visit Our Website at www.rccsummercamps.com!

Like us on Facebook at 

https://www.facebook.com/rccsummercamps

Follow us @RCCsummercamps on Twitter

https://twitter.com/RCCSummerCamps