Life at the Bay

Do you want an African drum beat master at your next party? Well our campers should be on your speed dial! Drumming has become a phenomenon at the Bay where we see our campers create extraordinary rhythm and beats with the djembe drum. The djembe drum is said to have been invented in the 12th century by the Mandinke tribe in what is now Mali, West Africa. The djembe has a great cultural heritage in Africa and still has a weighty presence in African rituals. The body of the drum is made from a single piece of tree trunk and topped with goatskin, providing the djembe with a piercing high-pitched tone. The Mandinke people believed that the Lenge trees held great spiritual importance while also lending its trunk to make the drum. It is said that the drum consists of three spirits: the spirit of the tree from which it was made, the spirit of the animal which covers the head and the spirit of the drum-maker. The term djembe originates from the Bam...

Being our in-house emergency response CPR trainer for our camp staff and counselors, a self-defence class instructor and a superhero to our planet; we caught up with League on being a mountain guide and how the rhino is his spirit animal.  From rock-climbing in Maine, leading a hike in Vietnam to being a mountain guide in upstate New York, League is definitely living up to his name by being in a league of his own.  We first set our eyes on the great adventurer in 2017 when he was a C.I.T (counselor in training). This is where we watched him transform into the great counselor he is today.  "I was extremely shy, I couldn't look people in the eye when I was speaking to them, it was really bad! Let's not even talk about public speaking!"   He exclaimed. League runs a specialized self-defence class at the Bay where he teaches campers basic moves to protect themselves. "I have been doing karate since I was 3 ye...

"Tea- making is a form of meditation for me, nothing is on my mind except the smell of the herbs, the different textures and the outcome of the different herb combinations." His love for tea began with a birthday tradition his mom started, where he found himself receiving a cup of tea on the night before and the morning of his birthday. "My mom always wanted to make me the last cup of tea of the age I was, and the first cup of the age I was turning. I can safely say my mom is my inspiration when it comes to tea-making." He shared. When introducing his tea-making at Sugar Bay as a specialized class, he was inflicted with doubts of whether campers would want to take part.  "When I first advertised my class, no-one came and I was so bummed about it. About twenty minutes later, three kids came up to me and asked if we could make some tea. That's when I knew my tea-making class was not just about teaching kids how to make tea; but it was ...

Sugar Bay is proud to announce that over and above the more than one hundred activities offered at camp, we’ve got our counselors to turn their talents and passions into specialized classes for our campers.    Three new and exciting activities were introduced by our counselors; Yoga, Spoken-word poetry and Beat-boxing.    Techno’s Funny Yoga Sessions   We’ve had yoga at camp before, but this class was given a whole new hilarious and enjoyable twist by Sugar Bay counselor, Techno.    “ My yoga class is a fun little meditation exercise, in which I invite kids to join me in a judgment-free yoga session, where we go through a couple of cycles and have a few laughs along the way,” he said.    The aim of Techno’s yoga class is to show kids new ways in which they can have fun whilst exercising and encourage healthy, active, living.    Techno encourages kids to join his class by making it known to them that it’s goin...