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Scheduling CYO Championship Games is a science at CYO

Sr. Krista von Borstel Leave a comment

Scheduling Championship tournaments is much more than what it looks like to the person picking up their child’s schedule only to wonder what CYO was thinking!  Some of the issues we face each year include the following:

  • Gym availability – was the gym given that particular night?
  • Is the gym the right size for the grade playing?
  • Is the gym conducive to volleyball?  (How low is the ceiling?)
  • Are the teams playing at a location close enough in ability that the same official can do both games?
  • Where are the teams coming from who are playing in the game?
  • Is the home team opening the gym? Closing the gym?  (Maybe round one if at all possible)
  • Do games have to be played on Sunday?????
  • We worked very hard not to have championship games played on Sunday this year but the trade off was late nights for some kids during the week which we have already heard about….We will have to play on Sunday during basketball to get all the games in.
  • Can you work around our school auction? (this is very very hard to do especially since we don’t know who will win or lose!)
  • Can you work around our SAT score tests? Can you work around our placement tests?

CYO is always looking out for the best interests of the teams.  This is always our intention.

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High School Basketball Program Ready for Registration

Sr. Krista von Borstel Leave a comment

Jenna Bass, CYO Director of Basketball and Volleyball is getting ready to schedule high school basketball teams.  The CYO High School basketball program is a wonderful way for high school youth to stay involved in CYO sports and have a LOT of fun doing it too!  Most of the games will be played at the HOOP facility.

The High School program plays on Sunday afternoon and some 500 to 600 players generally turn out for the program.  If you are interested in putting a high school team together, contact Jenna Bass at the CYO Office at 503-231-9484.  Packets will be available at most of the area Catholic High Schools next week.  You do NOT have to attend a Catholic High School to participate.  Put your own team together, the registration includes reversible jersey, officials fees and facility rental.  CYO will schedule your team into the proper grade.  Teams are put together by grade and gender.  Girls play in one league but boys have a league for frosh, soph, jr and senior.

 

Karen Reflects on Outdoor School as they Conclude another Session at Camp Howard

Sr. Krista von Borstel 11 Comments

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One of the best parts about Outdoor School is tradition.  This program has been running for almost 50 years.  It has been a ground breaking pilot program for environmental literacy in the state and nationwide.  What makes Outdoor School special at Camp Howard is that this is the original site, and has been hosting Outdoor School the entire time.

Since 1966, 6th graders have loaded up on big yellow busses and spent a few days exploring the forest and splashing in the pond.  They have had opportunities to get to know students from other schools, to learn outside of the classroom, and in many cases, have been able to simply have their basic needs met, like three balanced meals and a warm place to sleep for the first time.  Outdoor School serves most of Multnomah county, and most schools include it as not only a rite of passage for their students, but an essential part of teaching their 6th grade science curriculum.

Something I have noticed is the sense of community that is felt when Outdoor School lives at camp.  I can hear it in the endless songs that kids sing from place to place, I can see it during mealtimes, when students use table manners, help with chores and show appreciation to not only each other, but to the cooking staff as well.  As kids leave with their arms reaching out the bus windows, promising to return in four years to be a high school student leader.

There are always things I hear or see in passing when running around site.  This week for example, we have a student whose father was on staff when Coho, the Site Supervisor currently, was a high school leader.  And Coho herself was a 6th grade student here at Howard.  Last week there was an exchange student from Indonesia able to be a high school leader that “ just appreciated that everyone here is so positive”.  A student whose “favorite part of Outdoor School was being able to get away from problems at home”.  Students that are not normally successful in classrooms find that being taught in the Outdoors they can be successful.  Every week students plant a tree to commemorate their week, Camp Howard has the very first tree planted by 6th graders for Outdoor School, it lives strong and tall at the far end of the main field near the sand pit over looking the bluff.   All of this happens at beautiful Camp Howard.

Outdoor School can be a transformative process for students and their memories reside here at Howard.  Ask almost anyone that grew up in Portland and they can recall their Outdoor School experience.  They remember their high school student and the place they attended.  Howard lives on in their memories.

It is special to have Outdoor School roam our trails and sit at our campfires.  Outdoor School is a part of Oregon’s history.  Parents, and in some cases now, grandparents, have sent their children off to Outdoor School for the past 50 years, and they have been coming to Howard the entire time. The stories that these cabins could tell! It is so wonderful to have such a rich history continue on here at our site.  My hope is that Outdoor School can live on for many, many more years to come and students can enjoy the benefits of community and education, the splendor of Oregon, and Camp Howard.

Camp Howard Staff to visit Seattle CYO Program

Sr. Krista von Borstel 1 Comment

Monday October 15th the CYO Staff will be leaving from the CYO office at 6:00 am for a trip to Seattle to visit the CYO camps and athletic department.  Our goal is to see how the Seattle programs operate, share information on how we do things and maybe get some new ideas in the process.

Last spring the Seattle CYO visited the Portland CYO and Camp Howard where the two staffs were introduced for the first time.  It was a lot of fun to get to know our Northern counterparts.

Who knows what might come from these visits.  I look forward to the possibilities!

In the next few days we will report on our adventure.

Camp Howard Closed for Two Weeks of Maintenance Projects

Sr. Krista von Borstel Leave a comment

Camp is over and a few staff have remained on site to help with planned maintenance projects.  Last summer we stained and trimmed Gimpl Dining Hall and two of the staff cabins.  The results were stunning!  This year we are staining and trimming the third staff cabin, main shower house, camp store, Greenwood Unit and if time permits, Fircrest Unit.  If all goes well, 16 buildings will be stained and trimmed!

 

Before

 

After

 

Emma Wycoff Receives her Unique Bead on Her Cougar Award at Camp Howard

Sr. Krista von Borstel 10 Comments

Image

Emma Wycoff received her “Unique” bead this summer at Camp Howard.  It is the final and most difficult bead to acquire and puts her in the category of legends such as Joey Harrington and Rev. Paul Grubb SJ both of whom received all of the beads over the years at camp.

The beads are part of an award known as the “Cougar Award”, given weekly to generally one camper per cabin per week during the summer.  The award is given to those who best exemplify good conduct, Christian values, camper assistance and good old fashion goodness, all week at camp.

The last night of camp features the Cougar Campfire which, after the songs are sung, the Cougar Award ceremony begins with counselors talking about their award winners and why they selected the person they selected.  The camper stands with their counselor and glows with pride as as the counselor waxes on about their wonderful qualities.

Generally a new cougar award is given in each cabin (as long as a worthy candidate is identified) and later in the ceremony, a second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth bead may be given if deserved!

What is this Cougar Award?  After research, I was able to come up with the historical meaning of each of the beads as established in the early 60’s by Fr. Gimpl.  The original Cougar Award was a leather fob with a Cougar image stamped in foil on the leather.  It was later replaced in the late 80’s with a round plastic cougar stamped with foil.  In 1998, we were able to restore the award back to leather and had a stamp made to impress the image of the cougar with the words “Cougar Award” into the leather.

The first bead given today is the red bead which signifies FIRE and has it ties to the Holy Spirit and the fire the Spirit ignites in our being to example the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.

The second bead is the green bead, reminding us of the EARTH, and the value of the gift of creation which we have been charged to care for.

The third bead is the YELLOW bead, which reminds us of the SUN and the life-giving qualities produced by the sun which takes us to the

Fourth bead, BLACK in color which signifies DEATH and that through the dying process we enter into new LIFE = the fifth bead, WHITE in color.

The final bead is the UNIQUE bead which inspires us as unique individuals to be faithful to our Christian values in the way God has intended for us to live them.

So you see, the Cougar Award is filled with significant meaning. Congratulations to Emma Wycoff and her cougar accomplishments.

If YOU received a Cougar Award at Camp Howard, please respond to this post, let us know when you received it and how many beads you received! Continue reading “Emma Wycoff Receives her Unique Bead on Her Cougar Award at Camp Howard” →

How Did Amanda Weddle Make the Money to Pay for Camp this Year?

Sr. Krista von Borstel Leave a comment

Amanda Weddle

Amanda Weddle paid her way to Camp Howard this year by selling soap which her family makes from her prize winning 4-H Dairy Goats!   Not only that, she moved with her family to California so she flies to Portland for her annual week of camp at Camp Howard.  Her good friend, Emma Wycoff from Christ the King, makes plans to attend camp with Amanda as they were pals when Amanda lived in Portland.

Amanda gave me a gift of her soap this summer and I have to tell you, it is pretty special!  It smells good, it feels good and it is really special that Amanda has found a creative way to fund her summer passion!

I would like to invite you to check out the Weddle Family soaps and maybe help Amanda out by trying it!

 

Facebook: search Hapi Capi Soaps or click/paste this link – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hapi-Capi-Soaps

Etsy: search Hapi Capi Soaps or click/paste this link –  http://www.etsy.com/shop/Hapicapisoaps

Karen sends Spectacular Fish Story – Camp Howard & Cindy Garcia from Holy Family

Sr. Krista von Borstel 4 Comments

To: Sr. Krista –  That photo is Cindy Garcia with Holy Family Parish Rental at Camp Howard who caught that 22 and 3/4 inch trout this morning.  I told her she might make it into the Sentinel.  I sent it to Jolie.  I told her to look on your blog and maybe it would make it there.  Here is the story, you fill in the blanks: – Thank you – Karen von Borstel

I was a sunny morning at Camp Howard today as some of the Holy Family Parish campers were fishing at the pond.  It was a very relaxing atmosphere with people sitting on chairs and benches catching some really nice 10 inch trout.  Cindy Garcia was sitting in her blue lawn chair right next to the little shed, wearing her frilly purple blouse and peddle-pushers (Cindy is a very stylish fisherwoman), fishing with her little trout pole, 6 lb. test line,  baited with a big fresh night crawler.  She had a little red and white bobber, the type usually used for little sunfish or perch, hooked on her line.   All of a sudden her pole bent half way over and that bobber disappeared.  She stood up and the fish came out of the water and we all knew she had a whopper on.  Everyone started heading toward her to help her land that fish.   That fish kept breaking through the water and it looked like a salmon.  We were all holding our breath. I knew there wasn’t any way she was going to get that thing to shore.  She had way too light of line, we didn’t have a net.  Her drag was set too tight.  I knew the line would snap and that would be that.  It would be the story about the one that got away!  Cindy brought that fish right up and onto the bank.  A huge cheer went up.  The biggest fish to my knowledge ever caught at Camp Howard.  22 and 3/4 inches long.  We got the groups photographer, the tape measure, and Cindy became a celebrity at Camp Howard.  It was so exciting.  Her husband, Alfonso, had to work this weekend.  He is going to be so jealous.  The cooks are preparing a seasoned stuffing to go into that trout and it will be cooked and served for supper, with the other fish they have caught today.  We are at 40 right now and we have one more session of fishing this afternoon.  Everyone should get a trout to eat tonight and Cindy’s will feed several.  Great day for fishing at Camp and it is all verified on film.

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Camp Howard Summer Camping Program is Finished!

Sr. Krista von Borstel Leave a comment

What a great summer camping season we had at Camp Howard this year.  So many stories to tell.  New Camp Howard Summer Program Director, Bill Fogarty, finished his first summer as Director of the summer camping season.  A near record 1450 campers enjoyed the use of the camp during the six week  season that ended August 17.

We will begin telling the stories over the course of the coming weeks to give you some insights into the summer.

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Camp is in Session!

Sr. Krista von Borstel 2 Comments

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I have to admit it has been hectic these past few weeks transitioning from Track and Field Championships to our CYO Appreciation Dinner then to the operation of our wonderful summer camping program at Camp Howard.  So much fun and activity but a lot of work behind the scenes to make it happen for the kids!

It takes an exceptional team of people to make it all happen and that is what we have at CYO/Camp Howard.  An EXCEPTIONAL TEAM!

Today I went to the bus which is one of my favorite experiences.  I have written stories about the kids at the bus and how hard it is for some of them to leave their parents for the first time and how equally hard it is for the parents to let them go.  Tender, touching moments between parent and child.  A huge act of trust from parent to Camp Howard and we take it seriously.

Around 175 campers climbed aboard the Camp Howard bound busses and headed to camp today.  I drive the luggage bus to camp, help with delivery of luggage and in the meantime have a first class view of what is taking place around me as the campers break up into cabins, cabin groups and get a counselor.  It is never the same and always exciting for the kids.

Our new Camp Director, Bill Fogarty, from the St. Juan Diego parish is on his second full week of camp and doing a great job.  He brings a lot of experience to the role along with wisdom, understanding, patience, and a great attitude.  He has hired a first class staff representing several of the parishes in the greater Portland area.

Camp Howard continues to be one of those Catholic traditions that youth experience today and will look back on as a great memory. That’s our goal!  Plenty of time to sign up for sessions 4,5,6,7!

See you at camp!