BIG BAY, Mich. (WZMQ) – Bay Cliff Health Camp celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and for a lot of the community, it continues to create well-kept memories for a lifetime.
On Tuesday, May 23rd, 7th graders from Bothwell Middle School attended their first two morning classes with a unique schedule for everyone. After lunch and the evening classes, all the campers and counselors join in a group activity in the evening, and Tuesday night was animal survival night.
“The staff comes in the 7th-grade staff they put this together and we recruited some of the other staff from Bothwell middle school and I would almost say that to some degree their more excited than the students are,” said Bothwell Middle School Principal Bobby Reichel.
“So everyone gets assigned an animal and it’s you’re a different part of the food chain and so if you’re a wolf you chase around the other types of animals,” said Counselor Jack Quinnell.
A lot of the counselors volunteering have already gone through the camp themselves and are now in high school, wanting to give back to the camp. “This is my first year as a counselor my sister’s in 7th grade so I wanted to come up here and be a counselor while she was a camper,” continued Quinnell.
“It’s an incredible experience I’ve been coming here my entire life every year and it’s just cool to see how everyone is,” said Camp Counselor Evelyn Tapolcai.
Every day, students will have an activity involving the outdoors that helps bond the whole group.
“Yesterday for science I had ponds and we went down to the pond that’s right down there and we caught a turtle,” commented Bothwell 7th grader Jailey Glenn.
“As a teacher and a mom I’m looking at this from both angles and this is an amazing week for all of us,” said Counselor and Mom Jennifer Tapolcai.
For more information on Bay Cliff Health Camp, click here.