Paramus– Between the happy throngs of campers and students coloring, the shouts of laughter ringing through the lunchroom, and everything else, there are many things to love about Friendship Circle’s Winter Camp.
During the last week of 2014, high schoolers welcomed special needs children to The Frisch School for Winter Camp. During a week combining fun and chesed, every morning Frisch students were paired with campers. Then they’d climb on board for a short bus ride to activities at the World of Wings, Bounce, and Billy Beez. After eating lunch on the field trip, the kids returned to school for arts and crafts, performances by entertainers, or other interesting activities.
Rabbi Joshua Schulman, a teacher at Frisch, has been the organizer of the Friendship Circle Winter Camp for years. “We’ve had the camp at Frisch for many years, and over the years [the camp] has taken on more permanence,” said Rabbi Schulman. He added that it’s “really nice for [the campers] to have an older brother or an older sister kind of relationship with kids that they might not otherwise have.”
“I love it,” said camper Zev Kinderlehrer; Shiloh Friedman, a sophomore at Frisch, who likes the chesed aspect of the project, said, “I felt like I really connected with the kids,” and sophomore Sara Knoll said it was an incredible experience.
Rabbi Schulman explained that during their children’s winter break from public schools, parents are looking for programs and activities to occupy them. That’s where the winter camp comes in. Camp is especially valuable to parents who might otherwise need to stay home to care for their child, particularly when other children attend day schools with different vacation schedules.
Rabbi Schulman’s favorite part of camp? “Getting to see the goodness and kindness in each and every one of our students being put on display. You get to see sides of people [that] you wouldn’t see on a regular school day. You learn about certain talents that people have that you wouldn’t necessarily know of otherwise. It’s a really exciting and engaging experience all around.”
“They have a great time together, both Frisch and Friendship Circle kids,” he added.
Sushi Kaplan, a 10th grader at The Frisch School, is a former Jewish Link editorial intern. Read more of Sushi’s writing at http://www.sushionsports.wordpress.com.
By Sushi Kaplan
