This first week of Camp Yampa went very well, and I cannot wait to see our yampers continue to grow, both in skill and interconnectedness. We have quite an age range between our yampers, and it is almost surprising to see how much they share in common, and just how much they can talk to each other. This is especially apparent in our theater group, in which these wildly different kids participate in improvisational activities together as if they've known each other forever. These observations of our theater group activities, as well as the larger group activities, have taught me that our yampers are far more friendly and agreeable than I originally thought, and that the real challenge is going to be getting them to focus on the lessons instead of being sidetracked.
Signing out for now,
Merrick Combs

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The first full week of Camp Yampa is done, and what a week it was! Packed full of games, crafts, and learning, I'd say that the camp is finally in full swing. Over the course of the week, we finished sculpting and paper mache-ing our Alebrijes, which we will paint and finish early next week. The Yampers had a lot of fun with this project, and even those whose focus was not visual arts still had a blast and put out some great work. The Yampers are also getting to know each other better every day, and new friendships form very quickly between our many activities. The Yampers in the theater focus group have become very friendly with each other, which, while it is exciting to see, has presented its fair share of challenges. As counselors, Miles and I have learned to use various tactics to keep our Yampers engaged, and continue to develop our teaching skills, making sure the kids are both having fun and being productive. Most of the week was spent planning and finalizing ideas for our Creative Arts in Motion Project. As of Friday, our Yampers have begun to paint, sculpt, and film their masterpieces, which we will continue to work on for the rest of the time we have at Camp Yampa. These projects are sure to blow the community away, and in the meantime, look forward to updates posted by me and our other wonderful counselors.
Signing off for now,
Merrick Combs

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This was Camp Yampa's best week yet! We had multiple guest teachers, including Mr. C, the River City High School band teacher, and the Culinary teacher at the Bryte Campus. I also had the pleasure of hosting Under the Bus, a virtual interview show that Dylan, Bella, and I started over quarantine, live. I interviewed our three teacher supervisors, Mr. Bent, Mr. Hanks, and Ms. Molineaux. It was rather nerve wracking, at least for the first day, but I got more confident over the course of the three interviews. We finally figured out how to keep control of the theater kids. It was a bit of a challenge, but Miles and I rose to it, and even though there are a few hiccups now and again, overall, we figured it out. Our final project is coming along, and my group has been making great progress on the painting. The script, however, has been a challenge, but I have full confidence in the abilities of my group to get it ready to present next Friday. That's all for now, thanks a lot for reading, and I can't believe next week is our last!
Signing out for now,
Merrick Combs

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We did it! The performance was a great success, and this entire last week went very well. We only met with our focus groups on Tuesday, and we had some fun during this time. I wish we had more time to teach the theater group, as we never had the chance to put on a performance of our own, but I still think they learned a lot and had fun. This is also mostly negated by the fact that the theater kids were mostly able to perform in their collaborative groups, and did so for the final performance. I was blown away by the creativity and passion displayed by our wonderful Yampers within our Creative Arts in Motion Project. Each group designed their skits, videos, and art separately, but it flowed very well from one group's project to the next. The most challenging part of running this show, at least from my perspective, was keeping the kids quiet while they waited for their turn to perform. Middle schoolers are impatient and loud. After this performance, we all got to sit and talk about what made camp special, and everyone was very sweet and sentimental towards us counselors and their fellow Yampers. I am very glad I took part in this internship and I cannot wait for next year. I will miss all of our Yampers, but with one end comes another beginning, and while families such as ours may separate, our bond as artists and friends will never die. Thank you very much to the kids for coming along and having fun, and thanks to the parents who facilitated this. None of this could have been possible without all of you.
Signing off for now,
Merrick Combs

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